Analysis

• "A Chapel was built in the midst, Where i used to play on the green" - Preposition "midst" suggests that organised religion is lurking in the background, slowly asserting itself over the child's imagination.
• 'And this gates of the chapel were shut, And Thou shalt not. writ over the door.' Institutionalised religion rejects his imagination and desires. Much how Tom and Myrtle's relationship has implications of inevitable downfall because of their class difference. Similar to Gatsby and Daisy's situation.
• "And Thou shalt not. writ over the door' Capitalisation of "Thou" is a definitive, assertive statement that does not offer any chance of concession. The caesura reinforces this as an important statement that defines the chapel's purpose.
• "So i turn'd to the Garden of love, That so many sweet flowers bore" - The speaker has realised that the church has rejected him/doesn't appreciate his desires of sexual liberation and ambition, so he turns to a more flexible society in the "Garden of Love" presumably symbolising a more liberal environment. "His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people – his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. " Much like Gatsby who never accepted his farm-life, he turned to the chaos of West Egg to fulfill his dreams.
• "And i saw it was filled with graves, and tombstones where flowers should be" - Religious institutes have already made their influential stamp on the sexual freedoms of society. Much like how institutionalised capitalism brought about by the industrial revolution has cast class divides across New York. There is no cooperation with the two opposing classes anymore.
• "And saw what i had never seen" In the first stanza already there is a comparison to the past, the more fruitful and innocent days, much like the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby where Tom was no limiting factor in the equation.
• "And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds"Air of omnipresence - no reference to where they are walking or why, it seems the influence is everywhere."Black gowns" is also ambiguous, their identities are concealed, much like the elites of society who cast societal influence. Relates to Meyer Wolfsheim who is a mysterious character, who is heavily associated with crime and shady activity. He is responsible for how the class division is exacerbated in America he is only ever seen in underground locations like Speakeasies, away from funerals and in his "Swastika Holding Company" office.
• "And binding with briars, my joys and desires" - "Daisy tumbled short of his dreams" - Institutions suppresses the individuals perception of dreams. In the poem, the church suppresses his ambition for sexual freedom. In TGG, he thinks the past will repeat itself, society has changed after the war. His dreams fall short.
• First two stanzas - ABCB Rhyme Scheme, then in the final stanza it breaks away from this scheme to instead use an internalised rhyme scheme of "gowns" "rounds" "briars" "desires" This could be symbolic of how at the start, these institutions were an external threat; only holding mere disaproval to their policies, but now, they have become ingrained into the speaker and affects his everyday life, supressing his desires. Much like TGG, where Gatsby is seemingly in control of the class divide and profits from it. Soon, his tragedy shapes how society slipped from his grasp,sending him to his death