http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/authors/3145/robert-s-marcus Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Tue, 07 Jul 2026 08:35:27 -0400 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 08:35:27 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1373/robert-lowells-life-studies-the-examination-of-an-ailing-soul By Robert S. Marcus - Largely at fault to aversion held against his parents, Lowell eventually rebels against their religious manipulations by converting to Roman Catholicism. Through his conversion, he adopts and embraces a familiar darkness toward the Puritan community. In his poem “Children of Light” he expresses his bitterness: “And light is where the landless blood of Cain/ Is burning, burning the unburied grain,” suggesting the poison and corruption inflicted upon the “unburied grain” (symbolizing the naïve and impressionable youth) that results from a Puritan upbringing... Fri, 04 Mar 2016 12:28 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1373/robert-lowells-life-studies-the-examination-of-an-ailing-soul