Tennyson's solitary speaker condemns the actions of the people and society as a whole within "Maud"; many of the speaker's social critiques prove to be valid social critiques of the Victorian era, in contrast to his sometimes erratic and distorted cognitive patterns displayed by disjunctive structural techniques in the poem. Conversely, some of the speaker's more extreme critiques of mass social demographics, such as women, show signs of the mental health issues the speaker is grappling with in the second act of the poem. In this essay, I will explore how Tennyson uses literary and structural techniques to present his speaker's resentment toward people and society in the following excerpt, and compare this to critiques of civilization later in the poem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayTennyson describes his speaker as disparaging of the nouveau riche: "see his gewgaw castle shine, new as his title" . The use of the simile highlights the relative modernity of Maud's suitor's position and exacerbates the idea that the suitor is not worthy of his title or income, having inherited both rather than having earned them. In general terms, Tennyson's speaker is critical of the capitalist state for allowing the rich to purchase goods that should be beyond the reach of capital: "what can't it do?" not buy? The rhetorical question demonstrates Tennyson's speaker's cynicism toward the state of Victorian society, in which it could be insinuated that a man could "buy" his way in life, by winning people over – by especially women – with their income. Tennyson's speaker is presented as critical of women. – Tennyson suggests that the suitor is “rich with the grace that all women desire.” This presentation of women creates the idea that women are fickle and easily influenced by materialistic goods. Throughout the text, the speaker appears disparaging about all "feminine" traits and seems simultaneously attracted to and repelled by seemingly "masculine" qualities; critics have interpreted this to be a symbol of internalized misogyny, as the speaker feels that – because of the loss of his father – he has lost his identity and, therefore, his manhood. Repeated criticism of industrialists becomes a repeated motif in the poem, particularly in the first act. Tennyson's speaker is critical of the upper class, who build their wealth on the bones of the workers who work under them. Tennyson depicts the objectification of the working class through abstraction; “a filthy nudity dragging its trucks”. This dehumanization strips workers of any individuality or dignity and creates the imagery of a collective work force, devoid of emotive language. This criticism reflects the state of Britain during this period of the Industrial Revolution: many workers who came to the city for work lived in substandard housing, worked in unsafe conditions, and had to support their families on paltry wages. that they won. Although this criticism can be generalized to the state of the country, the speaker's criticism originally stems from his dislike of Maud's father – a hatred that can be linked not only to the death of her father but also to his emasculation. Thus, Tennyson's description of his speaker's resentment toward people could ultimately be interpreted as evil self-loathing..