THOMAS GRAYS ELEGY WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD:
ACKNOWLEDGING THE COLLECTIVE SHADOW
Mushtaq ur Rehman Department of English Language and Literature, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Pakistan.
ABSTRACT Thomas Grays Elegy focuses on the undeveloped and unacknowledged humans of the country side who are or have been marginalized from the main stream of the society. The abject poverty which keeps them underdeveloped or undeveloped like weeds beneath the tall trees is the result of unequal distribution of wealth and un-acceptance of their due rights as humans. If read from a J ungian analytical psychology, these marginalized contents of the society are symbolic of the collective shadow which needs to be acknowledged and integrated into the conscious attitude. This paper is an attempt to read the Elegy from a J ungian point of view and sheds light on how Grey urges us to accept the unacceptable into our conscious life which is so essential for a peaceful coexistence
INTRODUCTION Thomas Grays Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is a well-known master piece of artistic creation which guides us to think how necessary it is to acknowledge the rugged, unrefined, and undeveloped outcasts as integral part of ourselves for psycho-socio development of the society. It is indispensable for us to realize that thorns grow next to roses and weeds next to trees.
In the opening stanza the Elegy brings before us a very dreary, dark and deplorable image of the poor country folk who are marginalized. Being rugged, uncouth and undesirable is what makes them symbolic of the collective shadow from a J ungian perspective. 1 On the other hand, the rich and wealthy people of the society in their blind pursuit of adjusting themselves in the society due to their overdeveloped persona which makes them look at these neglected individuals with scorn, hate and indifference. 2 This implies that their exaggerated persona suppresses the collective shadow as undesirable contents of the unconscious. 3
This suppression/marginalization of the humans on the basis of wealth and power or caste, creed and colour by the overgrown persona causes lopsidedness and disequilibrium not only in our personalities but also at the collective level in our society as a whole which disturbs both our inner and outer adjustment at personal, local, national and international level.
The poem portrays a gloomy, dark and pathetic picture of the rural folk who are marginalized as undesirable humans as a result of our inflated ego and overdeveloped persona which suppresses the shadow to its dark underworld of the unconscious. Gray in the opening lines of the poem says: The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd wind slowly oer the lea, The plowman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me. (Elegy,1-4)
Gomal University Journal of Research, 28(1). June, 2012 Rehman, Thomas Grays Elegy 98 The above passage overtly reveals a sense of suppression, neglect and oblivion. The words weary, plod, and darkness evoke a sense of heaviness and repression as if the ego which is heroic in its functioning hammers the shadow to its dark cavern of the unconscious which needs to be integrated into the conscious attitude. It implies that the persona in a fanatic fashion for its elated social adjustment becomes domineering and aggressive which represses the shadow rather integrating and illuminating it into our conscious side of the self. Since the persona needs to stay in touch with the unconscious for proper adjustment at inner and outer level in the society, it has to be guided by the poet accordingly for accepting the neglected shadow. At the outer level the ignored lot of the society needs to be rehabilitated; the wretched poor and the oppressed needs to be brought from the background to the foreground. This is why Gray says:
Let not Ambition mock their useful toil, Their homely joys, and destiny obscure; Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile The short and simple annals of the Poor. (29-32)
The above passage is a clear message of the poet to the persona not to overstep its measures and undervalue or look down upon what is not in matching with the social norms and mores. The phrases Ambition, Grandeur, disdainful smile represent the dazzling persona. And the useful toil, destiny obscure and short and simple annals of the poor carries an undertone of the suppressed shadow. 4 If the persona in its blind pursuits of fitting itself in the social set up does not correspond to the redundant energy lying latent in the dark realm of the unconscious, the potential energy turns negative and begins to harbor its revenge. The repressed dark energy (collective shadow) forms a tide in the unconscious and then bursts at times violently in the form of insurgencies, sectarianism, extremism, terrorism and Nazi holocausts which is the revolt of the powerless, the insatiable greed of the have-nots (J ung, 1954). This compensatory counter move of the dark and terrible shadow becomes uncontrollable which erodes even the intellectual and moral boundaries of the conscious reality. The suppressed undertone of calm rebellion is audible in the whole poem. This is why perhaps the poet vehemently warns the collective persona to beware of the apprehended dangers. J ung aptly says:
Clearly there must be something wrong with the conscious attitude [collective persona] for a compensatory move of this kind to be possible; something must be amiss or exaggerated , because only a faulty conscious can call forth a counter move on the part of the unconscious [collective shadow] (J ung, 1954).
The individual being stuck up in the persona of either racial superiority or beauty and wealth or rank and religion, caste and colour are all factors of inflated ego. These are the false/unnatural layers, acquired in our blind pursuits of outer adjustment, which need to be shed off in order to individuate. 5 Perhaps that is why Gray is quite critical of these exaggerated personas which distance us from becoming ourselves. He says:
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, Awaits alike th' inevitable hour:- The paths of glory lead but to the grave. (33-36) Gomal University Journal of Research, 28(1). June, 2012 Rehman, Thomas Grays Elegy 99 The above passage overtly hammers the idea of vain glories and conquests of the overgrown persona and reiterates further that all humans are essentially equal and of the same stuff if they shed off their unnatural selves. The phrases like The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, beauty wealth and glory are symbolic representations of the overdeveloped persona. Death is the ultimate great leveler which gives us a seminal lesson of equality. Which is why, one of the well-known J ungians, Harry Wilmer, states:
In ancient Rome it was the custom of the conquering hero to ride triumphantly through the city. By his side in the chariot sat a wise man whispering into the heros ear, over and over, You are mortal, Remember, you are mortal (Wilmer, 1987).
Our constant pursuit of persona keeps us blind to the bigger whole. We are unaware of the fact that the social roles we play in life are our temporary masks that we wear for social adjustment and individual identities. Our total reliance and convergence on these temporary masks leads us turn our back on the unconscious/ collective identity which distances us from one another as humans in a vast chain of human society. To disdain the deserted poor contents of the society who are the victims of abject poverty is to marginalize and scornfully deny the shadow which needs to be integrated. Instead of integrating the neglected ones as integral parts of ourselves, we insist on their severance at all levels of meaning. David Richo aptly throws light on the necessity of both for each others existence. He says:
In our collective history we are not trying to destroy the darkness so that only light remains but rather we are trying to accept them both. Each requires the other for existence, as thesis and antithesis are required for synthesis (Richo, 1999).
When we fail to acknowledge this dark energy lying latent in the dark region of the unconscious we cease to be productive and efficient individuals of the society. This unknown power of the society/unconscious without being accepted goes wasted due to lack of opportunity. Which is why the poet laments the tremendous loss we suffer from not only on individual level but also on national and international level. The following passage best illustrates the idea. Gray says:
Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear: Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air. (53-56)
The image of dark unfathomed caves of ocean overtly refers to the deep and dark caverns of the unconscious psyche which the sun (persona) never penetrates. It is imperative on the reluctant and stiff persona to make a journey of the dark underworld of the unconscious in order to be flexible and empathic. If the shadowy power of the unconscious (lying latent like gems in the ocean) is not illuminated and brought to the lime light of the conscious self, it turns negative and backfires from the unconscious violently like a disguised deadliest enemy who is lying in ambush. What is not integrated splits off and becomes autonomous (like the cult of Dionysus in ancient times) (Richo, 1999). The following passage in the poem Gomal University Journal of Research, 28(1). June, 2012 Rehman, Thomas Grays Elegy 100 perhaps points to the situation where we can smell some symptoms of calm rebellion. The poet says:
Some village-Hampden, that with dauntless breast The little tyrant of his fields withstood, Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest, Some Cromwell, guiltless of his country's blood. (57-60)
Grays highlighting of these dark contents of the society points to this problem of marginalization of the collective shadow as part and parcel of our being. In our blind pursuit of personas we fail to see them as part of ourselves. The result is that we demonize and otherize these humble contents of society. This alienated unbroken knot of humans is the subject of our scorn. The slaves are a good example of marginalization. Collective marginalization of humans on racial, religious, and social or cultural grounds is more dangerous than the individual shadow. The collective shadow often leads to counter move on continuous suppression as crossed fingers, gives us an out when pressed too far (Wilmer, 1987). Bloody revolutions and holocausts are good examples. Talking about the collective shadow Mattoon says:
The collective shadow is more consistently destructive. It is sometimes described as absolute evil. I prefer to say that the evil of the collective shadow is as absolute as possible in human lifeThe collective shadows manifestations are the offences of the racial, economic and social groups against each other (Mattoon, 1997).
We also suppress some of our instincts, desires, and even ideas in order to avoid marginalization. The result is that we become psychologically morbid and depressed. Fear of marginalization also narrows down our natural course; and we feel shut up in the cocoon of our psychologically crippled personality. This is why J ung says, We limit ourselves to the attainable, and this means renouncing all our other psychic potentialities (J ung, 1971).
All marginalized minorities in the world exhibit features of the collective shadow as they are deemed less and inferior on the basis of caste, colour, creed, profession or politics. This leads to racism, extremism, and hatred in the society. Whitmont says, Every minority and every dissenting group carries the shadow projection of the majority, be it Negro, white, Gentile, J ew, Italian, Irish, Chinese or French (Whitmont, 1969). This attitude of the people leads to communal riots, mass massacre, and terrorism in the society. J ung, while talking about the Psychology of Nazism, points to this collective shadow of the mass psychology as blond beast [which] was stirring in an uneasy slumber and that an outburst was not impossible (Jung, 1954).
In the present day world of conflicts and disintegration, to acknowledge the individual and collective shadow has become a challenging task for all of us. That is why Martin Drahon Gallard says, Consequently one must act, not only in relation to the conscious personality, but in relation to the contents of the shadow which is often in contradiction with consciousness (in Mattoon, 1997). Instead of coming to terms with the shadow as the ever-present dark brother or sister (Whitmont, 1969), we are spending lots of resources on the eradication of the shadow which is our Gomal University Journal of Research, 28(1). June, 2012 Rehman, Thomas Grays Elegy 101 futile attempt. In other words, we wage wars with what (shadow) cannot be eliminated. Instead of bringing marginalized humans and societies closer to ourselves, we are bent upon eliminating them which leads to further disintegration of the society and the world.
Compressed into a single expression, the above figures can be described as a stranger, which we are never ready to recognize as a functional mechanism of our psychological dynamics. It is Grays feeling antenna that captures the repressed side as deserted country folk. These marginalized humans symbolically refer to an abyss in our psychological livesthe lack of feeling. Our duty as readers of Wordsworth is to feel the gravity of the above lack and access our inner marginalized figures to counter the overdevelopment of the thinking side.
The seminal message that we get from the Elegy is that recognition of the shadow is beneficial and healthy for balanced growth of individual and society. Knowing and being conscious that there is a dark side to us is indeed very humbling; it makes us more empathic and accommodating. Actions and behaviours that we hate in others are mostly part and parcel of our day to day life. We may laugh at others for being thrifty, but fail to see how we are not generous enough to accept the thriftiness of otherssomething which is symptomatic of the shadow. Becoming conscious of the shadow helps us understand that we also have in our personality traits and behaviours that we hate in others. We realize that what we pursue as a desirable norm is a temporary role and an adjustment to our social environment; not the whole and absolute identity. Being conscious of the shadow helps us stay rooted in reality; we become conscious of how people in other social environments have their desirable and undesirable norms. While we consciously pursue the persona, we also remain conscious of how there is a dark side to us that we hide from others
CONCLUSION
Healthy, peaceful, and productive life essentially demands our conscious integration of the shadow into our attitudes, and accept the rights of others as we assert ours. Our conscious acceptance of the shadow within ourselves and in the society leads to the solution of many problems, conflicts, and discords within and without. Knowing ourselves through knowing the shadow is the road to reach harmony within ourselves and in the society. Conscious acceptance of the shadow helps us know our origin as to who we are; where we are from; and what relation we have with others around us. Of course, to integrate the shadow is a painful process; there are many hazards in the way and lots of sacrifices in the form of shedding of artificial selves and our cherished ideals. It involves courage and moral efforts to accept what we detest. But in order to reach harmony within ourselves and in the society around us is not possible without encountering the shadow. Becoming conscious of the shadow leads us to rehabilitate the rejected and the marginalized humans back into the main stream of the society with respect and dignity. Embracing the shadow helps us to confer freedom, independence, and equal status on all those individuals and communities who have been ruthlessly marginalized. This helps the individuals meet each other like sovereign states with all mutual respect and dignity, and who never lose sight of each others humanity. Gomal University Journal of Research, 28(1). June, 2012 Rehman, Thomas Grays Elegy 102 Notes 1 Shadow according to J ung is the undeveloped dark side of our personality and is one of the archetypes of the unconscious. It is anything that we do not want to be or have; the most undesirable and the most condemned. Personal shadow we acquire during our life time but collective Shadow is an archetype inherent in us; it is a collective dark/undeveloped/weak side of a society, a group, a sect or community or a nation. It is the projection of our collective shadow when we otherize, criminalize, satanize and marginalize others in order to divinize our selves. For detail see C. G. J ung, The Portable Jung. Trans. R. F. C. Hull. Ed. J oseph Campbell. (New York and London: Penguin Books, 1971), pp. 144-48. Also see Frieda Fordham, An Introduction to Jungs Psychology, (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd, 1953), p.50. 2 Persona is not the real face but the outer covering, the outward public image through which we interact with the people for adjustment in the society. For further detail see C. G J ung, Relations Between the Ego and the Unconscious, The Portable Jung. Trans. R. F. C. Hull. Ed. J oseph Campbell (New York and London: Penguin Books, 1971); Frieda Fordham, Introduction to Jungs Psycholog (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1953), pp. 47-49; Edward C. Whitmont, The symbolic Quest: Basic Concepts Analytical Psychology (New J ersey: Princeton University Press, 1969), pp. 156-59 3 According to J ung the unconscious is the biggest part of the psyche which is an infinite store of contents which cannot be all known to the conscious part of the psyche. However, some of its contents can be illuminated and integrated into the conscious attitude. For detail see C.G. J ung, The Relations Between the Ego and the Unconscious, The Portable Jung. Trans. R. F.C. Hull. Ed. J oseph Campbell (New York: Penguin Books, 1971), pp. 70-138.
4 This and all other textual references are to Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard in The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol 1. Eds. M.H.Abram, etal (New York: W.W. Norton Company Incl.1968) and are indicated by line numbers unless otherwise indicated. 5 These are not the only words and phrases which symbolically represent the dark repressed shadow but a lot of other words and expression recurring in the whole poem like neglected spot, frail memorial, uncouth rhymes, Chill Penury repressd their noble rage/And froze the genial current of the soul, The threats of pain and ruin to despise and so on, carry the tragic tone of the repressed/marginalized collective shadow of the society. 6 From J ungian point of view individuation means becoming ones self ; it refers to self realization and the attainment of psychic wholeness. J ung says, The aim of individuation is nothing less than to divest the self of the false wrappings of the persona (The Portable Jung, p.123).
7 It is reminiscent of how remarkably Shakespeare hits the mark in his The Tragedy of Richard the Second, where the transformed persona of the King realizes the superficiality of its outward semblance. The King says: Throw way respect, Tradition, form, and ceremonious duty; For you have but mistook me all this while. I live with bread like you, fell want, taste grief, Need friends. Subjected thus, How can you say I am a king? (111.ii, 172- 177) 8 J ung holds Germany first among Western nations to be victim of this collective shadow whose forces, which were lying dormant, broke through all moral and intellectual barriers and flooded the conscious world in order to compensate exaggerated role of what J ung calls the faulty consciousness(Essays, 3). For detail see C. G. J ung, Introduction: the fight with the shadow, Essays on Contemporary Events: The Psychology of Nazism, Trans. R.F.C. Hull (New J ersey: Princeton University Press, 1954).
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