Tennyson’s poem
addresses a man who has traveled the world and accumulated such a mass of
experiences that there remains little for him to do on this Earth. He writes that Odysseus is, “a part of all
that [he has] met,” meaning that his greatness rests in the diversity he has come
into contact with. From his duties as
king of Ithaca to his success in the Trojan War to his great journey home,
Odysseus is surely made of a great many pieces.
Tennyson describes the journey of life as an arch: “Yet all experience
is an arch wherethro’ / Gleams that untravell’d world whose margin fades / For
eve and forever when I move.” Describing
life’s journey as an arch places importance in continuously traveling and
taking in new experiences. Previously Odysseus
was able to travel continuously through the arch of life, but as his experience
accumulates his ability to pass through wanes, and the arch becomes a wall that
blocks the purpose of his life.
Many view Odysseus as a hero for
the great number of miles he has put on his car of life, but Odysseus sees this
pessimistically. He would much rather start
fresh and new than, “to make an end / To rust unburnish’d.” Odysseus begins to lose purpose in his life as
it comes to a close, and as that wanes the will to live does too. As his purpose fades, he begins to blend into
nature, as a body decays in the ground where it is buried. He relates himself to nature several times at
the end of the poem, “thunder and the sunshine…you and I are old,” and, “Moved
earth and heaven, that which we are, we are.”
It comes time for Odysseus to end his life in this world and move onto
the afterlife. Only here can he continue
his quest: “Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will / To strive, to
seek, to find, and not to yield.”
Hi Spencer! I really liked your observation about the references to nature in the poem; it was very cool how you connected the references to Odysseus' movement into the next part of his life. I also enjoyed the part about the arches becoming constricting after all of his experiences. I see a lot of good ideas, but I'm not sure what the main claim is that ties all the observations together.
ReplyDeleteI really like your observation on Odysseus and how he views his heroism pessimistically. I definitely didn't notice that he might just be yearning for a newer self instead of being a whiny middle-aged man. And I love your references to nature. It reminds me of how sometimes nostalgic my grandparents and parents get.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely saw a resoluteness in Ulysses' words that I had not thought of. It's interesting to think that he might need action in his life so badly that when he is deprived of it, he no longer has the will to live. I had read the poem as more of a complaint about the limbo that his life has become. Additionally, I saw the end of the poem as regretful acceptance of what his life has become. However, when I pay attention to the language that he uses in reference to nature, I can see the point that you are making.
ReplyDeleteYou're clearly right that the poem reflects Odysseus' great experiences, but I have to disagree with the pessimism that you see in the poem. You quoted several examples, but I see the poem as an admonition to push forward, or fight on, if you will, for those that have not died. In a sense, this seems to be the brightest optimism, that we can continue to strive, seek, and find beyond this life.
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