The poem, “Joan of Arc” is a 1429 C.E poem, which was composed by Christine de Pizan. Christine was a French poetess who arose during the medieval age that was dominated by male egoism. Christine strongly defied stereotype that discriminated against women. Her writings, which were inspired by renowned English and French poets, mainly included customs and views that affected women in the medieval age. Christine’s poems largely challenged poems of famous male poets like Jean de Meun, (Campbell, 250). Christine was a widow and hence most of her poetry was a means to tend her and her children. Christine composed her works in French and most of them are translated into many languages in the globe.
The poem, “Joan of Arc,” had the initial French title of “Le Ditie de Jehanne d’Arc” is a song of joy in praise of a young woman who had overcome negative stereotypes towards women, and had defended France from her foes. Christine was overjoyed by Joan’s courage and in writing this poem, she considered Joan d’Arc as a lady fit to be among “The City of Ladies,” which was also one of Christine de Pizan’s prominent writings, (Campbell, 251). The poem was written at the time of the connotation of a prominent French ruler, King Charles and this is the time when Joan had defeated the English, bringing victory to France.
The poem of Joan of Arc has sixty one short verses. The speaker of the poem is the writer, Christine de Pizan as manifested in the first line of the first stanza; “I, Christine, who has wept for eleven years in a closed abbey,” (Campbell, 256). As the speaker in the poem, Christine represents other citizens in what may be thought that this poem has many speakers: “Now let us celebrate our king,” verse six, (Campbell, 256). Christine is seen openly demonstrating her happiness about a new and bright France, and praising God, the king and Joan, the courageous maiden who is the proprietor of all this happiness.
The speaker’s values are based on religion, leadership and bravery of a young woman. The speaker has an immense knowledge of the Christian religion. She thanks God for bringing peace to France and in doing this, she encompasses miracles that were done by God, “I have learned about Esther, Judith and Deborah, worthy ladies, through whom God restored his people,” verse 28, (Campbell, 256). The speaker addresses courage, nobility and faith as fundamental aspects of values. In verse six the writer says, “Rejoice at his noble appearance,” this refers to the nobility of the king, (Campbell, 256). The speaker praises the courage of the maid, Joan and, she is quick to note that all this is through the power of God. This brings us to another value, Christian values that come out openly through the speaker, “But now, I want to tell how God has done all this, by His Grace,” stanza 7, (Campbell, 256).
The speaker’s level of awareness is remarkably great and is varied in all aspects of life. It is evident that the Speaker is well aware of religious matters through her knowledge of the extraordinary work of God through his faithful people, “For if God performed so many miracles through Joshua,” stanza 25, (Campbell, 256). The speaker is well informed in matters of politics as she talks of how English should surrender, for they cannot force their rule over France. Verse 31 shows us that the speaker has great knowledge of the history of her nation, “For more than five hundred years ago, Merlin, the Sibyl and Bede foresaw her in their minds,” (Campbell, 256). I can describe the level of sensibility of the speaker as high, especially in matters of gender. The speaker shows favoritism towards females, but she also considers men who fought, “and you trusty men at arms, one should certainly mention you,” stanza 37. This reflects that the persona does not favor any gender even though we know that she is female.
The words of the speaker address diverse audiences. The narrator addresses the king of France, “And you Charles, French king,” verse 13. The speaker is telling the king of the favor God has done to him by conquering his enemy through a young lady. The narrator also addresses Joan in stanza 21; “And you blessed maid, should you be forgotten in all this?”(Campbell, 257).This is done in praise of Joan who brought victory to France. The poem is addressed to the male warriors who fought in war, “and you trusty men at arms,” stanza 37. This recognizes the worthy efforts of these men. The English are addressed when the speaker tells them to submit to France, “And so you English, lower your horns,” verse 39, (Campbell, 257).
The best response to the narrator would be a favorable one. The situation in the poem is a case of praise and delight to the efforts of Joan, men who fought at war and the king, who agrees to govern his people peacefully. The situation turns to the case of the English, who refuse to surrender though they have been conquered at war. The English are defamed for their selfish act. One would undoubtedly agree with such a situation, because it is clear that there is no injustice done to any individual nation. The speaker relates to us special circumstances, as that of joy and victory; “I begin to laugh frankly with joy because winter is departing,” stanza 2,(Campbell, 257). The speaker sees this as a circumstance where she can express her happiness.
The setting of this poem comes out evidently in the poem. The poem is set in the French town of Paris, “the king’s son, fled, if I dare say it, in haste from Paris,” first stanza. The time of the poem is in the 15th century, during the great wars of the French and English, “In 1429, the sun began to shine again,” verse 3. In 1429, the French crushed down the English army, and this was with the aid of the courageous Joan d’Arc. The setting of this poem is thus traced from this period. Reading the poem aloud is a grand advancement to understanding this poem. The tone and the rhythm of the poem become clear to the reader. The message of the poem is also well stressed when it is read aloud. A paraphrase is less useful in revealing the basic meaning of the poem. The reason for this is that the poem is written in simple words that its message manifests itself clearly without the need of further interpretation.
The title of the poem, the poem of “Joan of Arc,” stresses that the poem was composed to specifically praise and to recognize the courage of a maiden. This maiden came from a humble family but she was unique in many ways. The title of the poem stresses the extraordinary abilities of this maiden in war and the fact that was at she was favored by God. The poem has a main theme and sub-themes which are presented directly. Through the words of the speaker, each theme reveals itself evidently. For example, line one of verse 34 demonstrates prejudice towards females, “Oh, what an honor to the female sex!”(Campbell, 257).
Line 5 of stanza 36 has a true reflection of allusion and its aim in the poem. “Neither Hector nor Achilles had such great strength.” Hector and Achilles are handsome Greek warriors of war who are used in Greek legendary tales. The speaker overemphasizes the courage and power of Joan in reference to Achilles and Hector. Though these two were formidable warriors, Joan is said to be mightier than them. This reference in the form of allusion enhances the meaning of the poem. Diction as used in the poem brings out meaning by putting emphasis on the specific people, events and even God. In verse 26, line 2 the poetess says, “But this is God’s doing.” This is an emphasis on God. The speaker has used repetition in the poem. The pronoun “I” has been repeated all through the poem to evoke in the reader the difficulty the speaker went going through and at the same time to stress on the joy of the speaker when France gained victory.
The poetess uses verbal wit such as puns, the first line of stanza one mocks the king. “The king’s son fled, if I dare say it, enclosed here because of this treachery, I begin now for the first time to laugh.” The speaker uses figures of speech. Personification appears in the poem, “The sun brings back the good new season,” verse 3 line 2, (Campbell, 258). The sun is given a human trait to mean that the persona in the poem had bright days. Hyperbole appears in line 1 of verse 34, “Elevated and restored by a woman, something a hundred thousand men could not have done!” This is an overestimation of the power of Joan. Allegory is another element that is clear in the poem.
In the second stanza, the speaker uses the words “winter” and “spring”, which are mainly used to refer to different seasons, to refer to peaceful changes that arose during the time of Joan d’Arc. Winter refers to the war period and spring is used to mean the happy period after the war. The allegorical interpretation of spring is also seen in the event where the speaker describes the colorful coronation of the king, stanza 49, “With great triumph and display of power was Charles crowned at Rheims,” (Campbell, 258).
Verbal irony is presented in the poem. The speaker tells of how the might of a young girl had the strength that could outsmart a hundred thousand men, verse 34, “Elevated and restored by a woman, something a hundred thousand men could not have done.” Situational drama is used in stanza 40 when the persona mocks the English. “You thought you had already conquered France. Things have turned out differently, you false people!” The poetess uses partial paradox in her comparison of Joan with Achilles and Hector. The supremacy of the two heroes is overshadowed, yet it is clear that they were heroes, “Neither Hector nor Hercules had such great strength,” stanza 36. The tone of the poem is a pleasant one. The persona is happy that France gained success at last. This is seen in the words used in the poem. Stanza 6, “Now let us celebrate our king!”
Alliteration is used in stanza 49 of the poem, “He was there safe and sound.” The repetition of the consonant sound “s” in this sentence is an example of alliteration. It is an emphasis of the good health of the king of France. The poetess omits the use of rhyme in this poem; there are no marching sounds in the poem. The overall structure of the poem does not form a pattern in which each stanza has eight lines. This form of structure is suitable for the poem. This is because the poem tells of historical events. These events are detailed; the eight lines in a stanza are enough to complete each idea of the historical events.
The language used in the poem is simple, thus the poem could be understood by one reading session. The words used in the verses are simple. The poem does not use symbols or many elements of figurative language. The poem can thus be understood by a reader of any age. I enjoyed the poem due to many incidents and expressions that are used in this poem. The poem was written in the middle ages and during this age, women were greatly discriminated. This poem expresses contrary to the beliefs of this age. The poetess expresses miraculous efforts of Joan d’Arc, who arose to defend her country. This, she did as grown men sat by and remained powerless. My interest is in the way the poetess describes the efforts of Joan in reference to all females. This is seen in stanza 34; “Oh, what an honor to the female sex!”
The biographical information of the author, Christine de Pizan is essential in explaining the central concerns of the poem. The poem is set in medieval France. This period was a period of war between the French and English. The period was also an age of male dominance, women rarely expressed their wishes. The main concerns of the poem have come out as war and female dominance. Christine de Pizan experienced the same problems like the women of this age. Her experience of war and male dominance was important in composing this poem. Historical information of the poem is an equal important feature in interpreting the poem. It might assist in determining adaptations that have been incorporated in the poem. The history of the original language of the poem might explain the presence or absence of poetic elements such as rhyme.
As a student, I have witnessed many instances of discrimination of women. In the present world, values are emphasized to promote equality of all. These values also prevent the occurrence of war. The theme of war and female rights has been dealt with in the poem, and in my opinion, these themes dominate the present time even though this is a 15th century poem. Aspects of war in the poem are seen in stanza 58, “But finally if you people if do not give up what is his peacefully, if he recovers it by force and bloodshed, he does right,” (Campbell, 259). Women concerns appear in stanza 34, “Oh, what an honor to the female sex,” (Campbell, 257). My interpretation of the poem does not consider matters of religion as discussed by Christine de Pizan. As the poetess, Christine emphasizes on the grace of God in helping France achieve its freedom. The element of religion is found in the modern age, and its omission in my interpretation does not depict ignorance, but the reason that it is not among the main concerns of the poem.
Work cited
Campbell, John, Nadia Margolis, and Angus J. Kennedy. Christine De Pizan 2000 Studies on Christine De Pizan in Honour of Angus J. Kennedy. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2000. Print.
Hilliam, David. Joan of Arc: Heroine of France. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2004. Print.
Twain, Mark. The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc. Allison Park: Arose Books, 2009. Print.
