The Failure of Man

To attain the freedom of the beings of nature and the endless happiness that fills their days has often been the dream of many a man and poet. Such is the case for Percy Bysshe Shelley in his famous poem "To a Skylark". Hailing this creature with the ability to live away from the restrictions and unhappiness of daily drudgery, this skylark is a being whose elevation over the souls of man knows not the sufferings that humans face every day.

Though the speaker of the poem highlights the skylark's ability to remain unhindered by ennui, sadness and having the capacity to think deeper and more beautiful thoughts, he acknowledges the fact that man will probably never be able to attain even half the joy that this striking bird must know. Shelley concludes the poem with a plead to this skylark saying, "Teach me half the gladness/That thy brain must know,/Such harmonious madness/From my lips would flow,/The world should listen then--as I am listening now" (Lines 101-105).

Even half of the joy that fills the soul of this bird would be enough for the speaker to teach the world how to live life more happily. If only humanity should connect with Nature on the level that it understands the important aspects of life could man attain the freedom of this skylark. Yet, because this is impossible, man fails to elevate itself to this higher, more natural level.

It is indescribable for this speaker to realize the liberty of this skylark, or to accomplish teaching its message to the masses. Even after comparing this bird to a "poet" (Line 36), a "high-born maiden" (Line 41), a "Glow-worm" (Line 46) and a "rose" (Line 51) in a catalog of similes, the speaker fails to accurately depict the essence of the symbol that Shelley has chosen.

Shelley describes this bird to be like a spirit from heaven, singing on high above all creation, impervious to the sadness and pain that humanity knows all too well. In his praise of this bird, the speaker of Shelley's poem comes to the conclusion that he has failed to not only describe the spirit of this bird, but has also failed to accomplish living up to its freedom. There is a reason why poets look to Nature for inspiration. The natural world can teach man how to live in harmony, beauty, and freedom from sadness and stress. Shelley explores a realistic scenario in this poem. Man may highlight nature as a teacher and as a muse, but the reality is that man will never be able to live up to what nature has to teach, or even half of what it can teach us because humanity is too wrapped up in itself and in its own suffering.