Earth

The poem makes two major references to the Earthly world. The first is a hopeless description of "this dark world and wide" (2). The depiction of Earth as "dark" is a reference to Milton's blindness, but also suggests an overall critical view of the world. Later, however, the narrator speaks of "land and ocean" as elements of mortal existence (11). This phrase resonates with the earlier description of the Earth as "wide," and suggests a more expansive and varied view of Earth and all the possibility that it contains (2).

The Mind

Although this poem contains references to Earth and arguably to Heaven, the real setting of the poem is within the narrator's mind. He speaks about the world, but does not directly interact with it in the poem. The real "plot" of the poem takes place in his thoughts, and is a purely internal transformation of attitude rather than a...