Author: Ano Sensei
Format: Video
Structure: Ballad stanza, Iambic
A poem for Christmas: "The Oxen", by Thomas Hardy. Reading and analysis
Working through the poem systematically, I untangle who is speaking when: the childhood memory of an elder saying the oxen kneel at midnight on Christmas Eve to honor baby Jesus, versus Hardy as an old man in the early 20th century when "few would weave / So fair a fancy." The analysis explores Hardy's famous pessimism about an indifferent Creator, but also his gentle admission that if someone said the oxen really were kneeling, he would still go "in the gloom, / Hoping it might be so."
What's covered:
Decoding the timeline: past (childhood belief) vs present (adult doubt)
The Christmas Eve tradition of oxen kneeling
Understanding "So fair a fancy few would weave / In these years"
Hardy's religious skepticism vs his wistful longing for faith
Why careful reading of pronouns and context matters
Who it's for:
Perfect for students studying Hardy, loss of faith in Victorian/Edwardian poetry, GCSE/A-Level literature courses, or anyone interested in poems about doubt and nostalgia.
0:07 A reading
0:58 Analysis
1:36 Who or what are “they”?
2:02 Who are “we”?
2:30 Christmas Eve
3:19 The time frame
4:03 The full picture
4:14 Confirming the time frame
4:38 The heart of Hardy’s message
5:22 Hardy’s belief (or lack of belief) in God; The Dynasts
5:48 Hardy’s pessimism – and his hope
Hardy is famous for his pessimism, but, as this little poem shows, he would have been happy if his scepticism could have been proved wrong. Even though his reason tells him that the story of the oxen kneeling was just a comforting lie, even as an old man, if someone had told him that they really were kneeling he would still have gone “in the gloom, hoping it might be true".
If subtitles are not available in your language, please let me know and I will add them.
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7 Comments
0:07 A reading
0:58 Analysis
1:36 Who or what are “they”?
2:02 Who are “we”?
2:30 Christmas Eve
3:19 The time frame
4:03 The full picture
4:14 Confirming the time frame
4:38 The heart of Hardy’s message
5:22 Hardy’s belief (or lack of belief) in God; The Dynasts
5:48 Hardy’s pessimism – and his hope
Thank you ❤
You are welcome!
Explain more such Dorset dialects and old fashioned terms in Hardy’s poetry as he is my favourite poet and novelist sir. Your little paragraph is a brief summation of the entire Hardy’s oeuvre. It was really a fabulous comment about this little poetic genius. As a great admirer of Hardy for the past 14 years I think he is such an underrated poet. Please discuss the critical acclaim and reappraisals of his poetry. Kudos to you sir from India
For the use of dialect, you would probably benefit from an article such as this one: https://www.jstor.org/stable/48568881#:~:text=Hardy%20considers%20the%20Dorset%20language,as%20respectable%20as%20Standard%20English.. It is on JSTOR, which is a subscription service that gives some free access to individuals. You will also find many other articles there that discuss Hardy’s novels and poetry.
That is the best explanation i have ever seennn thank you❤️🔥
You are welcome!