Hardy’s view on philosophy on life changes in Shut out That Moon as he begins to question faith and religion. Hardy feels that God is fictional and that God was just created to suit man’s needs rather than God creating man. Hardy uses the supernatural to portray his views. He speaks of “Orion’s glittering form” which shows Hardy’s views on science. Hardy uses this as a way of connecting with all readers as people look up to the sky for guidance and when they see “Orion’s glittering form” they become warm and content with themselves, whereas Hardy wanted them to see Orion’s belt as being imaginary and that they should only look to themselves for help and guidance. Hardy presents these views through the indents and shorter lines within the stanzas which showing Hardy concentrating on his question over religion and faith. Hardy begins to question life’s existence through the poem. He feels that life is too “fragrant” at the beginning of time but he now feels that life has become sour and “wrought”. Hardy uses the light to show warmth but does tempt the reader into thinking of how chaotic it would be if people did not have a light in their life.
Afterwards shows Hardy’s philosophy on time and place. Hardy is confused by time throughout the poem and as the title suggests, he is reflecting on time after the death of Emma. He uses this as a time of reflection and soul searching as he begins to retrace his memories and movements with Emma. Hardy speaks of how the “present” is “latched” and how time is stuck so he cannot move forward from this. Hardy starts to question other people and their beliefs. He feels that religion does not help anyone after the death of Emma and he begins to turn to science. This is shown through the way he starts stanza two, three and four. Hardy starts with “if” in these stanzas and it shows an alternative which is shown through Hardy’s conflict between science and religion. The rhyme scheme of ABAB through each stanza shows Hardy’s continuing battle between science and religion. Hardy contemplates time with “full-starred heavens that winter sees” and he is unsure of whether he should move on from Emma or go back and remember the memories of Emma. Hardy uses dark colours and a harsh tone through the poem which shows him soul searching. He speaks of the “darkness” in his life and how it affects him.
During Wind and Rain shows Hardy’s philosophical views on nature. “During Wind and Rain” shows the turbulent times that Hardy has faced and is facing. It shows that seasons change along with people’s emotional state. Hardy is confused through the poem whilst searching through his memory. This is shown when Hardy says “ah, no” as he is shown to be thinking of something but then ignoring it and cancelling it out. It shows the confusion in Hardy’s life. Hardy uses nature to symbolise his emotions and the “wind and rain” show this as Hardy has a clouded memory in which he is perplexed. The ellipses and caesuras show Hardy missing a word and breaking up sentences which shows him thinking and searching through his memories. The indents show Hardy’s hesitation and how he is stuttering to search his memories of “the bay”. Hardy speaks of dark colours and uses a strong, cold tone which mirrors his emotion but he then contrasts them with “summer” which shows that he always has hope and that although he is going through a rough patch in his life, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. The rhyme scheme of ABCBCDA through each stanza shows Hardy’s confusion and him stammering through his memories.
Hardy continues his theme of nature in The Darkling Thrush but also manages to combine this with time and place as he again shows his philosophical views. The rhyme scheme of ABABCDCD shows Hardy’s continuous theme of nature and time and place throughout the poem as well as showing that the journey Hardy’s faces is jagged and uncertain. Hardy uses this poem to highlight his loss in faith as he says “Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew… And I was unaware”. This shows Hardy questioning his religion as he begins to turn to science for answers. Hardy also blames humans for nature’s destruction through the use of “hard and dry”. This poem can be seen as presenting Hardy’s philosophical views of the century ending with no hope but then “the darkling thrush” provides new life and hope for the new century ahead. Hardy also speaks of the supernatural and how “every spirit upon earth” had lost faith in humans managing to protect the nature. Hardy uses the shorter lines to show destruction and it is show to be crushing belief. Hardy uses the sound and noise to mirror his own emotion such as the sound of “twigs” snapping which can be seen as Hardy’s heart becoming heartbroken.
Hardy’s view on philosophy is similar to the previous two poems as he again speaks of time and place. Hardy speaks of time and place and how if he went back in time, he would not be the same person that he was at the time of writing the poem. The poem is written through Hardy’s collection of age and decay and it is his last poem in the series. This is the time of when Hardy was reflecting on his life and writing poems that symbolised what he was about. It showed Hardy was passionate and driven, not just by his love for Emma but for the future, for nature and how the wars and industrial revolutions was destroying this. Hardy is positive on his reflection of life but he felt that after the destruction of the First World War, Hardy felt that the human race was moving backwards rather than forwards. The rhyme scheme of AABBB throughout the poem shows Hardy’s vision and what he wanted to do in his life. The indents are able to show the confusion and hesitation that Hardy felt throughout his life. The exclamations, question marks, brackets and caesuras show the highs and lows of Hardy’s life.
Hardy was able to present his philosophical views through many means and poems. He used this to great effect, clearly showing views on religion, nature and time and place. Hardy uses poetry to show his philosophical views as it was a “style like a worn half-pence – or the fresh images rounded off by rubbing” which meant that many people were able to listen to his views and he had the ability to influence many people.
