Student Question
What does Auden say about "the full view" in the final stanza of "Look, Stranger"?
Quick answer:
In the final stanza, Auden hopes that "the full view" of the natural scene he describes will deeply impact the "stranger," enriching their life through memory. He uses vivid imagery, emphasizing visual and auditory elements to convey harmony and peace. This "whole view" is meant to be absorbed by the senses, remaining in memory to nourish the human spirit, akin to clouds passing over a harbor, creating a lasting impression.
In the last stanza, Auden expresses his hope that the "full view" of the lovely natural scene he has described will enter the mind and heart of the "stranger" and remain there to enrich his life in memory. In the first two stanzas the poet has pointed out to the "stranger" the vivid scene of the island and the surrounding sea. He emphasizes the visual - the "chalk wall fall(ing) to the foam" (line 9) and the gull "lodg(ing) a moment on its sheer side" (lines 13-14); the auditory - the "swaying sound of the sea" (line 7); the immediate - "here at the small field's ending" (line 8); and the distant - "far off like floating seeds the ships" (line 15). The "whole view" creates both a scene and a feeling of harmony and peace to be taken in by the senses, where it remains in memory, available to nourish the human spirit like "clouds...that pass the harbor mirror and all the summer through the water saunter" (lines 19-21).
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