Poetry Essay #2 "All Is Vanity, Saieth the Preacher"

AP Poetry Essay #2: Lord Byron’s All Is Vanity, Saieth the Preacher Vanity is a deplorable but unavoidable truth of life. When given the chance, individuals will take advantage of the opportunities they are given and will descend into darkness. Although the past remains unalterable, the key to eternal salvation is to show remorse. Through demonstrating remorse, individuals can continue living while improving themselves. In All Is Vanity, Saieth the Preacher, Lord Byron employs paradoxes and personification in order to acknowledge how the vice of power consumes the human race, undermining their sacred moral principles. Delivering this oration through the perspective of a preacher, Byron demonstrates how the prevalence of temptations plagues the moral character of the individual. Epitomized as the messengers of God’s eternal words, preachers are perceived to be infallible, incapable of relenting to the temptations of the world. Exposing the concealed truth beneath this assumption, Byron recognizes how the insatiable desire of the preachers validate their deplorable standard of living, asserting how “There rose no day, there roll’d no hour/Of pleasure unembittered” (Byron 13-14). Yes, the civil obligation of the preachers is to deliver the timeless messages communicated by the Holy Bible. What happens to this valiant cause? The preacher is consumed by a pursuit of material commodities, which, consequently, prevents them from experiencing true pleasure. Although at one instance in time “Fame, wisdom, love and power” were possessions of the preacher, the temptation of accentuating their status through the acquisition of “mortal prize” clouded their judgment, leaving them to ruminate over the consequences of their actions (Byron 1, 7). Through a remembrance of their previous mistakes, the preachers initiate a repentance of their sins, modeling the virtue of forgiveness. With an unburdened conscience, preachers are able to demonstrate how achieving eternal salvation is an enviable option for the entire human race. Through personifying intrinsic qualities of the human race, Byron communicates how an indulgence in vices is an inexplicable truth of life. Constrained by the grievous mistakes endured during the past, the preacher strives to account for the days “Remembrance can discover/Which all that life or earth displays/Would lure me to live over” (Byron 10-12). Expressing a willingness to change, the preacher comes to the evident realization that the capability to change is achieved through an acceptance of your past. Although the solution to the preacher’s detraction from morality is unclear, Byron expresses how this resolution will not “list to wisdom’s lore” and will perpetuate the number of “souls that must endure it” (Byron 21, 24). An unavoidable and unfortunate truth of life, the preacher resolves to improve the content of his character to set an example for the human race. The preacher is indistinguishable from the members of the human race. The only difference is the preacher’s emotional capacity. The internal desire to change. Now, the triumph of the human spirit becomes individual perseverance against the obstacles. With a recognition of the past and an unrelenting quest for self-improvement, the preacher validates his status as a messenger of God.