The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls
Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow were two writers heavily influenced by the romantic idea of embracing death, rather than fearing it. Their poems Break, Break, Break (Tennyson), and The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls (Longfellow) use repetition and loaded words to convey the theme of accepting death in order to truly live. The writers are able to convey their theme through their symbolical/metaphorical use of the sea.
In The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, Longfellow uses the sea to represent nature’s consistency. The poem begins and ends with the words, “the tide rises, the tide falls.” These words are present in each stanza and show that no matter what events transpire in life, nature will always remain the same. Longfellow personifies the sea, giving it the ability to call in the darkness and “efface the footprints in the sand” with the “soft, white hands” of the waves. This personification shows how much of an impact nature has on humanity; it can erase the only sign(s) of humanity’s presence. Tennyson uses the sea in Break, Break, Break, to represent life’s unpredictability. He …show more content…
In The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, nature continues even though the traveller is not there to see it. In Break, Break, Break, the narrator’s life continues after losing someone close to him or her. The life described in The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls can be contrasted with the one described in Break, Break, Break. Longfellow writes about the cycle of the day: from twilight to morning to darkness, while simultaneously writing about the cycle of life and death. However, even though death is acknowledged and prominent, it does not take away from the glorious moments of life. In Break, Break, Break, the narrator’s sadness distracts from the ordinary, yet precious, moments of life, such as “the fisherman’s boy [shouting] with his sister at play” and “the sailor lad [singing] in his boat on the
In The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, Longfellow uses the sea to represent nature’s consistency. The poem begins and ends with the words, “the tide rises, the tide falls.” These words are present in each stanza and show that no matter what events transpire in life, nature will always remain the same. Longfellow personifies the sea, giving it the ability to call in the darkness and “efface the footprints in the sand” with the “soft, white hands” of the waves. This personification shows how much of an impact nature has on humanity; it can erase the only sign(s) of humanity’s presence. Tennyson uses the sea in Break, Break, Break, to represent life’s unpredictability. He …show more content…
In The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, nature continues even though the traveller is not there to see it. In Break, Break, Break, the narrator’s life continues after losing someone close to him or her. The life described in The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls can be contrasted with the one described in Break, Break, Break. Longfellow writes about the cycle of the day: from twilight to morning to darkness, while simultaneously writing about the cycle of life and death. However, even though death is acknowledged and prominent, it does not take away from the glorious moments of life. In Break, Break, Break, the narrator’s sadness distracts from the ordinary, yet precious, moments of life, such as “the fisherman’s boy [shouting] with his sister at play” and “the sailor lad [singing] in his boat on the