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As Weary Pilgrim, Now at Rest
By: Sarah Peck
Throughout my years in school, I’ve noticed how obviously similar the course guidelines
are for every English class. Most of our class time is spent reading poems and stories, and
searching the context for clues pertaining to their meanings. Unfortunately, literary analysis’
have never been easy for me. Although the answers seem obvious to the people around me, I
always find myself in a moment of intellectual awe as I try to determine what kind of stupor
keeps preventing me from reaching such conspicuous conclusions. However, reading “As
Weary Pilgrim, Now at Rest” was a completely different experience for me.
The first stanza of the poem was clearly about someone the narrator, presumably a
woman, admired. As I continued to read it, I realized that the subject of this poem wasn’t the
typical person. The amount of admiration and devotion she had for this person was exceptional.
In her eyes, this person was absolutely faultless in every aspect. It was as if she’d spent her
whole life trying to live up to this person’s standards as she worshipped him unconditionally.
After reading the text a couple of times and analyzing her descriptions, I came to the conclusion
that this person must be her God.
The first stanza obviously describes someone of legendary character. He is completely
unbreakable, and holds his ground in every situation. Not even the worst conditions can lessen
his strength. He has the upper hand in even the most life-threatening situations, and nothing
has the capacity to take him down. The narrator places him on the highest on pedestals, and
she knows that he can provide her with the strength she needs to carry on. This supernatural
strength and unconditional devotion is what allows me to conclude that the narrator is
referencing her God.
The second stanza continues to follow suit with the ideas expressed in the first path, but
this time the narrator discusses what her God can do for her. She has lived most of her life, and
