Student Question
What are the distinct discussions in lines 1-63 and 64-86 of "The Seafarer"? Are they related?
Quick answer:
The first 63 lines of "The Seafarer" focus on the hardships of life at sea and the speaker's longing for the ocean despite its challenges. Lines 64-86 shift to a prayer-like tone, expressing gratitude and awe towards a higher power. These sections are related through a spiritual theme, reflecting the historical context of blending Pagan and Christian beliefs. The speaker's connection to the sea is both a personal journey and a spiritual reflection.
This poem does have two distinct flavors. The first 63 lines are dealing mostly with description of life at sea and the hardships and how he should want to be on land, but every time he's on land he's dying to get back out to the sea.
The last lines of the poem are more like a prayer. They are connected since there is a spiritual tone throughout the entire poem. This is recorded during a time in history where Christainity is spreading like wildfire, but the Pagan way of life is still infused within the Christian beliefs.
The prayer/blessing is just the seafarer's way of expressing how the sea has meant his whole life to him and how he is in awe of and grateful to the higher power who created it.
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