Break, Break, Break poem by Alfred ,lord Tennyson

 Hello,

Welcome to this blog in this blog we are going to this poem  " Break , break, break" by Alfred, lord Tennyson . This task assigned by Vishal sir as a part of thinking Activity.

Introduction:

About poet:

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) was one of the most renowned poets of the Victorian era. Born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England, Tennyson began writing poetry at an early age. He gained prominence with the publication of "Poems, Chiefly Lyrical" in 1830 and further cemented his reputation with works such as "The Lady of Shalott" and "In Memoriam A.H.H.," a tribute to his close friend Arthur Hallam. 

Appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom in 1850, Tennyson's works were celebrated for their lyrical quality, emotional depth, and exploration of contemporary issues. His later works, including "Idylls of the King," reflect his interest in Arthurian legend. Tennyson's legacy endures as a central figure in English literature, known for his ability to capture the spirit of his age and the timeless human experience.

About poem:

The poem is four stanzas of four lines each, each quatrain in irregular iambic tetrameter. The irregularity in the number of syllables in each line might convey the instability of the sea or the broken, jagged edges of the speaker’s grief. Meanwhile, the ABCB rhyme scheme in each stanza may reflect the regularity of the waves.

On the surface, the poem seems relatively simple and straightforward, and the feeling is easy to discern: the speaker wishes he could give voice to his sad thoughts and his memories, to move and speak like the sea and others around him. The poem’s deeper interest is in the series of comparisons between the external world and the poet’s internal world. The outer world is where life happens, or where it used to happen for the speaker. The inner world is what preoccupies him now, caught up in deep pain and loss and the memories of a time with the one who is gone.

Poem analysis:

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,

         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;

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

         Will never come back to me.

In the first stanza, the poet says that the pain of his heart is great. There is a struggle like the struggle of the sea waves on the thundery shores. The question before him is how he can express effectively the thoughts which are rushing in his mind. 

In the second stanza, the poet says that life is full of joy for the fisherman’s son and daughter, but the poet is entirely in a different mood. He is restless and grief-stricken at the death of his friend. The sailor is also happy and sings in his boat. But such joy is not for the poet.

In the third stanza,the poet says that he has no definite plan about his life and he misses his friend Hallam. The grief of the poet is terribly intense.

In the fourth stanza, the poet asks the waves to go on splashing against the sea-shore, but the poet cannot recall the past experience which he enjoyed in the company of his friend. God had been very kind in blessing him with the tender friendship of Hallam, but the past cannot be recollected.

Themes:

Grief and Loss: The poem poignantly expresses the speaker's profound sorrow and mourning for a lost loved one, reflected in the repeated crashing of the waves against the shore.

Nature's Indifference: The relentless, unchanging nature of the sea symbolizes the indifference of the natural world to human suffering and loss. The waves continue to break regardless of the speaker's pain.

Contrasts Between Life and Death: The lively scenes of children playing and sailors working contrast starkly with the speaker's inner desolation, emphasizing the gap between the living and the dead.

The Ineffability of Grief: The poem conveys the difficulty of articulating the depth of one's sorrow, as the speaker wishes he could utter the thoughts that arise in him but finds himself unable to do so.

Message of this poem:

The message of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Break, Break, Break" is that grief is a relentless and enduring experience. The poem highlights the speaker's deep sorrow and longing for a lost loved one, contrasting the unchanging and indifferent nature of the sea with the speaker's personal sense of loss and the vibrant life around him. It reflects on the inevitability of grief and the pain of remembering a past that cannot be reclaimed.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, "Break, Break, Break" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson illustrates the unending nature of grief and the deep sense of loss. The poem contrasts the relentless waves with the speaker's sorrow, emphasizing the enduring impact of mourning a loved one.

Thank you...