As an observation of the opposing natures of the ocean's surfaces and depths, Hawthorne's "The Ocean" illustrates the tranquility of a grave beneath the ocean's waves. The melancholy tone of the poem acts like a unifying current, pervading the text of the poem and saturating it with a feeling of peace mingled with undertones of sadness. Divided into two octaves, the poem first depicts the nature of the ocean referring to it as "quiet" and "alone" then the second half of the poem contrasts typical graves with the graves of mariners beneath the sea (2). The poem also relies on a detached observer to act as the speaker to directly connect the audience to the image of the ocean which it is describing. The poem starts with a description of the ocean and its caves and the first octave also establishes the inherent contrast between the ocean's "silent caves" and its "fury" (1-3). The first octave portrays a divided ocean; on the top of the ocean lie rough and …show more content…
The final line of the first stanza emphasizes the power of the ocean and that it does not discriminate when choosing its victims since it willingly takes "the young, the bright, the fair" (8). The poem then transitions like the crest of a wave colliding with a sandy beach as it begins to talk specifically of those who find solace beneath the wrathful waves. The poem's structure also echoes the ebb and flow of the ocean as one wave flawlessly makes way for another. The second stanza begins by describing the slumber of the "wearied seamen" and by stating that they are resting "calmly" the speaker conjures an atmosphere of finality and peace (9). The poem also refers to the sea as belonging to the seamen through the use of the word "own" and in doing so he emphasizes that because the men spent their lives on the sea it became their home
In his poem “The Tide Rises The Tide Falls”, we can see the use of personification as nature comforts a traveler facing death. The seashores are busy throughout the day and night. Many people stroll by including a traveler moving in haste. In a place crowded by modern society the tides continues to rise and falls even when it is filled with darkness, leading up to the traveler’s death. With many different kind of people that passes by the nature of the waves Longfellow writes, “The little waves, with their soft white hands,/ Efface the footprints in the sands,/ And the tide rises, and the tide falls” (Longfellow lines 7-10). In this we can see the use of personification as he says that the waves have soft white hands. This shows a gentle and soothing effect in which nature has to clear the footprints off the sands with their hands. Death is inevitable as shown in a relatable cycle with nature where the tide rises and falls, giving a comfort to individual to understand that death is just a process. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poetry reflects his ideal on nature and its comforting
The three poems show exile and keening, but the poems also show tactile imagery. The Wanderer show tactile imagery in line three, “wintery seas,” describes the setting is in this poem along with the tone. The Seafarer show’s tactile imagery as well, in line nine, “in icy bands, bound with frost,” the tactile imagery in this line describes the coldness of the thoughts in the lonely man’s head. In The Wife’s Lament the tactile imagery is shown in line forty seven, “That my beloved sits under a rocky cliff rimed with frost a lord dreary in spirit drenched with water in the ruined hall.” The wife in this tactile imagery is show how her husband is suffering just
The Sea-Drift is one of the few poems that recount Walt Whitman’s childhood. Whitman takes us through journey to imagine his childhood in way that is straightforward. This poem gives me the vibe of song and musical because use of the language. This poem Sea- Drift sounds like song lyric maybe, because the bird crying to the ocean and which creates a chirping sound, nature sounds. I think this is iconic because it illustrates the imagination of a child observing nature as it makes him curious to figure out microscopic things in nature, although birds are visible but to investigate the nest of the birds and count its contains are bit unbelievable.
The poem I will be analysing today is Song of the Surf by Dan Ashlin. Ashlin is a born and bred Australian poet who writes modern poems. I believe that I have a strong connection with this poem because of how much I personally love the beach with the soft sand and the ferocious waves. In my opinion this poem isn’t just about the waves in the ocean, but how the ocean has its own life and story to tell.
In the next stanza, the line "Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay", the poet is now using imagery with the waters, however it can also be a metaphorical representation of life due to
First of all, in “The Seafarer” the writer discusses the internal conflicts he is having among the waves of the sea. Even though this self-chosen exile causes this man pain and sorrow, peace is not a common entity for him while on land. “The time for journeys would come and my soul/ called me eagerly out, sent me over/ the horizon, seeking foreigners’ homes.” (lines 36-38). The gallant mortal does not doubt that there is no fear among his heart, but his longing for the tides is far too strong to be confined to the dry, lifeless land. His experiences only bring him back to where he feels at home the most - the sea. “But there isn’t a man on earth so proud,/…/he feels no fear as the sails unfurl/…/only the ocean’s heave; But longing wraps itself around him.” (lines 39-47). The way he shows his fearful arrogance is an example again of his internal conflict.
The next stanza describes the speaker as standing alone by the sea. The loud sounds of the ocean represent his growing anguish of being isolated by his own feeling of doubt. The sound of the waves intensifies the feeling of anger and confusion Poe feels toward himself and his “relationship”. By standing by the sea, Poe is isolating himself form the opportunity of realizing whether him and his lover’s love is real. At the end of the final stanza Poe inquires himself again with the reoccurring question “is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?”
This means that the ocean doesn’t stop moving, its waves keep crashing, and that people in life come and go and no one lives for eternity. The meter in each line has 7-10 beats. “The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls… The day returns, but nevermore… And the tide rises, the tide falls” has 7-10
This difference shows the commonly used good and bad dualism. But, this is just the surface of the speakers comparisons and metaphors. The controlling metaphor of this story is that the sea represents a Christian’s suffering in life while the land represents freedom and happiness. The author shows this suffering and weakness by using phrases such as “In icy bands, bound with frost/ With frozen chains and hardships groaned,” (9-10) and “Alone in a world born clear of love,” (16).
These lines use enjambment for the effect of the lines flowing into each other to make it seems like the sea. The first half flows smoothly, as does the second half, except for the final word. The letter "S" is used in both halves to bring them together - to remind the readers of Islands Man closeness to the sea. The letter "H" ("head") is a break from the "S's" and therefore the rhythm is lost. The third line ("to the sound of blue surf") has alliteration of the letter "S". The sound of this letter is very much like that of the waves to remind the reader of the sea. To insure that this comes across to the readers there is emphasis on these letters. There is also an emphasis on the word "head" here to make the readers realize that it is only in Island Man's head, as he also realizes the truth.
The depressing realization of the captain’s death is evident and seen most within the last stanza as the tone changes from that of triumph and elation to heartbreak and grief. This is shown through Whitman’s use of imagery as the speaker states, “My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, / My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will” (lines 17-18). This provides a detailed description of the lifeless captain as he lies on the deck. The following lines describe the successfulness of the mission as the captain has led his crew to safety after accomplishing the goals which were set. This alteration in tone
He illustrates his belief that he does not need the good luck of the Albatross. He decides to severe his bonds with the universal cycle of life and love. Following the execution of the Albatross, the Mariner’s luck suddenly changes. He experiences the punishment that comes with the moral error of killing the Albatross. The punishment is isolation and alienation from everything but himself. Thereafter, the "Nightmare," the life in death, kills his crew. He is lost at sea, left alone in the night to suffer, and he has detached from his natural cycle. The Mariner proclaims his misery when he says, "Alone, alone, all, all alone, Alone on a wide wide sea! / And never a saint took pity on My soul in agony". To the Mariner, nature has become foreign. The execution of the Albatross causes physical and spiritual decay.
From a perspective of sound, it is obvious that there is a pattern in the poem that could provide readers the same feel of the sea just by listening to it. The poet uses two techniques basically to create that effect in terms of internal rhythm and soft sounds. For example, in the line “I love the sea because it teaches me” and “what it taught me before, I keep”, a consonance syllable “ee” has been used by Neruda. Also, there are several words containing the syllables like “s”, “sh”, and “w” playing an essential role in creating the whole mood of the poem. For example, Neruda writes” If it’s a single wave or its vast existence, / or only its
The style of writing is quite repetitive; this is a typical trait of Ernest Hemmingway. It gives sense of rhythm to the text. “Anyway, I want a cat,’ she said, ‘I want a cat. I want a cat now,” or, “The sea broke in a long line in the rain and slipped back down the beach to come up and break again in a long line in the rain.” The last quote is beautiful. It is simple and minimalistic. Hemmingway could easily have used many adjectives to describe the sea, but he chooses to use verbs and repetition, to emphasize the style of
Imagery is the strongest supporter of the theme. A description of the sea in its states of calmness and roughness are depicted. Sight and sound help intensify other images. The poems’ strongest feelings are usually expressed by their imagery, though rhythm is also used to convey meaning. Arnold uses the first stanza of the poem to create visual, auditory, and olfactory images that will allow the reader to picture the sea of which the speaker is viewing. Through the use of several poetic Figures of speech, sounds, and irony of words are also used. Line one; “The Sea is calm tonight”(1) has a gentle rhythm that can be compared to the “ebb and flow” (17) of the sea. With this description one can imagine a beautiful beach with water lapping upon the shore. The second line also gives the image of a calm sea. In the opening stanzas words such as “gleams”(4) and “glimmering”(5) are used, giving a sense of light. In contrast the ending stanzas use words such as