Break, Break,Break - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Alfred, Lord Tennyson composed "Break, Break,Break" in 1835, two years after the death of his close friend and fellow poet, Arthur Hallam. Because the poem's speaker laments the death of a close acquaintance, most readers read " Break, Break, Break" as an elegy to Hallam, though the poem stands on its own as a more general meditation on mortality and loss. Published in 1842, the poem is often read alongside Tennyson's "In Memoriam A. H. H.", a longer work that is more explicit in its commemoration of Hallam and the impact he had on Tennyson's life.
Literal and figurative meaning :-
The literal meaning of the is about the thoughts, feelings,and experiences that the person in the poem has when he is isolated from society and sees the things that remind him of society on a passing ship, and now starts to doubt that he will ever be a part of society again.
The figurative meaning of the poem and what the poet is trying to say in my opinion,is about even when you escape the clutches of society,you, eventually regret it and want to come back, but sometimes there is no going back and you now are isolated the world and are never to return.
Literary Devices in Break, Break, Break :-
Tennyson makes use of several literary devices in "Break, Break, Break". These include but are not limited to repetition, juxtaposition, and enjambment. Th first of these, repetition is clearly sen through the use of the refrain " Break, Break, Break" in line one of the first stanza and fourth stanza. It helps create a strong rhythm to the lines, one that mimics the movement of the waves
Juxtaposition is seen through the contrast of different experiences. For example,the speaker is in a deep and un- abating depression on which is quite different experiences. For examples,the speaker is in a deep and un- abating depression which is quite different from sailling who is singing" on the bay" or the ship's that he images are going to a better land.
Enjambment is a commonly used technique that can be seen in this poem in the transition between lines three and four of the first stanza as well as lines one and two of third stanza.
Break, Break, Break with explanation :-
Stanza one
In the first stanza of " Break, Break, Break" the speaker begins by talking directly to the waves. This is a technique known as anaphora. He speaks to them although they are anable to continue breaking powerfully against the" cold gray stones" of the shore. They hold a gloomy power that speaks to his emotional state at that time. He wishes,in lines three and four he could get his tongue to " utter/ The thoughts" that are haunting him. He has thus far been anable to express his emotional state. It is too comlex, or perhaps too dark, for him to find the words.
Stanza two
" O, well for the fisherman's boy,
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
That he signs in his boat on the bay!".
In the second stanza, there is a good examples of anaphora with the repetition of " o,well for the " at the start of the linesmen and three. This phrase introduces the two different experiences that he sees around him. The " fisherman's boy", his "sister" and the "sailor lad" are all experiencing the sea differently than he is. These are good examples of juxtaposition, especially the young man who is singing"on the bay". He's finding joy in his life and the ability to express his emotions.
Stanza three
" And the stately ship's go on
To their haven under the hill;
But o for the touch of a vanish'd hand,
And the second of a voice that is still!"
In the third stanza of " Break, Break, Break" , the speaker takes note of "stately ship" that are sailing of into the distance. They too are living differently than he is. He hopes that they are going to a new land, somewhere sorrow can't touch. But ,the lovely sight of the ships doesn't keep the speaker's mind occupied for long. He is quickly brought back to the experiencing of touching a " vanish'd hand" . Tennyson might have been thinking of the hand of Arthur Hallam,his deceased friend. The voice that is now lost also comes to his mind. It appears that no matter what the speaker does, he can't escape the memories of the person he lost.
Stanza four
The fourth stanza begins with the repetition of the line " Break, Break, Break" which began the poem. He tells the waves again to break against the shore at the " foot of thy crags". Tennyson used an exclamation point at the end of line two in order to emphasize his, or his speaker's passion.
Despite the power of the waves, the damage they do, or the sights that he sees around him, he can't get back to the" grace of a day" that happened before his close friend died. Things are different now and that times " will never come back to (him)."
Thank you...
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