Winston Churchill said that 'the truth is incontrovertible'. This statement interprets "truth" as an absolute concept, where there is only one truth and anything else is by definition a non-truth. Tennyson's In Memoriam and Thackeray's Going to see a Man Hanged are certainly different in their genres; Tennyson's words are a profound hymn to a lost friend, while Thackeray's article is a satirical and disgusting account of a public event. However, both of their acts of writing seek a truth, and not the absolute definition specified by Churchill. Thackeray's truth is based on presenting an accurate account of an event; it literally means speaking the truth of what you see before you, translating sight into speech with little creative interpretation. Tennyson differs from this. His writing is not based on what he sees, but on the pain he feels, and his truth lies in being able to express it appropriately when there seem to be no suitable words to give shape to his emotions. However, another writer might express the same pain differently, or might actually react differently to seeing a man hanged publicly. So perhaps the truth can only be incontrovertible for those who express it. It is a specific truth for them, but it may not exist as a universal and absolute truth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay By creating a poem that resonates with pain, Tennyson is simultaneously liberated and limited through the use of words in In Memorium. They exist as a means of confession, but he also struggles to find the words that will allow him to truly express the extent of his grief. T. S. Eliot commented that In Memoriam was "a concentrated diary of a man in confession". And it is extremely interesting to consider this ode as a 'diary'. It positions readers in an almost voyeuristic way, as if we were peeking into a private account. This notion is favored by partially religious language; Tennyson must "[confess]" as if he were before a priest, as if by admitting an emotion he was also admitting a sin. This perhaps exists as a slight awareness of the social conditions of Victorian England, where it was probably considered less masculine to express weakness through feelings. However, this “diary” idea is also limited. Instead of studying what is written, it is almost more important to consider what was not written, what Tennyson did not confess. He strives to define his pain through words so that it is less of a "confession" of how he truly feels, and more of an exploration of his unanswered agony. Tennyson describes how words currently seem impotent to him: “One use in measured speech is the lie/The sad mechanical exercise.” This truly expresses Tennyson's frustration; words and writing are no longer enough for him. Language has the ability to create entire worlds from simple imagination, but now it is “measured”. Perhaps this suggests that words, in reality, have a preconceived mold and through each one only a certain emotion can be expressed. For example, the word "sad" cannot reach the depth of Tennyson's harm. However, this idea of ​​“[measure]” could also represent a temporary relief. Because a word is limited in its expression of emotion, a complete lack of control is not possible and presents necessary boundaries to grief that may not previously have existed. In Tennyson's struggle to use words as a vehicle of expression, there is also a follow-up question: once Tennyson has fashionedthese significant words in a poem, can the reader understand the full extent of his pain? If so, this presents a separation of understanding between author and reader. And this is a motif that is repeated throughout the form of poetry. Tennyson experiences a 'mechanical exercise' through a monotonous life without his beloved friend, but he is also mechanical in his repeated tetrameter quatrains.Tennyson always uses the same rhythm and structure, simply using different words. In doing so, he repeats the same patterns of pain until he hopes they come to represent something different. In Memorium therefore probably refuses to exist as a “confession”; there are simply no words capable of justifying this label. His odes simply remain 'just words' (Tennyson, p.102). By comparison, Thackeray's 'Going to See a Man Hanged' uses the act of writing to record, not explore emotion. Words are used to organize reactions, not to explore their emotional meaning. Yet even this simple act of writing can be interpreted, and Thackeray interrupts the narrative to insert something like a disclaimer. It states the truth, in its definition of being an accurate account of events: at least, such was the effect which the gallows first produced on the writer, who is trying to put down in writing all his feelings as they occurred verified, and not to exaggerate. them at all… (Thackeray, p. 151) Probably, the most important and notable literary technique is the change in narrative persona. The story is written in the first person, but here Thackeray shifts the narrative perspective to the third person. It is almost reminiscent of a witness in court, swearing on a Bible that he will tell nothing but the truth, exaggerating the importance of recording the truth. In almost direct antipathy to Tennyson's exploration of each individual emotion, Thackeray's focus is more on the identification of each emotion and the order in which they are experienced. Perhaps this suggests that there is a set way to react to such an event and Thackeray attempts to emulate this emotional process. However, this process of accurately representing the reaction order can only be tentative. He claims to write "all his feelings as they occurred," but the act of writing, despite time, will always approach events and feelings retrospectively. The brief moment between experiencing these emotions and recording them already treats them as a memory, perhaps suggesting that any act of writing cannot entirely be the "truth" of what happened, or what a person has lived. Furthermore, Thackeray makes a subtle, but important, distinction between his genre and poems like In Memorium. The narrator states that he will not "exaggerate" his feelings, perhaps suggesting that other genres exaggerate them, to imaginative effect. This divides its genre from fiction and makes it a more realistic piece, as it once again states that its tale is the truth. In conclusion, Thackeray's narrator seems so focused on the truth of events and their order that he momentarily interrupts the narrative. This disclaimer almost suggests the opposite. Thackeray's truth claim not only suggests that he is, in fact, not sincere, but it seems superfluous. He claims to translate events onto paper as they happen, but stops to speak directly to readers. Thus, not only does Thackeray's factual truth differ from Tennyson's emotions, but it is still a feat that, despite the claims, is difficult to achieve. As explored previously, the words in Tennyson's In Memorium become wholly inadequate to describe such grief. In a sense, Thackeray adopts the same position; The., 1968)