The Seafarer, by an unknown author, relates to certain passages from the Bible. Throughout the poem are several phrases where references to Christianity can be found. This includes religious teachings and moral advice that are similar to the words of Jesus. It would make sense to say that The Seafarer may have been inspired by the Christian religion. A passage from The Seafarer gives a religious teaching about how someone can not help another reach heaven. Even putting gold on one’s grave will not help because nothing materialistic matters to God. “A brother...pours down gold on his kinsman’s grave, strewing his coffin with treasures intended for heaven...nothing golden shakes the wrath of God...” (96-100). This passage relates to Psalm 49:7 where it says, “No one can …show more content…
The passage from the poem and the quote from the Bible have the same teaching; one can only get themselves to heaven, and nothing one has on earth matters in heaven. Later on in the poem the author makes another reference to Christianity where he says “death leaps at fools who forget their God. He who lives humbly has angels from Heaven to carry him courage and strength and belief...” (106-108). This is saying someone who is selfish and does not give any gratitude will not be blessed like someone who is always thankful to God. This is a reference to God’s “laws” which is taught in Psalm 19:9, “The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous.” The Seafarer has another religious teaching when it says "And a song to celebrate a place with the angels, life eternally blessed in the hosts of heaven" (78-80). This phrase is saying that there is an eternal life with God in heaven after one dies. This could be referenced to
In the Heart of the Sea is the name of this magnificent book where in the first chapter, Nathaniel Philbrick tries to show us a place where the principal job is being part of the whaling industry. This chapter is the beginning of history, the beginning of tragedy, the one that occurred in the whaleship, Essex.
This quote comes into play while Janie and Tea Cake are in the Glades getting ready to leave because of a hurricane. At this point Janie and Tea Cake have waited to late to leave and are trying to decide if they want to try and beat the water or just stay there. I found this quote important because it ties the title of the book in with the situations that occur in the book. They are sitting there and despite the situation around them they can still find security within each other and God.
The symbolism in the “Rhyme of the ancient mariner” is said to be an impossible representation of the Christian story of reconciliation from sin, redemption and forgiveness for that sin, but the symbolism in this poem clearly contradicts those views. The poem is one of a great sin committed against nature and the supernatural - being God - and how the wrong doer was redeemed from that sin and his journey into realigning what he had done. The Mariner was punished for his sin by the supernatural and forces of nature while he was glorified by his crew mates for his skill that was shown in killing the albatross with a crossbow. This is often true in Biblical stories and modern day where one is glorified for earthly talents and is given fame, but what they are famous for contradicts God and his law. Other aspects of Christianity are embedded in this poem as well that are easily overlooked like when the Mariner prays to some force he does not know. He is guilty for his transgression and knows what he has done is wrong although the sin was committed with ill will not intended. Lastly this poem displays a value important to Christianity, but also to all other ideologies and the is the topic of justice for crimes committed and the Christian aspect of thats once justice is served salvation is needed and redemption takes place. All of these values presented by symbolism throughout this poem all point toward the idea that the story of the Mariner was meant to serve as an example of the
In The Seafarer one difference is this is a self imposed exile. He was not forced to leave, he chose to leave. The speaker of The Seafarer says his journey is true and he remembers every little detail that happened to him while traveling the ocean in the middle of a cold winter. He experiences loneliness, and hatred for city people. He remembers his struggle through the long cold days. He believes he was called out and that is why he leaves his country. “Called me eagerly, sent me over the horizon.”
The Seafarer, The Wanderer, and The Wife’s Lament all contains faith verses fate. The three poems are very similar and very different. The three poems ranging from a lonely man, to a lost soldier, to a wife’s bedrail. The medieval poems show hurt, confusion, and loneliness.
The epic journey of “The Old Man and the Sea” describes struggle, discipline and manhood. The main characters relationships exemplify how faith and skill overcome man’s adversity during life on the sea. Santiago’s growing relationship with the boy idealizes his statute as a father figure and develops his integrity and values towards the boy. Hemmingway shows us how an old fisherman’s will to overcome the sea’s obstacles proves his manhood to himself and the young boy. His skills and knowledge of the sea provide a positive influence for the young boy to become a great fisherman someday.
The Shipman’s Tale, one of the many tales in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, is exactly suited to the Shipman’s personality and profession as given in “The Prologue.” The shipman is described by Chaucer in the prologue as very sneaky, deceitful, and even pirate-like. The Shipman’s tale matches his personality and profession because The Shipman’s Tale is one of trickery and con. The monk in the tale tricks both the merchant and the merchant’s wife out of their money. He also uses his relationship with the merchant to his advantage, because he knows the merchant would never suspect him of having sex with his wife. The shipman is also portrayed in the prologue to have no sense of remorse or feelings of sorrow.
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a complex tale of an old seafarer, was written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and published in 1798. According to the Longman Anthology of British Literature, the work first appeared in “Lyrical Ballads”, a publication co-authored with William Wordsworth (557). The ancient mariner’s journey provides for such a supernatural tale, that all who must hear it, specifically the wedding guest in the poem, are enthralled. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the mariner’s tale is the obvious themes of sin and redemption. By using the story-within-a-story method, Coleridge gives the audience a tale that resembles a very Christian-like voyage from one theme, sin, to the final theme, redemption. Throughout his poem,
Throughout the history of British Literature, there have always been the themes of loneliness, torment or exile. Many times authors speak from their experiences and at times those experiences have to do with misery and discomfort with their lifestyles. In the Renaissance age, times were not always happy and people chose to pass on stories generation to generation to reveal their feelings and experiences. Poems made a great impact in easing the pain. In the poems, "The Seafarer" and "The Wanderer", the themes of loneliness and exile exist throughout both of the poems. The unknown authors portray the two themes through detail and emotion.
In the three poems “The Wife’s Lament”, “The Wanderer”, and “The Seafarer” from The Exeter Book, it’s clear that travel and exile are recurring and important themes. Is there a possibility that these themes and elements have a significance that goes above and beyond their literal meaning? Though they may experience it differently, all three of the speakers from these poems in The Exeter Book deal with the great pain of exile, or being driven out, resulting in the need or desire for travel. This takes place due to the fact exile was one of the most tragic fates that an anglo-saxon man or woman could endure at the time. It makes sense that these themes would play a huge part in these poems because during this time period, exile was the
There are times when you want to be alone, and enjoy being alone. Other times, you can't stand being alone. You feel a void in your heart that should be filled. This is the difference between solitude and loneliness. One is the pleasure of being alone, and the other is the curse of feeling alone.
[and] so graced by God”. The speaker clearly uses alliteration to express his feelings towards his journey. He also establishes to the reader that he is influenced by a religious motive. His ideas may have contributed to the religious values the Anglo- Saxons believed in: Pagan, and Christian. The man also describes his experience on sea as he , “drifting [drifted] through winter on an ice cold sea, whirled in sorrow, alone in a world blown clear of love, hung with icicles. Through the use of imagery we can understand the isolated setting of the ocean, and how his loneliness led to a deepening sadness. Overall, “The Seafarer” influenced today’s literature through the use of various literary devices. The man’s personal feelings and ideas about
As we go through life there are many questions that you may have. These questions can range from what is life, to what is love. There are many different answers that can come from these questions. In the Exeter Book there are three different poems. The first poem is The Seafarer, in this poem the speaker is out at sea. He is in the middle of a storm, and he does not believe that he is going to return home. The next poem is The Wanderer, here the speaker is now homeless. He was once a great warrior who had lost it all. The final poem is The Wife’s Lament, in this poem a wife is exiled by her husband. She is sent away and told to not come back. The Seafarer,
“The Seafarer” and "The Wanderer” are both poems that describe the hardships of the average Anglo-Saxon warrior. These stories show that life during the times of the Anglo-Saxons is not pleasant. In fact, it appears to be tough, fearful, and depressing. In “The Seafarer”, a man describes his horrid life on the sea, and in "The Wanderer”, a man tells his tale of being put into exile and losing all his fellow warriors and lord. Both men feel physical and emotional pain while going through their adventure. The seafarer claims that the sea itself is torturing him by saying “...the sea took [him], swept [him] back and forth in sorrow and fear and pain.” (2-3) The seafarer also explains that coldness is much more than just a feeling but a
Also as a symbol for retribution in the poem is the appearance of Life in Death. In Christianity, in order to experience everlasting life in heaven, humans must succumb to death first. Coleridge uses supernatural events to show real life situations in his poem. The real life situation of life in death in Christianity is symbolized as a