The Declaration of Independence contains a fragment on the equality of men; an interesting topic for 18th century authors. The speakers in Gray's “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” and Goldsmith's “The Deserted Village” use the themes of death and isolation to represent different social classes. Goldsmith's speaker idealizes and mourns the decay of rural life, while Gray's speaker equalizes different classes. . This essay examines the difference between these two depictions and shows how Gray's use of stylistic features creates a more convincing argument. Goldsmith's speaker begins with nostalgia for "the fairest village on the plain" (1) listing the town's virtues which include "The ever-ruining brook, the working mill, the decent church[.]" (11- 12) Goldsmith uses these images to contrast the current state of the village, he continues by saying that “These were your spells – But all these spells I fled.” (34) Here the speaker urges readers to caution against the loss of village charm by destroying the imagery created by the first 33 lines. He continues the description of the land as “desolate” (76), but while the villagers were forced to abandon the area, the speaker's nostalgia implies that he chose to leave. This nostalgia implies that the speaker's representation of the village may be highly romanticized. The speaker compares the loss of the village to a much larger problem: “The country flourishes: a garden and a grave.” (302) He suggests that this is not an isolated problem, but an epidemic occurring across the country. The village is lost to make room for a garden and a tomb; the first belongs to the nobility and the second to the peasant. His depiction of the New World supports the...... middle of paper......dsmith seems to associate with nobility. He goes on to talk about wealth, saying, “This wealth is nothing more than a name that leaves our useful products always the same.” (273-274) The use of enjambment forces the reader to quickly read about wealth, the effect makes wealth seem less important which mimics the words themselves, so Goldsmith suggests that wealth has very little importance in life. Both speakers argue for a respect for the rural class, while Gray's speaker does so by comparing the great to common men; Goldsmith uses hyperbole to diminish the attractiveness of the upper class. Gray's work is concise and contains many stylistic elements that encourage readers to see social classes as transparent and non-limiting. Goldsmith describes the upper class as the death of rural life, while Gray's speaker describes the classes as not mutually exclusive.