An analysis of Sonnet-To Science by Edgar Allen Poe and implications.
Poe starts with the use of personification as he exclaims about science “Science! True daughter of Old Time thou art!” He calls science a “daughter”, and this personification has the effect of providing science with an identity and something with a real conscience. Poe sees science as a real entity that is actively harming humanity, highlighting the ignorance and rejection of scientific principles that have instead saved us. The personification of science also adds to the effect of depicting science as living and evil. The author also personifies science by using verbs such as “alterest”, “preyest”, and “torn” to depict science as a real entity intending to harm humankind and destroy society when in reality it helps us with so many things. More personification is also seen in the second line, “Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes”. The suggestion that science has eyes and is a real being pulling the strings is a ridiculous notion. It is the opposite way of thinking from the truth further that shows sheer ignorance and defiance towards science.
Second, there is the use of allusions and metaphors. In the first line “Science! True daughter of Old Time thou art!”, Poe compares science to time, an omnipotent force that affects everything in the universe. He does so to depict science as a controlling force that has malicious intent towards humanity when this is far from reality, thus showing the ignorance and rejection of science and its principles. Furthermore, in the last lines of the poem, Poe alludes to mythological creatures such as “Diana”, “Hamadryad”, “Naiad” and “Elfin”, and combined with personification and verbs such as “torn”, Poe describes science as something that tears apart these mythological creatures apart, referring to how science kills creativity and religion which is not the case. He refers to how these creatures are evicted from their natural habitats, alluding to the effect that science has of killing the roots of culture and traditions. The author in line 4, “Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?”, also compares science with a vulture, something that only scavenges the dead and never works for itself which is also not true, thus showing the magnitude of delusions and ignorance of the real world that many people have.
The author also uses strong language. As already mentioned, he uses strong verbs such as “preyest” and “torn” that serves the main purpose of depicting science as barbaric and an uncivilized discipline that people follow. The use of these strong verbs is a way of attributing a murderous intent to science, and also shows it as something that aims to kill creativity and culture. It can be inferred that the author wants to nurture creativity but sees science as something that provides empirical answers and therefore dulls the world around us, which is shown in line 4, “Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?” The “vulture” which alludes to science is called “dull”, and the use of this specific adjective further serves to suggest that science drains vibrancy from the world, which in the real world has actually improved it as developments in medicine can save people even on the brink of death. The concept of killing creativity is also further explored in lines 6–7, “Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering To seek for treasure in the jeweled skies”. The author criticizes science for “not leaving him in his wandering”, and here “wandering” refers to the concept that science prevents and kills dreams of the people, and does not allow them to roam free, in mind or spirit, by providing all the answers to the world. This concept is also explored in the last 2 lines of the poem, “The Elfin from the green grass, and from me the summer dream beneath the tamarind tree.” Here the author is referring to how his “summer dream” was “torn” away from him, thus forwarding the notion that science is a dream-killer. This distinct way of thinking and ignorance further shows the magnitude of ignorance and rejection of scientific developments as finding answers may provide people with the motivation to dream bigger.
Last but not least, Poe uses rhetorical questions throughout the poem to question science and its effects. In the last lines “Hast thou not torn…beneath the tamarind tree” for example, the use of rhetorical questions in accordance with allusion emphasizes the supposed misdeeds of science and its effects on society as a whole. The repeated use of rhetorical questions highlights the defiance and ignorance towards science as a whole, and this device works with allusion especially.
Therefore, Edgar Allen Poe uses techniques such as allusion and metaphors, personification, and rhetorical questions to highlight science’s supposed negative impact on society and its misdeeds towards the people, but also shows the magnitude of ignorance and rejection of progressive principles in society.
