Question

In "And Oh—That the Man I Am Might Cease to Be—" by D. H. Lawrence, what is the emotional state of the speaker?

Answer 1

The speaker in the poem seems to be intensely weary of life, so much so that he does not care to analyze his feelings or express his dissatisfaction with any specific aspect of life. His depression is so strong that not even death will help him overcome this feeling. Instead, he seeks an all-enveloping darkness that signifies the end of the universe itself. The following lines reflect his extreme depression:

I wish that whatever props up the walls of light

would fall, and darkness would come hurling heavily down,

and it would be thick black dark for ever.

Not sleep, which is grey with dreams,

nor death, which quivers with birth,

but heavy, sealing darkness, silence, all immovable.

Step-by-step explanation:

edmentum

Answer 2

The emotional state of the speaker can be seen where he asks himself so many unanswered

questions whereby he demands for answers from no one. The authors asks himself question

which are very emotional like” What is sleep? It goes over me, like a shadow over a hill, but it

does not alter me, nor help me. And death would ache still, I am sure; it would be lambent,

uneasy.” Another aspect on emotions of the speaker is where he feels what he is going through

shouldn’t be here to infringe his life, he only wishes that some things should happen for him not

to see, this can be seen on the last part of the poem” I wish it would be completely dark

everywhere, inside me, and out, heavily dark

utterly”

Step-by-step explanation: