Approaching Death / Symbolism - Poetry Blog 4 (Crossing the Bar)

"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."

The poem Crossing the Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson uses a lot of symbolism throughout. During the poem, he is talking about what he wants to happen at his imminent death. He doesn't want anyone to mourn for him; his death should be quiet and peaceful. He says this several times when he states "And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea," and "And may there be no sadness of farewell When I embark." The sea is used as a symbol for death, and as he crosses the sandbar into the sea, he is dying. The poem brings about the idea of the "circle of life" as a never-ending cycle when Tennyson says "But such a tide moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home." God is also represented in the poem as the Pilot when Tennyson expresses his desire to see God when he dies.

Pretty Prancing Panthers (Q#12 symbols) - Poetry Blog 4 (The Panther)

Next, we look at The Panther by Rainer Maria Rilke. I thought this whole poem was symbolic of another situation, therefore I will discuss symbolism.

Point out and explain any symbols. If the poem is allegorical, explain the allegory. (Q#12 from blogging guidelines)

"It seems to him there are a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world."

Although the poem is entitled The Panther, I really doubt that the poem is about a wild animal. The bars are symbols for prison, while the panther is actually a person in jail.

"As he paces in cramped circles, over and over, the movement of his powerful soft strides is like a ritual dance around a center in which a mighty will stands paralyzed."

When the man is pacing in cramped circles, he is in his jail cell. (It's so small that he can't move much.) He knows that he wants to be free and roam around outside, but he is trapped and can't go anywhere.

"Only at times, the curtain of the pupils lifts, quietly - . An image enters in, rushes down through the tensed, arrested muscles, plunges into the heart and is gone."

When the man opens his eyes and sees the jail cell and realizes his lack of freedom, the bleakness of prison saddens him. It frustrates him and drains him emotionally.

The image of a panther represents the man's movement - he is almost sulking or hunching his back as he paces like a panther stalking its prey. Also, a panther can be a vicious animal like the man was before he was put in prison.

Seasonal Writings - Poetry Blog Numero Uno (Spring, The Widow's Lament in Springtime, Those Winter Sundays, and To Autumn)

For my first blog, I'm analyzing the poems Spring by Gerard Manley Hopkins, The Widow's Lament in Springtime by William Carlos Williams, Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden, and To Autumn by John Keats. I really hope you are catching on to the pattern.

Using seasons in poems and other artistic works is particularly common, perhaps because our surroundings and environment contribute so much to our lives. Two of the poems, Spring and The Widow's Lament in Springtime have many similar images and meanings. They both praise creation and life through flowers and colors particularly. To Autumn also praises nature, but emphasizes what it has already given and how we should appreciate that, when the two former poems celebrate the beginning of new life (simply because of the two seasons). The differences between the two spring poems are that Spring holds religious symbolism - it compares spring to the garden of Eden before the fruit of knowledge was eaten. The Widow's Lament focuses on the contrast between the hope and life of spring and the woman's mourning of her husband.

The poem that differs most drastically from the other three is Those Winter Sundays. Initially, the season has no symbolic significance to the poem. However, winter does provide a backdrop needed for the mood and action throughout the poem.