In the poem "Ask me no more", by Lord Tennyson, the theme is related to how difficult is to express feelings, that is not necessary to express it in words, there are lots of other ways to do it. Within the poem, we can realize that there's someone is asking him to tell them that he likes them, but it's to difficult for him, replying that as he can't explain natural phenomena, he can't explain what he feels. In the first stanza, he asks the inquirer not to insist, he just can't or won't give a reply, giving comparisons to natural phenomena, such as the moon's gravity. In the second stanza, his evasion towards the question is still seen, but he gives us evidence of his feeling towards the person, saying that he doesn't want to see that person dead, and sort of giving a half answer. Finally, at the third stanza, he is just reflecting in their fates, since he says that both are going to die, but he can't do anything to stop it, so as he can't express his affection towards that person. This is taken by him as a failure.
In each of this stanzas, made up of 5 verses each,we see a rhyme pattern, being the first rhyming with the fourth, and the second with the third. There are lots of repetitions used ("Ask Me No More") used at the beggining and ending of each stanza, and the first one always followed by a question. This structure is used by the poet to sort of emphasize the fact that he won't answer to that someone, so the inquirer should stop asking. In terms of tone, we see a pissed off person, obviously by a persistent person that's constantly bothering him with questions related to his feeling. Because of that annoying person, he's getting to the point of exhaustion, wanting to get rid of her.
In this poem, imageries are easy to spot, and there are lots of helpful guides within it. If we take the first three verses of the first stanza, we see descriptions of many natural phenomena:
"the moon may draw the sea;
The cloud may stoop from heaven and take the shape,
With fold to fold, of mountain or of cape"
Of those phenomena, little was known at those times. The fact that the reason behind those phenomena was unknown to man during those times, is used by the poet to ilustrate his situation, since he's got feelings towards that person, but since he can't explain them, they should remain a mystery.
The Kraken
In This poem, Tennyson plays with the idea of the sea monster of the same name, as a representation of fear towards death, just as much as death itself. In the poem, the monster inhabits the dark depths of the sea, and when it's enlightened, it dies. It might be a reference of "the light at the end of the tunnel", a common phrase to express death. When someone sees that "light", they realize that they're dying, so they shouldn't be afraid of death anymore, so the Kraken dies, meaning that those fears fade away. In the poem, the beast lays dormant most of the time. This might be a reference to the first stages of life, childhood and else. During those times, people doesn't realize the significance of death, so they don't fear it. As they grow, they get to know it, and that's when the beast awakens.
This poem is made up only of one stanza, which consists of 15 verses, has got different kind of rhyming throughout it. The rhyming pattern separates in three parts. The first part, which comprises the first four verses, has got an alternate pattern. In the second one, from verse five to eight, the fifth one rhymes with the eighth, and the sixth with the seventh. Part three includes verses 9 to 15, which separates in three rhymes, 9-11-15, 10-14 and 12-13.
The tone of this poem is of mystery and darkness, sort of an atmosphere that engulfs the whole poem, in order to represent the fear of death presented in this poem. For the reader to get this atmosphere, the poet uses lots of adjectives related to the depths of the ocean ("abysmal deep" and else), which are the darkest places of the earth, and are also absolutely unknown to mankind.
In terms of imagery, the poet uses the image of the kraken and it's habitat, in order to show us that the fear that everything has towards death lives within the darkest place of our minds. In the poem, the kraken represents, as a metaphor, that fear that we feel towards death, a fear that only disappears at our demise. Also, the poet describes the sponges at the creature's "home":
"Huge sponges of millennial growth and height;
And far away into the sickly light,"
This is used to show us how old the kraken (Fear) is, and how deep he rests, by saying that where he is, millenial sponges grow, so he lives as deep as the seas would get, since the sponges, for them to be that old, had to be at the oldest pieces of land of the sea, which are now really deep into the ocean. Also, by refering to a sickly light, we can realize how deep it is, since it is shown that where light barely penetrates into the sea, is actually a lot closer that where the kraken lives.
Flower in the Crannied Wall
In this poem, we can see how Tennyson reflects upon the industrialization his country is passing through, by showing the struggle between nature and the industrial man. We see that in the poem, he sees a flower, struggling to survive in a crannied wall. In the poem, he plucks it out, literally killing it. As he sees the flower's life fading away, he realizes how powerful man is, because they can extinguish life that easily, As he gets this idea, he simultaneously realizes the power God has got over mankind, and over every little creature. This whole analysis can be evidenced at the only stanza it's got.
This poem, made of six verses, has a rhyming pattern of 1-5, 3-4, but shows rhyming as unimportant, keeping the poem as simple as possible. This poem's tone is of it being a mere reflection of mankind's effort to destroy nature (possibly Tennyson's thoughts of the industrialization of the UK at his times.):
"Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand, "
This here shows a flower, an image of life and nature, and how it struggles to live in an artificial, man-created place, a wall, and how man kills it,sort of showing man's responsabilyty and power over the subject, as he holds it in his hand seeing how it dies, and reflecting on why did he plucked it out, why did he killed it, and of the power he's got to take something elses life with ease. This is one of the images that also shows us the tone of the poem.
Along with the recently shown, there's another imagery presented in the poem, of how he reflects upon how little we understand about nature, And a self reflection of the relationship between the two and with God:
"Little flower—but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, all in all,
I should know what God and man is."
When I have crost the bar."
Duet
This poem's theme is related to love, especially of how love comes from within. It's basically a Q&A, between two subjects, obviously the reason why this poem is called a Duet. These two subjects could be two parts of a whole, of only one person, meaning an inner battle, or a monologue based on what he feels.
In the first question, he asks about what he's hearing, thinking that it is a whispering wind coming from the pines, but the counterpart says that it's actually a voice coming from the deep. This could mean that he is reflecting about a feeling that he doesn't recognize yet, and is confused about what it really is. It could be love, he's not aware of it yet. This situation could be related to a new encounter with this feeling, because he's showing his lack of good experiences, since he doesn't know for sure how love feels, maybe because in his past he might have felt it but it came to be nothing. Then, part one asks if that voice is with another voice of the deep, a voice that he once heard accompanied with a song, both coming colourfull and filled with joy.The counterpart replies that it is love coming from the deep, so is the sun, and both of them coming up together. This might mean that love, as the sun, can light a man's life, in different ways, and both of them have to eventually rise, being represented as the sunrise of but love and obviously the sun. After the reply, part one asks if this is a love that can shape life, or shatter it to the point of demise, and the counterpart answers back saying that is a love that can bring the dead back to life, and that they should welcome him. This means that is a strong, pure love, and that he shouldn't be afraid to embrace it, since it wont hurt him. To continue, we see part one's uncertainty to let this love approach, and that it should be left aside and away from him. The counterpart disagrees to this, telling part one to relax, embrace that love and let it reign over his whole. At the end, we realize that these are parts of a same person. They are fighting about a decision on a new love, so one, the more shy and thoughtful, questions about this new love, and when he knows how it is, he shows himself reluctant to accept it, possibly because this person may have suffered heartbreaks by similar loves. On the other hand, the counterpart is more in favor of accepting this love, probably being this the most naive and emotional part of the person.
This is a poem made of one stanza and 20 verses. Theres one repetition of a couple of verses (verses 9 & 10 - verses 19 & 20 [would eventually be counted as rhyming]) The tone is of self debate, since he is having second thoughts about a new love, but one part of his inner self is telling him to go forwards, but at the same time, another part is asking why, sort of having both parts of himself struggling to make a decision:
"1. Keep him away from the lone little isle.
Let us be, let us be.
2. Nay, let him make it his own, let him
reign in it - he, it is he,
Love that is born of the deep coming
up with the sun from the sea."
I should know what God and man is."
In these three verses, the poet thinks that if we get to know nature a little bit and actually understand it's importance in the world, we would finally understand the relationship it has with us, and the true meaning of our existence and of God's intentions with mankind.
Crossing The Bar
In this poem, the main theme is the journey from life to death, being the bar a symbol representing the barrier that separates the two. When he "sets out to sea", being the sea the said journey, being dragged towards the bar by the tide, dragged towards the "boundless deep" a deep that could reference the non-existence, because he says that it would become his home once again. Then, he realizes that this journey is one way only, there's no way back, and asks that there would be no sadness or a mere farewell. At the end, he hopes to meet his maker, face to face, to finally rest in peace.
In the first stanza, there's a figure at the beginning. Sunset could mean that he's approaching the end of his days. He then hears death's calling, so he sets out to sea, embarking into the journey to his final rest. This could be a reference of the greek myth of Charon, because he took people to Hades in his boat. In the second stanza, he states that the tide is dragging him forward, forcefully and aggressively, evidencing it in the sound and foam. He is dragged towards a "boundless deep", meaning the non-existence, materially speaking, or it could also mean oblivion, since he is going there again. In the next stanza he evidences the end of his life by comparing it to the night and day, meaning that he is reaching the "night of his life", and refering to death again by portraying it as the dark, and meaning that there's nothing further on ("and after that the Dark!"). He also pleads for no sadness at his passing, when he embarks to his final journey. Finally, he states that when he has passed into the afterlife, or the dark, he will meet his maker, showed as a Pilot, and says farewell to his existence and to the world.
The poem is made of four stanzas of four verses each. In every stanza, there's an alternate rhyming pattern. In terms of tone, it is like some sort of story-telling and self reflection of dying:
"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,"
In this poem, the main theme is the journey from life to death, being the bar a symbol representing the barrier that separates the two. When he "sets out to sea", being the sea the said journey, being dragged towards the bar by the tide, dragged towards the "boundless deep" a deep that could reference the non-existence, because he says that it would become his home once again. Then, he realizes that this journey is one way only, there's no way back, and asks that there would be no sadness or a mere farewell. At the end, he hopes to meet his maker, face to face, to finally rest in peace.
In the first stanza, there's a figure at the beginning. Sunset could mean that he's approaching the end of his days. He then hears death's calling, so he sets out to sea, embarking into the journey to his final rest. This could be a reference of the greek myth of Charon, because he took people to Hades in his boat. In the second stanza, he states that the tide is dragging him forward, forcefully and aggressively, evidencing it in the sound and foam. He is dragged towards a "boundless deep", meaning the non-existence, materially speaking, or it could also mean oblivion, since he is going there again. In the next stanza he evidences the end of his life by comparing it to the night and day, meaning that he is reaching the "night of his life", and refering to death again by portraying it as the dark, and meaning that there's nothing further on ("and after that the Dark!"). He also pleads for no sadness at his passing, when he embarks to his final journey. Finally, he states that when he has passed into the afterlife, or the dark, he will meet his maker, showed as a Pilot, and says farewell to his existence and to the world.
The poem is made of four stanzas of four verses each. In every stanza, there's an alternate rhyming pattern. In terms of tone, it is like some sort of story-telling and self reflection of dying:
"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,"
Here we see the poem's rhyming and the tone, since through this stanza he refers to death calling on the evening of hid life, sort of the end of his life, and the journey towards death, that could be agonizing.
Among other imageries in the poem, we see at the end and imagery of an encounter of the poet with God (the Pilot):
"I hope to see my Pilot face to faceWhen I have crost the bar."
This is a sort of reference of him rising to the Heavens when he as crost the bar, being the bar a metaphor of the line between life and death.
Duet
This poem's theme is related to love, especially of how love comes from within. It's basically a Q&A, between two subjects, obviously the reason why this poem is called a Duet. These two subjects could be two parts of a whole, of only one person, meaning an inner battle, or a monologue based on what he feels.
In the first question, he asks about what he's hearing, thinking that it is a whispering wind coming from the pines, but the counterpart says that it's actually a voice coming from the deep. This could mean that he is reflecting about a feeling that he doesn't recognize yet, and is confused about what it really is. It could be love, he's not aware of it yet. This situation could be related to a new encounter with this feeling, because he's showing his lack of good experiences, since he doesn't know for sure how love feels, maybe because in his past he might have felt it but it came to be nothing. Then, part one asks if that voice is with another voice of the deep, a voice that he once heard accompanied with a song, both coming colourfull and filled with joy.The counterpart replies that it is love coming from the deep, so is the sun, and both of them coming up together. This might mean that love, as the sun, can light a man's life, in different ways, and both of them have to eventually rise, being represented as the sunrise of but love and obviously the sun. After the reply, part one asks if this is a love that can shape life, or shatter it to the point of demise, and the counterpart answers back saying that is a love that can bring the dead back to life, and that they should welcome him. This means that is a strong, pure love, and that he shouldn't be afraid to embrace it, since it wont hurt him. To continue, we see part one's uncertainty to let this love approach, and that it should be left aside and away from him. The counterpart disagrees to this, telling part one to relax, embrace that love and let it reign over his whole. At the end, we realize that these are parts of a same person. They are fighting about a decision on a new love, so one, the more shy and thoughtful, questions about this new love, and when he knows how it is, he shows himself reluctant to accept it, possibly because this person may have suffered heartbreaks by similar loves. On the other hand, the counterpart is more in favor of accepting this love, probably being this the most naive and emotional part of the person.
This is a poem made of one stanza and 20 verses. Theres one repetition of a couple of verses (verses 9 & 10 - verses 19 & 20 [would eventually be counted as rhyming]) The tone is of self debate, since he is having second thoughts about a new love, but one part of his inner self is telling him to go forwards, but at the same time, another part is asking why, sort of having both parts of himself struggling to make a decision:
"1. Keep him away from the lone little isle.
Let us be, let us be.
2. Nay, let him make it his own, let him
reign in it - he, it is he,
Love that is born of the deep coming
up with the sun from the sea."
Here we see the struggle between the two parts, therefore, the tone of the poem.
In terms of imagery, we see how he refers to that feeling as wind, voices and else, coming from far away to please that person (wind from the pines overhead, voice of the deep), probably meaning that love is not created by ourselves, that it transcends our existence by being, not from us but from what surrounds us. It also refers to the warmth and light that comes with love, relating it with the sun:
"2. Love that is born of the deep coming
up with the sun from the sea."
This means that love is a source, that brightens man's life and fills it with an uncommon warmth, metaphorically speaking, and by comparing it with the sun, the literal way.
In Memoriam 3
This poem's theme is Sorrow, personified in it and referred as her throughout it. In the poem, it is shown the connection of Sorrow with death, being her as one of Death's priestesses, and a bittersweet experience, part of the grief process one faces at a given time in life. She's found whispering something that , at first, he can't hear. He gets closer and realizes she's talking about the sky and the stars, and how, if linked together, can form a web. Then he listens on how she refers to nature, a phantom, hollow and empty-handed. Finally he reflects on what to do with her, to embrace her as something good and natural to him, or crush her and remove her of his mind, like an vicious infection or poison.
The poem is made of 4 stanzas of four verses, each of those stanzas carry the same rhyming pattern, 1-4, 2-3. It's tone is mainly of despair, since he doesn't know what to do with her, to take her in, or to pluck her out of his thoughts. In terms of imagery we see how the poet imagines Sorrow to be like:
"O Sorrow, cruel fellowship,
In Memoriam 3
This poem's theme is Sorrow, personified in it and referred as her throughout it. In the poem, it is shown the connection of Sorrow with death, being her as one of Death's priestesses, and a bittersweet experience, part of the grief process one faces at a given time in life. She's found whispering something that , at first, he can't hear. He gets closer and realizes she's talking about the sky and the stars, and how, if linked together, can form a web. Then he listens on how she refers to nature, a phantom, hollow and empty-handed. Finally he reflects on what to do with her, to embrace her as something good and natural to him, or crush her and remove her of his mind, like an vicious infection or poison.
The poem is made of 4 stanzas of four verses, each of those stanzas carry the same rhyming pattern, 1-4, 2-3. It's tone is mainly of despair, since he doesn't know what to do with her, to take her in, or to pluck her out of his thoughts. In terms of imagery we see how the poet imagines Sorrow to be like:
"O Sorrow, cruel fellowship,
O Priestess in the vaults of Death,
O sweet and bitter in a breath,
What whispers from thy lying lip?"
O sweet and bitter in a breath,
What whispers from thy lying lip?"
Within these verses, he portrays Sorrow as part of his deepest memories, maybe because is closely related to sad events like funerals and else, that's why he says that she is a "Priestess in the vaults of Death". He also says that Sorrow is sweet and bitter at the same time, maybe meaning that as much as it is a sad feeling, it actually help us realize the value of our losses, the sweetest that life can get is through sorrow, since it heightens positive feelings in a way we get to actually enjoy them.
