'Trespass' by John Clare - Contextual Research

'Trespass' is a poem by John Clare, the poem reads:

"I dreaded walking where there was no path

And pressed with cautious tread the meadow swath

And always turned to look with wary eye

And always feared the owner coming by;

Yet everything about where I had gone

Appeared so beautiful I ventured on

And when I gained the road where all are free

I fancied every stranger frowned at me

And every kinder look appeared to say

"You've been on trespass in your walk today."

I've often thought, the day appeared so fine,

How beautiful if such a place were mine;

But, having naught, I never feel alone

And cannot use another's as my own."

John Clare, according to the John Clare Society website states that he: "was born in 1793. With his reputation having grown over the whole of the 20th Century, he is now regarded as one of the most important poets of the natural world." (The John Clare Society, 2017). Also, according to this website, he has written a lot of literature about love, corruption and politics, environmental and social change, poverty, and also folk life. 

My take on the poem is about the poet who used to dread working on a place without a path. It is also about the beauty of the meadow and that he would have a fine day everyday for as long as he lived if he ever had such a beautiful place like the said meadow in the poem. I liked this poem because it gave me a variety of ideas that I could play around with for my version of this poem. I also liked this poem because I liked how it portrayed the emotion of anxiety that the poet was feeling in this poem when confronting the owner. 

According to Dan Rose, the content creator at SkillPath.com, states that: "A confrontation is usually a conversation with heightened emotions. Sometimes it is a result of unresolved conflict." (Rose, 2021). With this poem it is the poet trespassing on unwelcome territory and the owner does not want them there, meaning that the conflict between the poet and the owner is unresolved. The poet showing signs of wariness but was distracted by the sheer beauty of the meadow that he just wanted to be that lucky person that lived by this meadow.

Charley Reid, an author of lovepanky.com, says one of the reasons why people try to avoid conflict is that they might be afraid that they will not be liked. She mentions that: "You may not be afraid of confronting someone, per se, but you may be scared that after you confront someone, they’ll like you a whole lot less." (Reid, n.d). This can be proved by the eighth line of the poem: "I fancied every stranger frowned at me". This means that the poet envisioned that everyone would frown at him, meaning that they would dislike him.

Bibliography:

John Clare Society website (2017). About John Clare. [online] Available at: https://johnclaresociety.wordpress.com/about-john-clare/ [Accessed 28 November 2021].

Reid, C., 2021. 6 Reasons People Have a Fear of Confrontation. [online] lovepanky.com. Available at: https://www.lovepanky.com/my-life/relationships/reasons-people-have-a-fear-of-confrontation [Accessed 28 November 2021].

Rose, D., 2021. This is How Timid People Get Over Their Fear of Confrontation (and Win!). [online] Skillpath.com. Available at: https://skillpath.com/blog/timid-people-fear-confrontation [Accessed 28 November 2021].