I was amazed at how depressing this poem was. I felt that the author was trying to get me to notice the negativity in nature and the human existence. " Sophocles long ago/Heard it on the Aegean, and it brought/ Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow/ Of human misery;" This excerpt from the poem gives a sense that the sound of the sea mimics the sound made by humans in agony. I realized that when I read the poem (the fourth time) I read each line as if it was a sigh. The comparison of something so vast to our own troubles makes them seem like they are just as vast and never-ending.
The author's word choice helped me to make the connection that the poem was not positive, but instead exemplified the struggles of everyday life. He uses the following words in the work: grating roar; fling; tremulous; sadness; misery;melancholy; withdrawing roar; and dreary. These words all help to set the tone for the last stanza in which the author is expressing that he and his love must be there for one another since the world and everyone in it will not be there to offer comfort or solace.
"And we here as on a darkling plain/ Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,/Where ignorant armies clash by night." This excerpt sums up his work perfectly. I found it to mean that as we hide away in the darkness with our own troubles the world is wrought with chaos and ignorance. We must attend to our own struggles because the world is too busy handling the constant ebb and flow of life.
Although I found this poem to be slightly depressing, I was also enamored by the words. The author took something that is often considered sublime (the ocean) and uses the sublime to set the tone of misery (rather than awe) in the work. I have often looked at the ocean as the tide rose and fell, but my thoughts were primarily on the fact that my problems were minute in comparison. This poem uses the same image to depict that, much like the waves that crash on the beach and take some of it with them with each tide, each time we experience the emotions of the world we begin to be worn down by them.
I felt the same way when reading the poem. It was very depressing but I didn't catch how depressing it was till the end. It was amazing how the author was able to use such words to make the poem what it was. I didn't realize it till you mentioned it in your post but I too was reading the poem with almost a sigh after each line.
ReplyDeleteI like how you said you read each word as a sigh. Maybe Arnold had that intent? Either way, I have to agree with you. I thought this poem was beautifully depressing and depicted our not so beautiful lives.
ReplyDeleteI love your analysis, Whitney! This poem was indeed very beautiful and upon reading it, reminded me of waves and calmed me with a sense of solemn pensiveness. Normally it is difficult for me to connect and understand a poem, but the sound of this poem comes off in its diction and syntax. The repeated "s" sounds remind me of the soft "Shhh" of ocean waves. In his solemness, I can clearly imagine a windy beach at night. Very beautiful analysis!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the fact that you saw each statement as a sort of sigh. It makes the reader picture the depression and solemnity in the piece. Very beautiful analysis on the tone.
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