The Seafarer Group at eNotes

Looking for some quotes on how the themes lonlieness/alienation...

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 08:55:22 PST

Looking for some quotes on how the themes lonlieness/alienation or exile are conveyed using imagery and symbols?

It is telling the audience about the poet's numerous sufferings and...

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:18:25 PST

It is telling the audience about the poet's numerous sufferings and difficulties, pain and sadness that had engulfed his entire life during his arduous experiences in the ill-fated trips at ships and ports and his journey out at sea, battering dangerous elements and enduring harsh conditions. The poet begs the audience to understand his honest and about his personal self-experience that he had come and how it revolutionized his entire life.

What does the speaker of the seafarer value in his life and in the next?

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:56:17 PST

What does the speaker of the seafarer value in his life and in the next?

"Seaking foreigners' hmoes is an amelioration for what the Anglo-Saxons...

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:33:41 PST

"Seaking foreigners' hmoes is an amelioration for what the Anglo-Saxons actually did. What was it?

Remember that in this poem, the author was hanging in the balance...

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:39:15 PST

Remember that in this poem, the author was hanging in the balance between paganism (and the belief in Fate) and Christianity (where Fate doesn't exist, only the master plan of God). The speaker of the poem is saying that Fate is stronger than any man's mind since he could have chosen the pleasurable and easy life on land, but went with his deepest desires instead. He returns to the sea, where he will most likely be hungry, cold, and...

Fate is simply whatever happens, and what happens is determined by many...

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:26:53 PST

Fate is simply whatever happens, and what happens is determined by many things including chance and mind. So fate is some thing passive that just reacts to other forces acting on it. While mind is one of the forces acting on the fate, IN this way I believe mind to be much stronger than fate. Some people say that fate is something that is predetermined. Even if this view is correct that does not make fate any stronger than mind, because in that...

Do you agree that fate is stronger than any man's mind?

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:39:54 PST

Do you agree that fate is stronger than any man's mind?

This is a trick question because one could make a "correct" argument for...

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:47:44 PST

This is a trick question because one could make a "correct" argument for any of the three possibilities. In my opinion, however, the best answer to your question is that the speaker of "The Seafarer" is not fully at home in either place. Let's look at the text for support here. First, the speaker continually refers to the sea as a "home," but one that is not his own. He refers to the ocean first as he is called over "the horizon,...

In the poem "The Seafarer," is the speaker fully at home on land, on the...

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:05:00 PST

In the poem "The Seafarer," is the speaker fully at home on land, on the sea, or in neither place.

In the preceding part of the poem, the speaker is referring constantly...

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:23:16 PST

In the preceding part of the poem, the speaker is referring constantly to the suffering that seafarers undergo. He speaks of "fear" and of wondering what "Fate has willed and will do." He admits that the sea has "no rewards, No passion for women, no worldly pleasures." He even goes so far as to speak of the journey upon the sea as "exile." Then comes the stark contrast with the words you mention. Let's look at the complete excerpt: ...

In the poem "The Seafarer," what contrast is established by the "yet" in...

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:42:07 PST

In the poem "The Seafarer," what contrast is established by the "yet" in line 58?

What passed in the poem expain why the Seafarer seeks the rigors of the...

Tue, 12 May 2009 19:40:40 PST

What passed in the poem expain why the Seafarer seeks the rigors of the sea rather than the delights of the land?

In The Seafarer, what are the hardships of a seafarers life, the appeal...

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:58:16 PST

In The Seafarer, what are the hardships of a seafarers life, the appeal of sea, the beauty of life on land, and the misery of earthly life?

How were the main character's living conditions better than his previous...

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 11:16:28 PST

How were the main character's living conditions better than his previous living conditions?

Comparisons: These two poems are both advice from a parent to a...

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:10:14 PST

Comparisons: These two poems are both advice from a parent to a child. They also have a similar message or theme: Fortitude and endurance through life's hard times. They both employ metaphors for life (a set of stairs to climb, an ocean to swim), are written without a lot of structured rhyme or set form boundaries, and are in first person ("I"representing the parent). They also both contain great imagery-"It's had tacks in it/And...

How can I compare and contrast the two poems "First Lesson" by Philip...

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:50:51 PST

How can I compare and contrast the two poems "First Lesson" by Philip Booth and "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes?

What are three metaphors in The Seafarer and what does each contribute...

Sun, 9 Nov 2008 19:19:56 PST

What are three metaphors in The Seafarer and what does each contribute to the setting, characterization and or atmosphere in the poem?

The poem is divided into two parts with two definitely opposite...

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 07:02:14 PST

The poem is divided into two parts with two definitely opposite attitudes. The first part is describing the pain and suffering a sailor goes through living on the sea. It's "icy bands" chain you to the deck and the skin peels off your hands from the ice and the wind. It's hard labor, but there are good days, too--when the sea is calm like glass the speaker mentions how far he can see and the birds fly around. Even though life...

What is first part of "The Seafarer" is the story of?

Thu, 6 Nov 2008 05:59:28 PST

What is first part of "The Seafarer" is the story of?

He is drawn to the sea. It is in his blood. Have you ever loved...

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:00:50 PST

He is drawn to the sea. It is in his blood. Have you ever loved anything so much that you're constantly thinking of it and want to get back to it? It's like Lance Armstrong with biking, or Michael Jordan with basketball. The speaker of this poem is in love with life on the sea. No matter how cold and uncomfortable it is, or how hard the work tends to be, he can't keep himself from this life. He recognizes that life on land is...