"Easter Wings"

"Easter Wings" by George Herbert, is an emblem poem that follows the up and down struggle of the life of a Christian. Herbert begins the poem in a positive manner and as the lines get smaller, so does the attitude of the speaker. Herbert gives all the glory to the Lord in the opening line by saying, “Lord, who createdst man in wealth and stone. Herbert is showing that he believes the Lord is above all humans and he does not deny that fact. He then comes back in the third line and just says, “Decaying more and more”. This line adds to the visual outlook of the poem, because the poem is decreasing in size at this time. After the line gets to the smallest point Herbert says, “O let me rise” , and the poem begins to increase in size. He uses this to relay the message through his words but a visual aid as well to help the reader. I love the way emblem poems can help a reader look deeper into the author’s words with the visual aid. Herbert continues the rise and fall throughout the poem and ends on a good note. This poem relays a great message that can be seen in everyone’s day to day life.