The Seafarer's Internal Conflict

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One of the greatest conflicts that every human must face is a conflict within his or her self. These sorts of internal conflicts are created and fought within our minds. The Seafarer, one of the oldest surviving Old English poems, depicts a man, who, despite being wise, is still desperate to find meaning to his existence. He is in exile, and because of this, his mind is in a state of desolation. He has conflicts within his own psyche seemingly questioning his very existence. He is desperate to find meaning in his life, which is full of despair and sorrow. His psychological state of mind develops from a state of desolation and exile, to realization of his Being, to finally finding a new meaning in his life through his manifestation and interaction with faith. Through these psychological phases, a “new man” seemingly arises from the abyss.

Initially, the Seafarer is reminiscent of a man who is full of despair. His words are full of sorrow and desolation. He tells of his suffrage and pain when he elucidates: “My feet were cast/ In icy bounds… Hardship groaned/ Around my heart” (Raffel 17). The narrator conjures images of negative connotation with cold, anxiety, depression, stormy seas, and gloomy weather. These are metaphors for the sort of imprisonment that must be felt by the speaker. The speaker is one of the exiled. This isolation causes him to lose his faith; he tries to find meaning to his existence. It can be inferred that the speaker no longer feels a connection with the human race. He feels lost. The sort of anguish that the speaker must be experiencing is expressed in the first few lines. The speaker elucidates that these feelings of negativity not only exist in his mind, but also affect his physical being. The speaker’s...

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...person’s will, and that one must accept the two, in order to know their purpose. The speaker imagines his place in heaven. The poem ends with praise to God from the speaker, as well as talk about love, and emotional attachment.

Hence, when examining the one of the oldest English poems, The Seafarer, it is necessary to address the critical roles that society, as well as personal belief, play in the psychological development of one self. Ones manifestation of his surroundings, as well as his thoughts, can determine his emotional psyche. The Seafarer, initially feeling barren, and lost, slowly comes to accept his Fate that he asserts God blessed him with, and becomes very happy with the acceptance that he does, in fact, have a meaning in life. With this new meaning that the Seafarer accepts, his character is transformed into that of a different psychological mindset.

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