The poem of Elizabeth Bishop entitled ‘Manners’ is an artistic representation of the etiquette in the past. It also differentiates the proper etiquette or manners of the old fashioned and the new age which could be observed from the relationship of the grandchild and the grandfather. The focus of the poem is to depict the proper manners during the early times in history. However, the poem could be a satirical depiction of how the old people accept and apply the traditional codes of the society in terms of civility and ethics. It is also a depiction of how these traditional codes are changing from the old to the new age. The author also used the relationship of a grandfather and a grandchild to connect the gap between the two generations. In this method, the etiquette or the manners between two eras could be compared. The manners manifested by the grandfather come from the social norm which is accepted and applied during their time. The author’s intention in writing the poem ‘Manners’ is to relate to the readers about the manners in the past and to show that there are some people who care about it even if the society is rapidly changing.
In the poem, the setting was an old depiction of the early 1900s. The theme of the poem is about ethics and it is presented by the characters in the poem as well as the representations. The emotion presented in the poem is dramatic as the author remembers the past. The depiction of the happy emotion is also set by the grandfather who characterized the theme of the poem.
In analyzing the texts from the poem, the time frame should be considered first since the major theme considers two different eras. The poem started from the line: “For a Child of 1918”. The year signifies the start of the Second World War. It is also the time when the society is rapidly changing due to the emergence of ideals and principles of freedom and equality. In evaluating the texts, this time period could be described as an era were the manner of being humble is necessary. The time frame indicated in the poem could be a representation of the manners and etiquette of the people living in an important period of the American History.
The importance of the grandfather in the poem is the symbolism and representation of the manners manifested by the old age or era. The main argument of the grandfather is to acknowledge all people that his grandchild meets with kindness and respect. It could be recognized in the lines: “Be sure to remember always to speak to everyone you meet” (Bishop, 37). These lines depict how speaking to everyone in the time of pre-roaring war is very important. It could be very important and necessary to imply that a person is harmless. In analyzing the grandfather, it could be realized that this manner and etiquette must have evolved and changed through time. The author is trying to emphasize that the customs and beliefs of the grandfather are firm when it comes to the concept of manners, and this type of principle is now changing.
Another symbolism that is present in the poem is about the crow which represents the product of being obedient, and having good manners though training and teaching. The respond of the grandfather in lines; “See, he answers nicely when he’s spoken to. Man or beast, that’s good manners, be sure that you both always do” (Bishop, 37) is a manifestation of how the old age provides importance to teaching and training proper manners. For the old generation, proper manners should be learned by the next generation in order to be a good citizen. The product of training the crow is a representation of how good manners could affect the next generation through proper training and teachings. The author is trying to imply that training and teaching proper manners are essential since it could be the lineage of the customs and beliefs of the proper etiquette which existed in the past.
The next symbolism that could be recognized in the poem is the transition between the old ways to the new age in their acceptance and values for manners and etiquette. The grandfather represents the old era while the grandchild or the author represents the new age. There are also materials in the poem which could represent the transition which are the wagon and the automobiles. The wagon which was used by the grandfather and the grandchild is a representation of the old age. Automobiles are only a developing technology during the year 1918 and it is a perfect representation of the new age. In the modern times, wagons are no longer used which could give the readers of the modern age that the manners and the etiquettes of the past are gone or changed. It is also a symbolism about the fact that the customs, beliefs and understanding about the proper manner of the automobiles or the new age is replacing the wagons or the old era.
The last symbolism which could be observed in the last stanza is statement of the author about the nature of etiquette or manner. In the lines; “When we came to the Huster Hill, he said that the mare was tired, so we all got down and walked, as our good manners are required” (Bishop, 37), the author is showing that manners should only be applied to humans but also to animals. It clearly shows that the author is trying to tell the readers that manners should also be applied to everything.
Work Cited:
Bishop, Elizabeth. Classic Poetry Series. The World’s Poetry Archives. 2004. Web. http://www.poemhunter.com/i/ebooks/pdf/elizabeth_bishop_2004_9.pdf.
