"The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Fragment

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

Title: The title is specific to a single eagle. It isn’t “An Eagle,” but rather “The Eagle.” The

poem is about one specific bird. Eagles often are seen as majestic and powerful yet graceful.

Paraphrase: The eagle is on a cliff, high in the sky. The sea is moving below him and he

watches it from his perch. Then he falls.

Devices: The rhyme scheme of this poem is AAABBB, with all the lines in each stanza

rhyming. Despite the shift in rhyme, however, the poem is given a sense of continuity due to the fact that there are eight syllables in each line. This makes the poem very uniform and gives it a constant rhythm and flow. It makes me think of the soaring of an eagle, even though this one is perched the whole time. Each line of the poem, excluding the last one, has either assonance or alliteration. Because the last line lacks this trait, it is set apart. Its tone is different from the rest of the poem as well—it is more abrupt and features direct action—separating it even more from the rest of the poem. The first line of the poem has dissonance as well, setting up the scene as something unapproachable, like the eagle is too far away to really connect with. The eagle is like an old man, with his “crooked hands.” The sea, too, is described as a person as “wrinkled” like an old man and crawling like an infant. The comparison of the eagle to a thunderbolt connotes power and something of a surprise. 

Attitude: The speaker just seems to be observing this eagle. This observation is with some

reverence. The speaker notes the majesty, patience and power of the eagle as it stands aloft looking at the world.

Shifts: The first shift takes place between the first and second stanzas. The first stanza is

describing the eagle from some other viewer’s perspective. Some onlooker with their binoculars is describing what this eagle looks like to their friend. Then, there is another shift before the last line. Prior to this shift, the poem is from the eagle’s perspective, looking at the sea below him and him sitting, watching from his mountain wall. However, the last line is a little different, because it describes what the onlookers have been waiting for this eagle to do. It describes his action of diving—a more extreme action.

Title: The title of this poem really is just what the poem is about: an eagle. This eagle is

being observed and is observing his surroundings. He’s good at clinging to rocks, and at diving, probably for food. No where else in the poem is the word “eagle” mentioned, so this title is necessary in order for the reader to know what the poem is about. Also part of the title is the word “fragment,” which apparently means that it was never finished because the topic was too complex to go into complete detail on.

Theme/Total Meaning: A theme of this poem is that humans and nature are connected,

but not one. The eagle is obviously out of reach of anyone watching it, but they are still able to witness its majesty and be part of its journey from rock to sea. They are still able to be inspired by his strength and composure. 

"Break, break, break" by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Break, break, break,

         On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

And I would that my tongue could utter

         The thoughts that arise in me.

O, well for the fisherman's boy,                                             5

         That he shouts with his sister at play!

O, well for the sailor lad,

         That he sings in his boat on the bay!

And the stately ships go on

         To their haven under the hill;                                             10

But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,

         And the sound of a voice that is still!

Break, break, break

         At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!

But the tender grace of a day that is dead                                    15

         Will never come back to me.

Title: The title of the poem is just the first line. Maybe Tennyson was too grieved to come up

with a title, or perhaps he thought the first line would be fitting. The repetition of “break” makes it seem more intense. It’s very harsh and violent. It also implies a pattern or cycle, continuous force.

Paraphrase: The speaker is speaking to the Sea, wishing he could speak. He sees the children

playing and singing and ships go by, but what he really wants is to feel or hear the person that is no longer with him. The waves will always crash against the cliffs, but he will never see his friend again.

Devices: Repetition of “break” brings emphasis, creates feeling of an uncaring cycle that’s

forceful. Personification and apostrophe of the Sea makes the sea seem like a cruel observer of the grief the speaker is going through. The Sea doesn’t do anything and just continues on in its cycle with its “crags” and “cold gray stones.” The speaker uses paradoxes to describe his friend that is gone, (line 11-12) emphasizing the permanence of death and the hopeless yearning of the speaker for something impossible. Metonomy is also used in those lines. The meter of the poem is musical, creating a flowing sound which is further emphasized by the alliteration in some of the lines. The rhyme scheme is ABCB, making the stanzas sound a bit like crashing waves, and the look of the poem could also be seen as uneven, crashing waves.

Attitude: The speaker seems full of grief. His exclamations to the uncaring Sea hold his anger

and despair. He sees the children playing and singing and seems to wish he could do the same. He talks of them saying, “O, well for the…” like he wants to be as carefree as they are. Toward the “stately ships” going “to their haven under the hill” he seems resentful. They are just going on their way while he is there yearning for “the touch of a vanish’d hand,/ And the sound of a voice that is still!” Finally, the speaker seems to accept the fact that the person he lost will never come back to him, but he still is mournful that he has lost “the tender grace.”

Shifts: There is a shift after each stanza. The first stanza holds the speaker’s anger. He seems to

direct his anger at the sea, but also that he can’t say what he needs to. The next stanza is an observation of the children around the speaker playing and singing and the speaker seems envious of them. In the next stanza the speaker is noting that other people are just going on with their lives. He sounds a bit resentful that they can go to their “haven” while he will never again know the “touch of a vanish’d hand.” The last stanza is the speaker’s final thoughts. The repetition of “break, break, break” shows again the cycle of the sea and contrasts that with his friend that will never come back to him

Title: Again, the title shows the cycle and detachment of the waves. Their reoccurrence seems to

contrast with the ended life of his friend and they are insensitive to the speaker’s loss.

Theme/Total Meaning: One of the themes of this poem is that though grief may still be

prevalent, time passes and the rest of the world moves on. The speaker continues to think of and mourn his lost friend, but time passes and life goes on. The speaker seems to struggle with how long he should grieve his friend, but at the end he becomes resolved to the fact that his friend is gone, and maybe he, too, can continue with his life.

"Crossing the Bar" by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Sunset and evening star,

         And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,

         When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,                                    5

         Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from the boundless deep

         Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,

         And after that the dark!                                                      10

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

         When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place

         The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face                                             15

         When I have crossed the bar.

Title: Crossing implies some kind of journey. Bar could be some kind of threshold, or it could be

something the speaker wants to achieve, like “reaching the bar.” “The Bar” seems like something specific since it isn’t presented as a bar, but rather the bar. The speaker has a specific goal in mind: a journey to reach something or surpass something.

Paraphrase: The speaker is on a boat, watching the sunset and the stars come up in the sky. He’s

also watching the water, wanting it to be quiet. The sky grows darker and the speaker embarks on his journey, not wanting a sad goodbye.  His journey will take him beyond the known realm of time or place, but he hopes to see his “Pilot’s” face when he crosses the sand bar.

Devices: The symbolism of the sunset, then the dark sky represents the waning of the speaker’s life.

He is at the “twilight” of his life. “The bar,” (a sandbar—a build up of sand between the sea and the shore) is the extended metaphor throughout the poem and is a symbol for the division between life and death. The image of “crossing the bar” is crossing from life to death, from this known life to something unknown, outside of “our bourne of Time and Place.” The ship that the speaker is on is also a symbol, representing his life and his journey and the sea is the driving force of that. He also speaks of his “Pilot,” which might be interpreted as an image to represent God, the director of his life and who the speaker hopes to see “face to face” after he has died.  The rhyme scheme (ABAB) of the poem, as well as the length of the lines, contributes to the impression that it is like a wave. It flows and seems to undulate.

Attitude: The speaker seems resolved about his impending death. He has accepted that it will come.

He says, “When I put out to sea…When I embark…When I have crossed the bar.” He knows that it will happen and doesn’t seem anxious or pleading. It just is what it is and he approaches it very matter-of-factly. He does express some hope for the future, though. He hopes that there is no “moaning of the bar,” that the crossing into death will not be difficult. He hopes that “there be no sadness of farewell” and the he might “see [his] Pilot face to face.”

Shifts: There is a shift after each quatrain (stanza) of the poem, which represents the steps of his

journey toward dying. The first stanza is the beginning of his journey toward death. He still has some time, but he is beginning to think of it. The second stanza is more of a reflection on death. The tide comes soundlessly from the depths of the ocean and will return there after the death of the speaker. Death will always return. The third stanza is the speaker beginning to die. He thinks of those he’s leaving, but also seems ready to move on. The final stanza is the speaker’s approach to his death—the final step in his journey.

Title: “Crossing the bar” basically means dying. It is the speaker’s journey “crossing” from life into

death. He crosses the sandbar, which separates the sea of life from the sand of death.

Theme/Total Meaning: The total meaning of this poem is that death is inevitable. It isn’t

necessarily something to be afraid of or really anxious about because it is bound to come—it does for everyone. Even in death, there is still hope—hope that there is more to come.

Symbolism poem

Frames lay misshapen

Lenses jagged rejected

Turns the world into

Obscure shapes vague colors dimmed being

Searching wander

Crinkles smashes chirps yelps sound

But from where

Muddled world

Reunited: bridge to nose, bend to ear

Comprehension of details makes 

The world better perceived.

This poem isn't that great, but maybe with some explanation the meaning will be better understood. On a surface level, it's about glasses. The first stanza is the glasses being discarded on the ground and broken. The second stanza, as a result of the person not having glasses, is supposed to represent the blurry, confusing world, since the speaker can't see anything. In the third stanza, the glasses are taken back and put on again, giving the speaker to ability to see. The glasses in this poem are a symbol of a Christian worldview, or really any worldview I suppose. When forgotten or damaged, it can leave you in confusion and despair because you can't find an explanation for anything, nothing seems to make sense. However, if you return to your (Christian) worldview, you'll be able to see a little more clearly because you can find an explanation for things.