Alfred, Lord Tennyson: Break, Break, Break. 1842
Definitions
stately(adjective): impressive in size or proportions
crag(noun): a steep rugged rock or cliff
Annotation
During the Victorian period (1837-1901) the novel was the most popular genre in the English middle class community. The novels were filled with humor and urban life drama that entertained people of all classes. In the middle of this era where the novel was so popular, the preeminent poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson was named poet laureate. Tennyson was honored for his artistic excellence as a poet and got his aristocratic title “Lord”. Tennyson became popular because his poems were about common things that everyone experiences at some point in life. Readers often found themselves connected to an episode of their lives with one of Tennyson’s poems. A vivid example of this connection with Tennyson is the old saying, “it’s better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all”, which in reality is part of “In Memoriam A.H.H.” one his poems. This poem was published in 1849-1850, about 17 years after the dead of Arthur Henry Hallam, Tennyson’s best friend. Hallam was 22 years old when he died of a stroke in September of 1933. Hallam was also engaged to Emily, Tennyson’s sister. Tennyson mourned the death of his beloved friend for many years and imprinted his feelings in this poem. Tennyson’s description of his grief in this poem was so real and universal that Queen Victoria was able to find some comfort in it after her husband, Prince Albert died. Another poem that reflected his grief for his friend Arthur is “Break, Break, Break”. This poem was published about 11 years after Arthur’s dead, 1942 but Tennyson had composed it in early 1934.
Explication
The poem Break, Break, Break by Alfred, Lord Tennyson is focused in the inability of a grieving person to show its feelings. Tennyson portraits a scenario in front of the ocean at a beach perhaps, where this grieving character is observing and thinking to himself. This scenario is not a happy or pleasant scenario. Tennyson describes a dark, cold and probably lonely beach. The character in this poem is very well aware of everything surrounding him. The character’s mind and heart seem not to be affected by these surroundings since his mind is somewhere else, where his loved one left him. He analyses the events around him, he tries to join them in any way, but realizes nothing can take his mind and heart out of the sad memory of the lost loved one.
Tennyson starts his poem with sadness as he says:”On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!” the color of the stones brings up an image of a cloudy day and a cold breeze, a sad day. This is where Tennyson aims the grief of his character and continues to describe this grief as he lets us know of the inability of expression. When he says ”And I would that my tongue could utter, the thoughts that arise in me” he implies that he is not speaking but is his mouth that wants to say what he thinks. Then Tennyson points out that time do not stop, as the waves in the ocean keep breaking the stones at shore while the grief does not stop. The grief inside Tennyson was so big that he saw the world around him as cruel for continuing its journey without his beloved friend. Tennyson felt trapped in time, in the time where his beloved friend was still alive. He is not being able to say a word, not able to express the increasing grief.
Tennyson goes on to show the activity of the surroundings of this character, and how these do not change his estate of mind. This character is constricted to the memory of the lost loved one to the point where he envies the happiness of others. This stanza brings up the envy trapped inside these feelings. When Tennyson mentions the happiness of the fisherman’s kids and the sailor, he implies that not even this happiness is passed on; it only brings memories of the lost loved one and again, the inability to show his feelings.
The third stanza is more direct in showings us that this character is grieving. The character is aware of the surrounding but yet his mind is focused in the memory of the lost loved one. The character notices the ships in the sea and a hill in the horizon, but his heart is still focused in his wish to touch and hear the lost loved one again. Also, this character is aware that time won’t stop, that life goes on and that everything will keep working the way it is meant to, but his grief will not stop. This character only has one wish, it is to touch and hear the voice of the one he lost. Tennyson on his last paragraph lets us know that his character, understands that life goes on, and that he will never be able to get rid of his grief. The character understands that the only thing he has, is the good memories.
Work Cited
- Cummings Study Guides. Michael J. Cummings. 2007www.cummingsstudyguides.net /Guides4/Tennyson.html
- Meyer, Michael. Poetry : an introduction 6th Ed. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin’s,2010. Print.
Poetry @ Suite 101. Linda Sue Grimes. Feb 1, 2007
- Shmoop, 2012 www.shmoop.com/break-break-break/
- Squidoo,2012 http://www.squidoo.com/tennyson
