John Clare was born in the village of Helpstone, Northamptonshire, England, in 1793. He was the son of an agricultural laborer, and he was a hedge setter, day laborer, and gardener at Burghley House from 1810 to 1811. He had no schooling so instead, he studied James Thompson's "Seasons" and began verse writing. His poetic gift came from his parents - his father, a flail thresher, could recite over a hundred ballads and songs and his mother also sang ballads and told traditional stories.
             He enjoyed a brief celebrity as a 'peasant-poet'. (Peasant poet: one who is steeped in the tradition of oral culture, regional dialect, and non-standard grammar. Characterized by innocence, not formally educated, interested in the landscape, class conscious, controlled and celebrated by superiors/publishers, simple language. Peasant poets usually end up losing innocence to formal diction in an effort to conform; Clare resists this.) This term represents many of the things that Clare wrote about in his works and explains why he used the grammar and style that he used.
             In 1837, as a result of his long disappointment of having to move away from his love, he had a mental breakdown and was admitted to an asylum in Epping Forest. Four years later, he took himself out and walked the 80 miles home in three and a half days, living on grass he ate by the side of the road. Towards the end of the year 1841, he was certified insane and was committed to the Northampton Asylum. He lived there until his death in 1864 writing occasionally. The "Badger" was a very interesting poem. By taking the first step in analyzing and using the "objective" approach which means a study of the literary work done without reference to the mimetic, affective, or expressive possibilities of interpretation. It also regards the literary work as an object, having an independent existence and capable of allowing and supporting inquiry without reference to its origin. After simply readin...