Research Paper on:
'The Holdfast' Poem by George Herbert

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
of Herberts poetry, one can always find a distinct sense of awe at the majesty of God and all of his creation. Some of Herberts religious verse was composed in  Latin. His English poetry has gone through various degrees of popularity over the centuries, but today, he is generally regarded by scholars as one of the most significant poets of  the seventeenth century (White x). The student researching this topic should be aware that in analyzing any of Herberts poetry, it is helpful to examine an annotated text since  the English language has changed quite a bit over the last three hundred years. Also, an annotated text fills in the student on cultural information that was common knowledge during  Herberts lifetime. For example, it is helpful to know that the title "The Holdfast," which will be the poem analyzed in this paper, derives from Psalm 73.27 in the  Book of Common Prayer: "It is good for me to hold me fast by God" (Patrides 152). The context of the poem is a conversation between the narrator and "one,"  who is evidently a person in authority, who informs the narrator that none of his responses to God will be either effective or appropriate (White 218). The narrator cannot  "obey God; nor trust in him; nor confess that nothing is our own" (White 218). There is nothing, literally nothing, that the narrator can do in relation to God.  Therefore, the first several lines of the poem, in modern English prose, might read something like this - realizing, of course, that in this poem, Herbert comes into a  conversation that is already in progress -- I stressed that I would observe, to the strictest decree, all of my dear Gods laws and commandments, with all my ability -