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Building Background
The History of The SeafarerThe Seafarer is one of a handful of elegies preserved in the Exeter Book, a rare collection of Old English poetry that was compiled and copied by monks during the 900s. The book is named after Exeter Cathedral, where it has been housed since about 1050. The author of The Seafarer is unknown. Some scholars, noting that the tone of the poem changes dramatically in line 64, believe that a monk added the last sections of the poem to create a work more religious in tone. Other scholars argue that The Seafarer is the work of one poet. Old English PoetryIf you would like to learn more about Old English poetry, you might enjoy reading Old English Poetry, translated by J. Duncan Spaeth, which contains several famous Anglo-Saxon poems, including The Far-Traveled, The Wife’s Lament, and The Wanderer. For a collection of critical essays that analyze the theme and structure of several poems, including The Seafarer, look for Anglo-Saxon Poetry: Essays in Appreciation, edited by Lewis E. Nicholson and Dolores Warwick Friese. Literary analysis: imagery Poets communicate through imagery,words and phrases that re-create sensory experiences for the reader. Notice how the imagery in this passage from “The Seafarer” appeals to the senses of sight, touch, and hearing: My feet were cast In icy bands, bound with frost, With frozen chains, and hardship groaned Around my heart. The images bring to mind ideas of coldness and confinement and suggest the speaker’s lonely, painful emotional state. As you read the following three poems, pay attention to the imagery, allowing it to evoke ideas and feelings in you. Literary element: mood Mood is the emotional quality of a work of literature. A number of elements may contribute to creating mood, such as a writer’s choice of language, subject matter, setting, and tone, as well as sound devices such as rhyme, rhythm, and meter. As you read, examine how the poet creates a somber, mournful mood. Reading strategy: monitor understanding of older works The Seafarer has been translated from Old English into Modern English, but that doesn’t mean they will present no difficulty. Use the following strategies to understand them: • Visualizethe many images layered in the poems. • Questionas you read. Ask who the speaker is, for example. • Rereadpassages that are confusing. • Paraphrasedifficult lines, restating them in your own words.
For the poem, create a chart to record what the speaker remembers or ponders in different sections of the poem.
The Seafarer BackgroundThe poems in the Exeter Book reflect the hardship and uncertainty of life in Anglo-Saxon times. Men who made their living on the sea had to leave behind their families and sail long distances in primitive, poorly equipped boats. The women and children left behind endured months and even years without knowing whether their menfolk would return. In addition, frequent outbreaks of disease and war scattered communities and brought untimely death to many people.
After Reading Comprehension: Recall and Interpret 1. What hardships of life at sea does the speaker describe at the beginning of the poem (lines 1–26)? What pleasures of life on land does the speaker mention? 2. How does the speaker feel when he sees the “sails unfurl” and leaves the shore? 3. The speaker ends the poem by providing advice to the reader (lines 106–124). What is the advice the speaker gives? What part might fate play in the speaker’s attitudes about the dangers of life at sea? 4. In your opinion, does the speaker long for a comfortable life on land or does he go willingly to sea? Support your answer with examples from the poem. 5. What does the speaker say is different about life in his time as compared with life in the past? What does the speaker’s attitude toward the past say about his feelings toward life during the time in which he lives? 6. In line 117, the speaker mentions thoughts that “turn to where our home is.” To what home do you think the speaker is referring? Literary Analysis: Evaluate and Connect 7. Analyze ThemeSummarize the message, or theme, of The Seafarer. How is the speaker “at sea” both literally and figuratively? Do you find the sea to be an effective symbol? Explain your answer. 8. Synthesize IdeasWhat ideas about Anglo-Saxon life and religious attitudes do you get from the poem? 9. Analyze ImageryWhich images in the poems most effectively convey a moodof isolation?What senses do these images appeal to? The Seafarer has been praised for its striking descriptions of life at sea. In a small group, find images that appeal to each of the five senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Create a five-column chart like the one shown below, and list each image in the appropriate column. Then decide which of the senses the poet appeals to most often. What part does this sense play in developing the mood of the poem?
10. Literary Analysis In three or four paragraphs, analyze the effect of the first-person point of view on readers’ response to the speaker. In your analysis, consider why the poet might have chosen to write in the first person and how the poem would change if it were written from another point of view. Literary Criticism 11. Critical InterpretationsThere has been much debate over the number of speakers in “The Seafarer.” Some critics believe that a second person begins to speak at line 64, and others believe that there is only one speaker throughout the poem. Which interpretation do you prefer, and why? 12. Creative WritingImagine that you are the sailor in the poem and are preparing to go back to sea after a long, lazy summer onshore. Write a letter to a friend explaining why you feel compelled to sail once more. 13. Internet ConnectionA number of universities have Web pages devoted to the study of Old English verse. To hear Old English poetry read aloud, and to read other Old English elegies, search the World Wide Web, using the key words “Old English verse. Save your work for your portfolio.
Date: 2016-03-03; view: 2348
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