|
| ||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||
-The Lotos-Eaters By Tennyson
-"The Lotos-Eaters" By Tennyson Word Count: 1456 I. Introduction For many years, Tennyson has attracted readers by what Edmond Gosse called "the beauty of the atmosphere which Tennyson contrives to cast around his work, molding it in the blue mystery of twilight, in the opaline haze of sunset." He is one of the greatest representative figures of the Victorian Age. His writing incorporates many poetic styles and includes some of the finest idyllic poetry in the language. He is one of the few poets to have produced acknowledged masterpieces in so many different poetic genres; he implemented perhaps the most distinguished and versatile of all the written works in the English language. The first time I read “The Lotus-Eaters”1, I have to admit that I had a hearty dislike for it. Having read The Odyssey in Literature class last year, this seemed like its replica. It occurred to me that Tennyson was plagiarizing Homer. But when I reread the poem with greater depth, I noticed its poetic techniques, imagery, symbols, etc. It was really exceptional actually, although the meter didn’t remain uniform. But when you thoroughly understand it, you see how it pertains and is true to life. This being the first time I had ever come about a work by Tennyson. I didn’t know anything about his life. The idea that manifested me was that when writing this poem, Tennyson was depressed and cynical. Sort of like Hamlet2 in the “To be or not to be” soliloquy. In one point in the poem, he says, “Death is the end of the world...life all labor be?” I think he meant that life is hard to live; there are so many obstacles, so many wrong turns, and you can never go back and change anything. II. Analysis of Poem A. Summary The poem is about the journey of Odysseus to the Land of the Lotus Eaters. Here they encounter a race of creatures known as the Lotophagi (lotus eaters). They[Lotophagi] spend their days in a “daze”, literally. This was the effect of the lotus flower. It was a primitive version of narcotics. The Lotophagi offered the plant to Odysseus and his crew members. Some of the clique ate it. And then, they too, experienced a state of euphoria. Under these circumstances, they start speaking of staying over here[land of Lotos Eaters], and only dream about home. They forget their wives and children; only dream about them. Subsequently, the entire crew ate the lotos plant. Tennyson describes euphoria as “Falling asleep in a half-dream”. They hallucinate about their wives and homes. It has been a considerable amount of time since they have had left Ithaca3. They ponder about what has changed. At the end, he[Odysseus] concluded “We will not wander more”, meaning that they will just stay put. B. Style The first five stanzas are narrative. They are in the Spenserian stanza form, which is associated with tales of adventure and action. The opening word of Odysseus to his men is courage, an ironic command because the rest of the poem shows their courage ebbing away. Arriving on the shore of this beautiful and dreamy land, the mariners disembark amidst a crowd of the inhabitants, who offer them the fruits of the lotos tree. As soon as they taste the fruit the men feel weary. No longer eager to return home to Ithaca, they are content to rest where they are. The rest of the poem, from line 46, is the song (choric song) sung by the mariners. In it they express the beauty of lotus-land and their own heavy and melancholy sense of fatigue. In the fourth stanza of the song, the repeated phrase "Let us alone" captures their feelings. The lines of the song are irregular in length but repetitious in phrasing, giving a lazy and stupor feeling, as if they are in a state of torpor. The stanzas gradually become longer toward the end of the poem, hinting their confusion and ominous feelings. The last stanza has twenty-eight lines. In it the mariners suggest that they will lie about like the gods on Oly...This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Electronic References. Please register below now! Get This Full Article After Registration
|
 Home | Register | Login | Logout | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Help | FAQ | Contact Us | Cancel Subscription Copyright 1998-2007 Electronic References. Electronic References is designed only to assist students and researchers in the preparation of their own work. Anybody who use our services are responsible not only for writing their own papers, but also for citing Electronic References as a source when doing so. By accessing and using this page you agree to the Disclaimer. |
