Which Figure Of Speech Does The Speaker In The Poem Use To Emphasize Why He Longs To Be At Sea?

'Bounding main Fever' is formed of 3 quatrains; the kickoff and second lines always rhyming to form 1 couplet, and the third and 4th rhyming to grade a second couplet. The meter is heptameter but the types of feet are varied throughout the work and so the stresses on each syllable can change from line to line. However, despite its varying feet, it even so seems to flow similar music, and we may regard the irregular stresses as an effort to mirror the uneven rhythms of the ocean. Interestingly, although in the original version of the poem – published in 1902 – the first line of each stanza is "I must down to the seas again", in later versions Masefield inserted the word "go", altering both the verb and the meter of the refrain.

Summary

'Sea Fever' is brief and unproblematic, yet its lyrical composition, repeated refrain, and poetic devices render information technology a perfect poem to be both read aloud or reflected upon in solitude.

John Masefield'southward 'Body of water Fever' is perhaps his most well-known work and describes the poet'due south longing to go to sea. Despite its first-person poetic voice, the principal theme of wanderlust is one that transcends the speaker and can be identified with by many. Masefield spent time equally a sailor aboard different ships and therefore can effortlessly demonstrate his beloved for and affinity with this lifestyle.

Y'all tin can read the full verse form hither.

Detailed Analysis

Stanza i

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

(…)

And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

The starting time stanza begins with the refrain "I must down to the seas again", which is repeated at the kickoff of each stanza and gives immediate sense to the title. Although we may identify the poem'due south theme every bit the desire to go to sea, information technology also deals with the very human yearning to connect with one of the nigh powerful natural forces on globe. A hugely common theme in poetry, the sea has always been a fascinating source of inspiration for many. Masefield demonstrates an obvious adoration for this wild and beautiful entity, and seems to well-nigh compare information technology to a person, referring to it equally "her" and describing her "confront".

The desire to connect with the sea is shown through the pursuit of a crewman's life equally he asks for a ship to sail. He does not describe the body of water in the almost classically beautiful terms, hither she is "grey" and "lonely", giving more mysterious and melancholic connotations, yet enchanting nonetheless.

The use of alliteration in the get-go stanza contributes to the musical tone with expressions like "a tall ship and a star to steer her by" and "the wheel's kick and the wind'south song and the white sail'south shaking". This as well serves to render 'Ocean Fever' more appealing to the ear, and we can imagine it like a sea-chanty, being sung by lonely sailors.

Stanza Ii

I must go downward to the seas once again, for the call of the running tide

(…)

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

The 2nd stanza appeals to all five senses. Masefield'south descriptions permit the reader to feel like we are standing on the shore; listening to the "sea-gulls crying", watching the "white clouds flying", feeling the coldness of the "windy mean solar day", and the saltiness of the "flung spray and the blown spume" on our natural language and nose. Again, the poet emphasizes the irresistible pull of the ocean as he repeats the word "telephone call". With the 2d repeated refrain "And all I ask", he seems to be underlining the simplicity of the sea, perhaps in dissimilarity to the complications of everyday life; as if the body of water'south wild nature is something comfortingly consistent and familiar. Indeed, the verse form's meter, although not strictly constant does imply a certain steadiness, contributing to its lyrical, musical feel.

Stanza Three

I must get down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

(…)

And tranquility sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick'southward over.

The third stanza of 'Sea Fever' brings the theme of wanderlust to the forefront. Masefield speaks of the "vagrant gypsy life" and expresses a desire for a "laughing fellow-rover". This terminal quatrain is total of positive imagery like "merry yarn" and "sweet dream". However, the poet refrains from painting an idyllic pic of a life at sea with the use of the expression "the wind'south like a whetted knife": a powerful image which stands out past way of its alliteration and the sudden introduction of this abrupt, tearing object. In addition, Masefield mentions the wind in all 3 of the poem's stanzas, perhaps to draw attention to the style in which ships are influenced both by man and by two of the nigh powerful natural forces: the sea and the wind. Here, we can sum upwards the central message of the verse form: life at sea is total of contrasts – vicious winds and wild waves in perfect harmony together with the sweet and endless freedom information technology allows.

The last line of 'Sea Fever' broadens the telescopic of the theme, as it is slightly ambiguous in nature. The give-and-take "trick" in sailing terms refers to a picket at bounding main: four hours watching and 8 hours balance. We may take it at face value and assume Masefield is over again cartoon attention to the simplicity of a life at sea, emphasized by the wonderful rest betwixt work and rest. However, if we step back and take into business relationship the universal nature of the two primary themes – the draw of the sea and the desire to travel – we may see the "long trick" as a reference to life in general, and "quiet slumber" as a peaceful expiry, allowing for a "sugariness dream", which is knowing we may rest in the afterlife in the knowledge that we worked well and lived truly. In that sense, the whole poem may be seen as a metaphor for life; with the sea representing a small and humble fashion to alive, more in bear on with nature, and therefore better equipped to deal with any storms that may come our way.

Still, 'Bounding main Fever' is undeniably a sit-in of the poet's love for the sea and the life of a sailor. Information technology is the poem'southward modest simplicity and the relatable nature of these themes that permit us to depict certain conclusions from information technology with regards to our individual lives, a fact that makes the poem truly a work of art.

About John Masefield

John Masefield was a British novelist, playwright, and poet born on the i st June 1878 in Herefordshire, England. Both his parents died before he turned six and he grew upwards under the intendance of his aunt, a woman who did not approve of his addiction to reading, which he developed at a young age. In 1891 he began a life at body of water and spent several years aboard the HMS Conway , where he spent a lot of time reading and writing. In 1895, after a cursory illness, he boarded a boat destined for New York, even so, his passion for writing led him to carelessness ship upon its arrival in the US and he spent several years living the life of a drifter. He returned to England in 1897 where he married, had children, and embarked upon what would later be a successful career as a writer. 'Sea Fever' appears in his get-go book of collected works, Salt-H2o Ballads , published in 1902. In 1912 he was awarded the annual Edmond de Polignac Prize and was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death in 1967, the second-longest period of office ever held, afterward Tennyson. Masefield promoted poetry throughout his life and organized competitions, prizes, and annual recitals.