The poem of the first four that I chose to analyze is "The Quiet Life," by Alexander Pope. It speaks romantically of the pleasures of a simple, rustic life. In the poem Pope expresses fondly the identity of rural culture, claiming that "Happy the man whose wish and care/ A few paternal acres bound." He's claiming that all one needs to be happy is land to call their own, a common sentiment of rural farmers. It seems that he is proudly contrasting this quiet life with the relative rush of pre-industrial urban areas, stating that one who can let "hours, days, and years, slide soft away" is "blest [sic];" presumably in contrast to the busy life of a city-dweller. Another common theme that I've noticed is held in high regard in rural culture is humility. Pope continues to identify with this lifestyle by saying "let me live, unseen, unknown;/ thus unlamented let me die." He, or at least the speaker of the poem, shows a lack of desire for recognition of their efforts, simply wanting to remain humble and unconcerned with the outside world, as is a custom of rural life.
Searching for a similar poem in this chapter, I selected "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas. This poem shares similar themes about the superiority of a simple life. Both authors write of a certain leisurely joy in the countryside, with Pope describing "study and ease/ Together mix'd; sweet recreation," while Thomas's speaker says "I ran my headless ways/ My wishes raced through the house-high hay/ And nothing I cared." Both poems in this way romanticize the beautiful simplicity of living in the country, although "The Quiet Life" is more laid-back while "Fern Hill" is more playful. The main difference between the poems is that Pope seems to describe a lifelong leisure, while Thomas reflects wistfully on days of youth in the countryside. However, both poems still share that same love of rural life, and strongly connect to the same identity of a carefree country living.
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