Riders to The Sea and The Playboy of the Western World in a way are two opposite poles of Syng's literary work, as the first one represents him as a great patriot and the other as a cruel realistic satirist of the very nation he himself originates from. Riders to the Sea is a short poetic play that depicts the perennial failure of those who work with and on the sea. The play is a mere moment in the lives of few characters, but it holds within it the meaning of what they and the millions like them have done and suffered. The play reflects reality in which people have to struggle for a living, but unlike most of his work this play is not concerned with social, political or nationalistic issues, it cuts behind the surface engaging its characters in the most elemental kind of struggle- that for existence. Thanks to the realistic, highly descriptive and plausible language Sing uses to tell his story, after the very first lines reader in his mind gets the picture of the cruel, wild and rough terrain. Syng uses that kind of language to describe the conflict between human beings and nat...
Seafarer” is a monologue from an old man at sea, alone. The main theme in The Seafarer is
“The Convergence of the Twain” is a nonlinear retelling of the Titanic disaster of 1912; however, on a deeper level, the poem explores hubris, downfall, and how fate connects hubris to downfall. Through tone, diction and juxtaposition, the speaker describes the sinking of the Titanic as inevitable and necessary. The juxtaposition of the Titanic and the environment in the first five stanzas symbolizes the opposition between man and nature, suggesting that nature overcomes man. The speaker characterizes the sea as being “deep from human vanity” (2) and deep from the “Pride of Life that planned” the Titanic. The diction of “human vanity” (2) suggests that the sea is incorruptible by men, and then the speaker’s juxtaposition of vanity with “the Pride of Life” (3), an allusion to humanity, further implies a connection between the two.
...He is still anchored to his past and transmits the message that one makes their own choices and should be satisfied with their lives. Moreover, the story shows that one should not be extremely rigid and refuse to change their beliefs and that people should be willing to adapt to new customs in order to prevent isolation. Lastly, reader is able to understand that sacrifice is an important part of life and that nothing can be achieved without it. Boats are often used as symbols to represent a journey through life, and like a captain of a boat which is setting sail, the narrator feels that his journey is only just beginning and realizes that everyone is in charge of their own life. Despite the wind that can sometimes blow feverishly and the waves that may slow the journey, the boat should not change its course and is ultimately responsible for completing its voyage.
Alistair Macleod’s “The Boat” is a tale of sacrifice, and of silent struggle. A parent’s sacrifice not only of their hopes and dreams, but of their life. The struggle of a marriage which sees two polar opposites raising a family during an era of reimagining. A husband embodying change and hope, while making great sacrifice; a wife gripped in fear of the unknown and battling with the idea of losing everything she has ever had. The passage cited above strongly presents these themes through its content
toadstools”. Moore captures the of duality in the sea’s nature through the use of rhyme, syntax, and syllabic verse.
At this point the men are questioning, why if they are going to die, they have made it this far. This is one of the symbols of the men viewing nature as thoughtlessly hostile because they have been allowed to struggle this long for survival and at any given moment nature could take their life. The men are beginning to think that they might survive because they have sight of land, but still have a fear of dying because the sea is still rough making survival
The first word of the play tells the audience where it is set. The Master calls out ‘Boatswain’ and so the audience knows the play opens on board a ship. The Master then lets the audience know that the ship is in a storm. He orders ‘fall to it or we run ourselves aground’, so we know that the ship's crew are hard at work trying to sto...
Tales of journeys appear repeatedly throughout the expanse of literature; these sagas include the stories of Gilgamesh, King Arthur, and, more recently, The Lord of the Rings. Derek Walcott’s poem “The Schooner Flight” initially seems out of place amongst these surging legends of heroics and danger, yet through closer examination the poem flourishes as a postmodern retelling then deconstruction of the age-old heroic journey. The poem is a celebration of Greek mythology, a disruptive force against established binaries, and a question of what constitutes identity. The construction of the poem represents a contradiction, as it is a Homeric pastiche yet it defies the very nature of the customary heroic journey. However, this contradiction is in fact imperative to the understanding of identity within “The Schooner Flight”. Derek Walcott’s poem embodies postmodern techniques by composing a transient narrative that constructs a homage to the epic journey then simultaneously ruptures it to reveal disruption of the grand narrative and of the composition of identity.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” details the story of a cursed mariner, framed in a conversation with a man on his way to a wedding. Rising from Coleridge’s own experience, he ties in various themes exposing the reader to death, consequences of actions, and an interest in the unknown. Coleridge shows his audience the consequences of actions by creating a clear connection between the physical and spiritual world, hoping to show people the importance of preserving and respecting the God given world.
First on the path to Jim’s downfall is his everlasting desire to be a hero. From the time Jim was sent to a sea school, he knew the only place for him was the water. Because of his love for the sea, he very easily is able to progress through the ranks until he becomes a very high ranking officer on an important boat. Being raised on the sea, Jim hears many the story of seamen becoming heroes and d...
Have you ever thought that it is not the dreams you possess that form your path in life, but the influence of the people with whom you surround yourself? The author of “The Boat” composed a theme to the story to relay the message that you should not let the opinions of others have a controlling influence on your decisions in life. There are many narrative techniques that this author used to communicate the theme of this story. Three of these specific and effective techniques are: narration in first person; past and present tense narration; and repetitive narration. Each of these techniques contributes to the effective communication of the theme.
The story’s theme is related to the reader by the use of color imagery, cynicism, human brotherhood, and the terrible beauty and savagery of nature. The symbols used to impart this theme to the reader and range from the obvious to the subtle. The obvious symbols include the time from the sinking to arrival on shore as a voyage of self-discovery, the four survivors in the dinghy as a microcosm of society, the shark as nature’s random destroyer of life, the sky personified as mysterious and unfathomable and the sea as mundane and easily comprehended by humans. The more subtle symbols include the cigars as representative of the crew and survivors, the oiler as the required sacrifice to nature’s indifference, and the dying legionnaire as an example of how to face death for the correspondent.
For the rioters, Coco the parrot, and Antoinette, fire offers an instrument of escape from and rebellion against the oppressive actions of their respective captors. Wide Sargasso Sea takes place shortly after the emancipation of Jamaican slaves. Annette's husbands, first Alexander Cosway and then Mr. Mason, have both profited immorally off of the exploitation of black Jamaicans. Unsurprisingly, the former slaves feel great hatred towards the Cosways--- hatred that boils over when the ex-slaves set fire to Annette's house (35). The significance of th...
In this excerpt from The Sound of Waves, Yukio Mishima’s use of descriptive diction and imagery depicts the tumultuous island during the storm and helps the reader visualize the milieu and events of the passage. The reader feels an understated, ironic excitement and anticipation that is established in this passage because of the author’s diction. This simple but illustrative passage from The Sound of Waves altogether creates an enhanced experience and familiarity with the backdrop and atmosphere of the passage.
As we venture out on our journeys, obstacles can often shape the motives for our journeys and the paths we may choose to travel on. This is clearly demonstrated in skrzenchis “Crossing the Red Sea” as he traces a physical as well as a shared emotional journey in which the migrants sail through the Red sea, as they escape from war torn Europe. The image “from behind sunken eyes” suggests the past sufferings and misery that the migrants have encountered during WWII. Also the exhaustion they feel after such a long and tiresome journey. The migrants are metaphorically described as “Neither masters nor slaves” emphasising that although they have escaped, their journey is full of uncertainty, and they do not have complete control of their destiny. Through describing the harshness and brutality of the physical journey, we also see the emotional impact and ...