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The characters of Ulysses By Tennyson
Tennyson's Ulysses essay
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Many of us have studied in our dreaded English classes the classic tale of Odysseus, or Ulysses. Ulysses is the Latin name of Odysseus, and it is this Latin form that Lord Tennyson uses in his poem Ulysses. However, when this poem was written, England was losing hope. At that time the country of England was already older than Rome, so they were basically sitting there waiting for their time to come, well, until this poem made an appearance. After this poem surfaced, it brought upon a new light to England and gave them hope again. Yet, how did this poem do such a thing? Well, this poem is about Ulysses many years later after he returned from his epic journey as mentioned, “This dramatic monologue imagines Ulysses as an old man, years after he had returned home from the Trojan War. He desires to restore his youthful vitality and heroic temperament.” (Markert, Lawrence Wayne). He is expressing how he feels about his life and how he feels about his age. He even talks about his son and wife in certain fractions of the poem. First, he calls his wife old, and -he talks about handing his kingdom off to his son. However there are many of his personal views on life that are revealed in this poem that really opened England’s eyes. Ulysses from Lord Tennyson’s poem Ulysses, three main things are revealed: his purpose, his feelings about aging, and his attitude towards life.
To start, Ulysses purpose is brought to the surface towards the end of Lord Tennyson’s Ulysses. He confesses his main purpose in just three lines, “For my purpose holds / to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths / Of all the western stars, until I die.” (Pgs. 972-973, lines 59-61). For clarification, he wants to get in a boat and sail across the ocean because he loved ...
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...ense of guilt or transgression remained important in his more mature works.” (Riede, G, David).The overall poem covers how he really feels about life and that it shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Works Cited
Dirda, Michael.. "'Tennyson: To Strive, To Seek, To Find,' by John Batchelor (Posted 2013-12-26 16:47:58)." Washington Post. 26 Dec. 2013 eLibrary. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Kellman, G, Steven.. "Second Wind." Southwest Review 3(2008):412. eLibrary. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Manley, Will. "The Manley Arts." Booklist. 01 Mar. 2004: 1114. eLibrary. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Markert, Lawrence Wayne. "Biography rescues poet from legend." Roanoke Times & World News. 12 Jan. 2014: 6. eLibrary. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Riede, G, David.. "Tennyson's poetics of melancholy and the imperial imagination." Studies in English Literature, 1500 - 1900 4(2000):659. eLibrary. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
To him, there is more to our lives. “He is reacting to the river; in that reaction he discovers someone important to himself; and now he’s fashioning the structure of the piece so it is even clearer to himself and to his reader” (Cool Plums). He knows the mistakes that he has made, but does not regret any of the decisions he made.
1. Author & Artists volume 25, contemporary author encyclopedia (no author), pages 209-213, Copyright 2004
Tucker, Herbert F. “Maud and the Doom of Culture.” Critical Essays on Alfred Lord Tennyson. Ed. Herbert F. Tucker. New York: G. K. Hall, 1993. 174-194.
One of the greatest honors that a writer can behold is creating such an amazing piece of literature that resounds year after year. It is inherently known that Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey are some of these amazing texts. Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote about The Odyssey in his famous poem Ulysses. Ulysses is Latin for Odysseus, the main character in Homer’s epic poem. In that poem, a man who has fought in the battle of Troy is on his way home, but it isn’t an easy travel. He is faced with many obstacles, and his home is being destroyed. Yet, he makes it back in time to restore order for his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. Beth Gaboury describes this when she writes: “The poem “Ulysses” by Alfred Tennyson is a narrative of the Greek mythology hero Ulysses, also known under the name Odysseus. In this poem, Ulysses is describing his deep urge to go out into the wild unknown and seek out one last adventure-one last hurrah. In a strange twist of irony, it is when Ulysses reaches his goal, finally returning home to his wife and son, that he realizes his true desire.” (Gaboury, 2011) Throughout analyzing Tennyson’s great poem, we can understand that Ulysses’ purpose was to explore all facets of the Earth until he is dead, this concept though contrasts with his previous experiences, but through those experiences he garners a humble attitude.
Before Tennyson became rich and famous, the poet lived in desolation both financially and socially. Tennyson embodied the "Victorian gospel of hard work", as evidenced in the way he "labored patiently, in poverty, w...
Tennyson describes the horror of war with imagistic lines throughout the poem. One example is in line 46, [the soldiers] came thro’ the jaws of Death / Back from the mouth of Hell.” This line depicts the British soldiers entering a battle they couldn’t win. It compares the battlefield to the jaws of death or the mouth of hell. The poem gives us what the soldiers felt during the battle. The poem’s short lines represent quick sounds or movement, similar to gunfire. It mimics the feeling and sound of the battlefield, whereas the article describes the battlefield.
... sea of life which tosses us as we wrestle against it. There we find the thrill and the meaning of our lives as we battle without hope of ever finding a home. For Ulysses, the struggle was the meaning.”
330-337. Tennyson, Alfred, Lord of the Lord. The Lady of Shalott. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed.
A brief but powerful poem written by the great Victorian poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Eagle is an inspiring poetic piece. Tennyson, recognized as the greatest poet in Victorian England, was distinguished as poet laureate in1850. Readers from all over looked to his poems for advice on the major issues effecting their lives. Tennyson began writing poetry when he was ten and published his first book of poetry with the help of his brother, Poems by Two Brothers. In 1830 Tennyson published the first volume of verse to appear under his own name, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical. For twelve years after that Tennyson took a break from writing due to death of a close friend. He returned to poetry and in 1842 published Poems, a two-volume collection. Tennyson was so skillful in molding the English language in rhyme and rhythm that his poetry is as popular today as it was 150 years ago. This can be proven by one of Tennyson’s deepest and most symbolic poems, The Eagle. The poem's facade tells of a great American symbol, an eagle, watching over the sea as the leader of the land. Deeper down the poem tells of getting older and trying to hold to life enjoy the time you have.
To me, Ulysses was a necessary evil, in that I thought that I would not be able to call myself a literature student unless I had read the entire novel. While my journey through Ulysses was laden with moments of bewilderment, exasperation, and self-pity, I was able to power my way through the novel with a deeper appreciation for the way James Joyce was able to create a linear story told through a series of non-linear writing styles. In retrospect, the grueling challenge of reading Ulysses made me a better student, in that I was able to grow as a reader by adjusting myself to Joyce’s train-of-thought writing style, and that I could add Ulysses to my personal canon of academic literature.
'Ulysses' is both a lament and an inspiring poem. Even modern readers who are not so familiar with the classics, can visualize the heroic legend of Ulysses, and so is not prepared for what he finds in the poem— not Ulysses the hero but Ulysses the man.
year in Vienna. It was a heavy blow to Tennyson. He began to write 'Im
Tennyson's poetry has stood the test of time because it successfully paints a time and place and reflects the feelings of the people in it. His ability to capture the feelings of uncertainty and loss that were characteristic of this time period, through his use of descriptions, diction, and pathetic fallacy made his poetry not only pleasing to the ear, but also historically important. He surpassed Wordsworth and other poets of his generation as Poet Laureate because his poems capture the important social issues of the Victorian Age such as the shift in religious belief as a result of science, the confusion surrounding women's roles in society, and the isolation that came as a result of the rapid social and economical changes that occurred.
Odysseus and Ulysses have differences, but also similarities. The man's role in his son's life shifts once Telemachus matures. However, Odysseus and Ulysses portray similar characteristics - their love for their crew and their determination in achieving goals. The man is a born leader; he shows leadership in raising his son, caring for his crew, and ultimately, in taking charge of his life. The poets acclaim men who have direction in life to strive and attain goals.
Ulysses will never sit there waiting for something to come to him, he will live life to the fullest and search for a new opportunity every chance he gets. Every day you have two options when you wake up in the morning. Will you sit in bed and dwell on the previous days occurrences, or will you get out of bed put a fresh pair of clothes on and observe all the possibilities of the day? There should never be a dull moment in your life. Every opportunity you have in your life you should take, because there is a chance that you will never receive that opportunity again. Never have a dull outlook on life each day is a new chance to do something