Persistence of Dignity in Elizabeth Bishop’s “Manners”

Where does a person’s spirit lie when that person’s definition of dignity is no longer admitted by the public? Indicated by the concise yet adamant title, Elizabeth Bishop’s “Manners” discusses the volition of the old generation in keeping their definitions of the dignity in a fast-changing world. On the one hand, the poem appreciates the adherence of good manners in the world lack of trust, consideration, and generosity. On the other hand, the poem suggests the necessary obsoletion of good manners. In implicitly presenting both the importance and the drawbacks of good manners, Bishop effectively utilizes setting, symbol, images, diction, and repetition.

The poem contains a simple plot. On a wagon ride, the speaker’s grandfather not only verbally teaches the speaker to practice decent manners -- she needs to always “speak to everyone [she] meet”(line 4), “offer everyone a ride”(line 11), and “answer nicely”(line 21-22) -- but also practices his teachings by greeting strangers, giving a boy for a ride, and caring for the mare. However, behind the plain plot, the significance is subtly constructed by some of the poem’s elements.

The historically significant setting creates space for the poem to be expanded upon. Both the World War I and the Second Industrial Revolution resolved in “1918”(dedication), so this period is marked by the uncertainty left from catastrophic wars, the concerns created by rapidly growing technology, and the moral decay caused by materialism -- those topics provide the foundation for developing other poem’s elements. For example, without this setting, it would be impossible to trace the roots of symbols in the poem. Thus, the poem gains its potential to be constructed in depth from the setting.

With a mysterious tone. Bishop introduces the topic of fate, which is symbolized by the “pet crow”(line 14), in discussing the uncertainty left by the war and the confidence comes from good manners. As the crow “flew off”(line 15), the speaker worries “how would he know where to go?”(line 16), which corresponds to the loss of the certainty after unpredictable wars violently disrupted the fates of millions. However, although it is impossible to catch up with the destiny -- for it is always “ahead”(line 18) -- the destiny always stays in sight by “[flying] a little way at a time”(line 17). Being confident in where good manners will lead them to, the people on the wagon are “answer[ed] nicely”(line 21-22). Thus, good manners can make destiny clear.

However, the crow is never mentioned after the appearance of automobiles(line 25). The image of the boisterous automobiles aggressively breaks the mysterious tone as the speaker “shout...at the top of [her] voice...”(line 27-28). In contrast to the chaotic scene, the people on the wagon insist on greeting strangers. The contrast emphasizes the persistence in spreading charity in facing the mighty power of technology. In this case, good manners are important tools in evoking people’s kindness when the consciousness is “hid by the dust”.

Nevertheless, the repetition of “Good day”(line 7, 27) suggests the drawbacks of traditional good manners. The repetition creates a monotonous tone, which exposes those greetings’ questionable credence: those formula-based words are lack of genuine caring. By mechanically repeating words, the noble intention of greeting is replaced by the mandatory requirement of a task.

The poet (not the speaker) develops that perspective with the dictions “Hustler Hill”(line 29). The word “hustler” used to have a negative connotation -- the person who uses filthy ways to get money. However, at the time the poem was written (1965), the word owned a positive connotation -- the ambitious person who achieves goals. Achievers are no longer regarded as cheaters. The justification for stubbornly keeping the traditional definition becomes doubtful. In addition to that, instead of using “taught”, the speaker narrates that good manners “required”(line 32) -- a word with the connotation of forceful demand -- her to get off from the wagon and give the mare a rest. This indicates that the speaker is not voluntarily practicing good manners: she is robotically following an instruction. The behavior becomes more important than motivation, and good manners lose their original purposes.

As the whole poem ends with the word “required”(line 32), the theme of both the importance and the drawbacks of traditional good manners is well concluded. Good manners imply valuable kindness with potential hypocrisy. Remembering the noble intention of practicing good manners is more critical than finishing a series of instructions.

Work Cited

Bishop, Elizabeth. “Manners.” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 11th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016. 629-30. Print.