"The Present Crisis" a poem of all poems

      Russell Lowell was an abolitionist in the 1800's, and he wrote a poem called The Present Crisis in 1844, which speaks of freedom and evil, making a choice and standing for truth. Interestingly 1844 was the same year that Joseph Smith was killed, but more on that later. When I read through this poem the first time, I had no idea what it was talking about! Am I the only one? When I usually think of poetry, I think of the kind I read to my kids like, "Come little leaves said the wind one day," obvious and simple, right? Apparently I have avoided the more in-depth poetry meant for anyone older than the age of 8, until now. One thing I am loving about the Mentoring In the Classics subscription is that we are stretched and asked to go deeper in our studies. This 2 page poem was the hardest classic for me so far, as far as understanding it's message. I think it took about 5 times reading through it to get more of the gist of it, and listening to the information in the course really helped, but to really know what it means I think it could take about 5 more re-reads, with marking words and writing thoughts in the margins each time. Even as I am typing this I am still learning more. What poetry this is, with different meanings found in each reading! Maybe sometime I'll try reading Isiah like this, since the book is pure poetry as well... With that introduction, here are my thoughts and "ponderings" with this poem, with some of my favorite lines:

 First line: "When a deed is done for freedom,"

      Dr. Demille asked, "What deed are you doing for freedom?" with the idea that freedom means helping others, while liberty is personal freedom. For me personally I thought of a conversation I had recently with a teacher of an all day Kindergarten class. I hated to hear that, "There are a lot of behavior problems," since she works with the kids who have the lowest reading levels. While school districts may blame behavior problems on being behind in academics, I blame it on the fact that they're expecting young children to do something totally and completely inappropriate for their developmental stage! Of course a 5 year old is going to behave badly if they're forced to sit at a desk all. day. long, with two (?!?!) ten minute recesses and a 1/2 hour break for lunch! A 5 year old should be playing outside for crying out loud, for hours!!! The deed I'm doing for freedom is to promote free play for children- loose parts play (recycled lp pictured below) for creativity and any self directed play that is developmentally appropriate. When children are able to direct their play, while being in nature, using their self motivation to understand their world as they learn and grow, learning happens organically instead of  the coerced learning that happens in the "polite incarceration" of a full day of school. "Free Play for Every Child!" is my clarion call to the masses. Sadly, most aren't listening. I couldn't even get people to show up for most of the pop-up play spaces I set up, and it was a lot of work to set up. Since starting homeschool I've focused more on my own children and their friends, but I'm not giving up on the other children. I just have to figure out what avenue I'll use for this radical change of thought :)

     Another deed I want to do for freedom is buying a tiny house so we don't have to spend so much time cleaning (or avoiding cleaning) the huge house that we have now. How freeing would that be? No mortgage, spending more time outside since the house is small, and moving when the idea hits. That might be liberty though since it's my personal dream... 

      First 2 lines of the second stanza:  

 So the Evil’s triumph sendeth, with a terror and a chill, 

Under continent to continent, the sense of coming ill,

      After my 5th reading, I finally figured out that Lowell wrote about two different kinds of moments, that affect the entire world. At first he talks about deeds done for freedom, then contrasts that with moments where evil triumphs. With this line "In the gain or loss of one race all the rest have equal claim" he's saying that whether good or evil acts are done, all of humanity is affected. At first I couldn't understand why it was talking about freedom in one stanza then wickedness the next, and what his point was exactly, but he's saying that deeds done for freedom or wickedness are felt all over the world, like the sun rises and it fills the land as Sarah expressed. A cloud of darkness can also fill the skies, sending storms to all. I really appreciated the thoughts and ideas of others this month. I started the subscription and I'm loving my new set up for studying- I read through the assignments myself, then discuss it in person with some fantastic women, then listen to the podcast of the discussion with the Demilles. I find it humorous that the moms found all sorts of things having to do with birth that were missed by the men/youth discussion- aching breast, travail, birth etc. Each group that discusses the same thing can come up with completely different ideas The group made up of a different demographic pulled out different things, which can be expected, but always fascinating to me. Women and men, and youth who don't have families yet find such different items to discuss. I'm loving all of the interaction I'm getting with these works.

Line 41: "We see dimly in the PRESENT what is small and what is great." 

     I've thought about this line the most throughout the month, because sometimes it's hard to see the larger picture when you're just making it through the day. When all it seems that I do is change diapers and deal with fighting kids, it's hard to see what is small and great. What will really matter in the eternities? What will matter in the next 10 years? Looking back over time, what has mattered the most in the last 100 years, the last 500? What will stand the test of time, what greatness or horribleness will our generation be known for? What is small, what is great? The great and horrible thing of Lowell's time was slavery, and many people didn't have a problem with it. Just to be political, it makes me think of our country separating families at the border, including a 9 month old baby who was taken from her mother! That is pretty great and horrible. What greatness can I see? I think of Operation Underground Railroad, a group that is fighting sex trafficking, saving young people from being trafficked and providing aftercare for the girls. I also think of Teeny Tears diapers, which are made for stillborn babies, babies who most people think don't matter, until you have a baby die yourself. Those are some great and wonderful things that I can see. So in my own life, what is small and what is great? I'm not at the border, nor am I a former CIA operative who can go into countries to save girls from human trafficking. What things will matter most to me when all is said and done?
     Since this poem is about slavery, I couldn't help but think of John Newton, the man who wrote "Amazing Grace." He was a captain of a slave ship, and spent his time doing geometry problems while below him men and women were suffering and dying. Thankfully he eventually realized WHAT IS SMALL, AND WHAT IS GREAT. Have I?

Line 73: "Worshipers of light ancestral make the present light a crime." 

      This line makes me think of Joseph Smith who was killed as a martyr to his faith, the same exact year this poem was written! The mobsters then and others today were so stuck in the idea that there is only one Bible, that they missed the messages inside the Bible, about prophets, revelation, truth and being heroic enough to stand for truth instead of sitting as idle slaves of a legendary virtue (L.71 & 72). It's easy today to say that slavery is wrong (of course!!), but is it as easy to stand for truth today? What is unpopular in the world, but is a truth that you can feel in your heart? There are soooo many things that come to mind, but I'll leave that question for you. That thought goes along with this line, "They have rights who dare maintain them; we are traitors to our sires (L. 81)" How do I hold onto old ways, even though they bring slavery? They not even be old ways, just "simple" slavery to addictions, time thieves, degenerate ideas, debt, and the list goes on. Am I a traitor to my ancestors, wasting my life instead of becoming what I was born to be? Am I maintaining the rights of all people? Am I putting worldly pursuits ahead of helping others? Am I DOING deeds for freedom?

Analysis on the Overall Message

       There are crises in our present time! It is for us to choose on which side we'll stand, and only the test of time will tell us whether the greatness you stood for (or didn't) was great after all. Will we stand, ready to fight for the right? Will we stand by while horrors like slavery happen around us? "HAST THOU CHOSEN OH MY PEOPLE, ON WHOSE PARTY THOU SHALT STAND, Ere the doom from its worn sandals shakes the dust against our land?" Not and ear in court or marker for the low foreboding cry... Most are distracted by the market, the day to day life to hear the cries of the crises, to fix the wrongs! But the soul is still oracular (we can listen to our soul that tells us that wrongs need righting) and can whisper that compromise with sin now will enslave our children's children. We make compromise with sin because we're busy, guiding sin to our children.  It's at this time, when the crowds are lulled to sleep that the brave stand strong with truth, then he talks of choosing now, taking our own crosses to our new calvaries, each generation having to make the choice anew, but it is only a "word of that grand credo which in the prophet-hearts hath burned." the credo goes on since the first man stood god-conquered with his face to heaven upturned. Since man first chose God or good over evil, the creed has gone forth and each generation adds their words to it, following truth no matter the consequences. Lowell then writes of heroes that had "present valor" not believing that all virtue was in the past, the pilgrims didn't stop at thinking that the past was all that was good, they went forth in their time and braved the ocean for freedom. in the PRESENT. Since we have a present crisis now, we need present valor, just like the pilgrims were valiant for their time. "But we make their truth our falsehood, thinking that hath made us free." We tend to look at past deeds as great, but we don't DO the same, we flee the great impulse to do great things. "New Occasions teach new duties; ... they must upward still, and onward, who would keep abreast of Truth:" Fight NOW! take the crises that are "hidden" in the market and learn the duties needed to conquer them, be willing to be a "martyr" for the cause, be willing to stand up, make the choice to follow truth, "We ourselves must pilgrims be." Last line, "Nor attempt the Future's portal with the Past's blood-rusted key." Don't try to open the door to the future with the failures of the past, learn and grow beyond that.