Table of ContentsExploring divisions and stereotypes in "Eighteen Hundred and Eleven"The layer of cosmopolitanism in the poemConclusionEighteen Hundred and Eleven by Anna Barbauld demonstrates the promotion by the cosmopolitanism of the Romantic era of a global consciousness and transnational empathy Cosmopolitan theory emerged as a result of the growing power of Napoleon, English imperialism and the development of a global economy. by the limitations and stereotypes of the time, as it frequently advocates European and Anglo-Saxon superiority. Anna Barbauld's poem Eighteen Hundred and Eleven criticizes Britain's imperialist foreign policy. but is divided on this point, illustrating the limits of romantic cosmopolitanism This poem should not, however, be devalued for its manifestations of insularity. Instead, we must examine the divisions and stereotypes, as well as recognize the progressive promotion of. transnational sympathy to achieve a better understanding of cosmopolitan thought in Barbauld's time. This article will examine the divisions and successes of the poem through a close reading of lines 31-38 and 73-82. I will examine the poetic details of the poem, indicating that they serve to create serious political poetry. I will then address the thematic concerns of cosmopolitanism in these passages and throughout the poem as a whole. Finally, I will connect Eighteen Hundred and Eleven to Kant's cosmopolitan vision in "Perpetual Peace" in order to develop a better understanding of the nature of Romantic-era cosmopolitanism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayExploring Divisions and Stereotypes in “Eighteen Hundred and Eleven” By completing a close reading of these specific passages, it is important first to identify the metrical form, rhyme structures and their implications. Eighteen hundred and eleven is written in heroic couplets, constructed with iambic pentameter lines with a masculine rhyme. At the time this poem was written, serious political poetry written in the form of heroic couplets was often associated with conventional, conservative politics. Barbauld obviously wrote this poem to have a serious impact on English politics and change the country's foreign policy. The heroic form of the couplet is therefore used to give the poem a more serious and credible tone. The fact that the metrical form used is associated with Conservative politics seems to make his radical criticism of British foreign policy even more shocking. Interestingly, Barbauld uses multiple trochees and spondees in the metrical form, interrupting the conventional stress pattern of iambic pentameter. This adds energy and force to the language and, therefore, to its political message. An example of a trochee is line 31, “Frequent, an obscure flow, a crude name.” This verse begins with an accent and a trochee which renew the fervor of the language and animate the following passage. An example of spondee is line 35, "Or the map extended with anxious eye explores." The words "spread" and "card" are both stressed, creating a spondee, placing more emphasis on this important image. Eighteen Hundred and Eleven's combination of the traditional metrical form of heroic couplets with the frequent use of trochees and spondees creates vibrant and energetic political poetry to forcefully convey its political message. The first passage, lines 31-38, describes the suffering of a woman. The woman is not British, as line 31 shows: “…a dark current, a crude name.” Her “husbands, brothers, friends” arekilled in a global conflict and his sufferings are illustrated. This may be an allusion to the War of 1812 and the woman could be a citizen of Napoleon's empire directly affected by British violence. The scene, however, is not explicit; this event could occur in any area, resulting from any global conflict. Woman is a universal individual. The reader easily relates and sympathizes with his loss of family and subsequent suffering. Barbauld creates empathy for “the other” by particularizing the individual and describing their emotions in a universal way. This was done in 1811 through the representation of individuals within families, often women. The technique of individuating a stranger is used in works by various poets of this era to address the cosmopolitan concerns of abolitionism and women's rights, for example in A Poem on the Inhumanity of the Slave Trade by Ansley. Barbauld alludes to British imperialism in lines 35. -36, with the images depicting a map and the dissection of the world into different nations through imperialism. Obviously, the description of “dotted borders and penciled shores” is a description of the negative effects of imperialism. Barbauld indicates that the fall of the British Empire will come from resistance and uprising against Britain, the result of its imperialist lack of transnational sympathy. The passage demonstrates that those suffering because of British aggression naturally hate Britain. The woman we sympathize with “asks where the place is that destroyed her happiness,/and learns its name but to hate the sound” (lines 37-38). Eighteen Hundred and Eleven warns Britain of this future and also warns them of the blame and guilt resulting from their suppression of others; “You who shared the guilt, you must share the misfortune” (line 46). In this way, Barbauld draws attention to the negative political consequences of British foreign policy, as well as the emotional repercussions. The sympathy evoked in this passage is indeed the foundation of Barbauld's progressive cosmopolitanism, as well as his call to end British imperialism which causes this suffering across the world. The poem calls for the spread of this global consciousness and presents the benefits of this ideal. For example, lines 165-168 describe a diverse and cosmopolitan London where his vision of cosmopolitanism is practiced: "Streets where the turbaned Muslim, the bearded Jew/ and the mad Afric met the brown Hindu;/ where, across every vein, spontaneity abundance flowed, where wealth appreciated and charity bestowed.” This empathy is sometimes limited by Barbauld's preference for the local. For example, the passage introduces the strange woman by stating that her name is “rude.” This description emphasizes the otherness of this woman and can also be seen as demeaning by suggesting that she is less cultured. Barbauld's cosmopolitan vision turns out to be limited by his Anglo-centricity. The second passage, lines 73-82, demonstrates these divisions between cosmopolitanism and insularism. Barbauld qualifies his notions of cosmopolitanism, as this passage celebrates Britain's artistic and social achievements. The imagery and language insinuate the superiority of British culture. A specific example of this Eurocentric view is found in line 82, where Barbauld promotes the English language and accent as superior and expresses joy that they have spread throughout the world. The passage also includes the literary pattern associating British culture with light, for example line 80, “Always.