Question

In Gray’s "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard", the speaker wonders about the potential accomplishments of those buried in the churchyard. What does the speaker imagine for these men? Discuss these possible achievements using supporting details from the text.

Answer 1

"Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" by Thomas Gray is an elegy, that is, a poem that expresses sorrow for someone that has died.

In the poem, the speaker wonders about the different accomplishments of the dead men that have been buried in the churchyard. According to him, all men are equal in death; however, he imagines that one of them could have been a good scholar and that another dead man, an old farmer, could have been a distinguished poet due to his great potential ("Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest"). Furthermore, he also speaks about a man that might have been a good leader for the nation ("Some Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood"). The speaker also admits that some village men might have not accomplished nothing when they were alive but they stand out due to their moral superiority. Moreover, he is convinced that poverty has saved some people from spreading evil in the world.