The Old South and John Crowe Ransom :: John Crowe Ransom Writers Poems Essays

The Old southernmost and John Crowe RansomMost record it as a time of dashing young heroes on horseback, sensible damselsin distress, and majestic castles hidden from the vulgarity of daily life by the cool shade of fragrant magnolia and honeysuckle. It was a time and place so far removed fromtodays fast moving, billboard cover world that one could easily imagine that this lostcivilization existed on some far off continent, or perhaps not at all. However, the factremains that once upon a time the doddering southwest did exist, and there are many people stillwho feel that the blemish of this culture and its ideals is nothing short of a tragedy. One such(prenominal) single(a) was John Crowe Ransom, a man whose life was tempered with his intense yearn for the customs and stability that the old South embodied, and that has been lost forever amid the skyscrapers and factories that postulate replaced the cotton fields andplantation homes of long ago. The power that the old South held for Ransom drove hisworks, as can be evidenced in his poem, Old Mansion, which describes his ultimatelyfutile attempts to choke to the old traditions.The common attract unifying Ransoms work is that of longing for the stabilityand tradition that the old South embodies. As in his essays, this poem explores thepossibilities of what unlocking the secrets of this lost geological era might entail, and what benefits could be reaped in todays society from such an undertaking. In this poem, Ransom fails however, the poem remains an important step in his journey to seek out the old traditions and integrate them into a mod framework. To begin this journey, Ransom introduces the old mansion as a concrete concept to represent the traditional values and lifestyles sought. Every bit of the structure, from its ivy-covered columns, crumbling graveyard, and ultimately, its inhabitants themselves, serve as parables for Ransoms search. The language in the scuttle stanzas clearly demon strates the reverence andpersonal affinity Ransom feels for the plantation home, i.e. the old South. Yet despitethe fact that he wants nothing more than to coming back to this way of life, he still refers to himself as an intruder (ln 1) into this world that he cherishes so highly. Clearly,despite Ransoms desire for a return to these simpler times, he maintains a feeling ofrespect for the past itself, and is not attempting to experience it. He is an intruder in this past, yet he wants desperately to take its meaning, rather than just appreciate its beauty.