Analysis "On Being Human"
Poetry analysis: On Being Human, by C. S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis gets straight to the point in his first lines, particularly with the first two words 'angelic minds.' Readers will discern immediately that Lewis is going to discuss the concept of experience from the viewpoint of supernatural non-human beings such as angels. Readers may also guess, by comparing this idea to the poems title 'On Being Human,' that he intends to go on to compare this idea with our experience of the world from the implied lowliness of mankind's perspective.
Students may wonder where the latter implication comes from, and in this, at the beginning of the poem at least, C.S. Lewis is no help at all in referring to a mysterious 'they' who apparently hold that angels use intelligence alone to comprehend the forms of nature, not needing the added senses enjoyed by more sensate humankind.
Some readers may be reminded here of the fierce battles between the angels and demons of Milton or the 'arrows of desire' of Blake. Indeed the nature of love and its forms was thoroughly explored and analysed elsewhere in the Four Loves by C.S. Lewis himself.
As he outlines his argument in the next few lines, readers are left wondering which way Lewis is going to go with this. They may wonder which dimension of experience the poet will say is best - intelligence or sensory experience? Here, the idea of an enigma or puzzle gives the poem drive and suspense as students read on to find out what happens next.
Initially C.S. Lewis presents, and continues to develop, the theory that those with purely spiritual, non sensual minds can unerringly discern crucial timeless truths, 'the verities', through intelligence alone, without recourse to the five senses. Humans either lack knowledge of these truths or have come to learn them indirectly through the implied less satisfactory means of sensual experience.
Truths of nature seem to be given particular weight by Lewis here as he tells readers of 'earthness' and
C.S. Lewis gets straight to the point in his first lines, particularly with the first two words 'angelic minds.' Readers will discern immediately that Lewis is going to discuss the concept of experience from the viewpoint of supernatural non-human beings such as angels. Readers may also guess, by comparing this idea to the poems title 'On Being Human,' that he intends to go on to compare this idea with our experience of the world from the implied lowliness of mankind's perspective.
Students may wonder where the latter implication comes from, and in this, at the beginning of the poem at least, C.S. Lewis is no help at all in referring to a mysterious 'they' who apparently hold that angels use intelligence alone to comprehend the forms of nature, not needing the added senses enjoyed by more sensate humankind.
Some readers may be reminded here of the fierce battles between the angels and demons of Milton or the 'arrows of desire' of Blake. Indeed the nature of love and its forms was thoroughly explored and analysed elsewhere in the Four Loves by C.S. Lewis himself.
As he outlines his argument in the next few lines, readers are left wondering which way Lewis is going to go with this. They may wonder which dimension of experience the poet will say is best - intelligence or sensory experience? Here, the idea of an enigma or puzzle gives the poem drive and suspense as students read on to find out what happens next.
Initially C.S. Lewis presents, and continues to develop, the theory that those with purely spiritual, non sensual minds can unerringly discern crucial timeless truths, 'the verities', through intelligence alone, without recourse to the five senses. Humans either lack knowledge of these truths or have come to learn them indirectly through the implied less satisfactory means of sensual experience.
Truths of nature seem to be given particular weight by Lewis here as he tells readers of 'earthness' and