Dream Of The Rood

In "The Dream of the Rood" the dreamer discusses his spiritual beliefs. He discusses how the tree says it felt as the instrument of crucifixion, and that by being the cross that held Christ, the symbolism of the cross was forever changed to that of hope. The dreamer's reverence for the symbolism of the cross is dramatically accentuated by the adornment of the cross in the dream; though my interest in this poem is more about the dream. In the time this poem was written monastic life was common. A life devoted completely to God was as acceptable as becoming a doctor or lawyer today. With Christianity and faith being so accepted, why did the author choose the hide his spirituality behind the ruse of a dream? Could it be that no matter how acceptable religion is, we as humans hold our spiritually very close to our hearts. The dreamer is given creative outlet with the dream that allows the reader to have a glimpse at the soul without the fear of rejection, because after all it was just a dream. The dream allows the dreamer to give voice to an inanimate object and tell a story from a different prospective, the unique vantage point of the cross. In that time it might have been considered heresy if the author was to write a poem as the cross. Through the dream the dreamer creates empathy and hope with an inanimate object.

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