The Wanderer The Human Condition

The lists of abhorrent practices, like forced labor and human trafficking, that are involved with slavery and racial segregation has helped not only create a social divide between education and economic programs but has supported the values of capitalists within the American society today. Captain of the Wanderer, John Egbert Farnum, had rhetorically redesigned the architecture and setup of one of America’s fastest racing yacht to twist its functional maritime purpose of slave trade even though it had been banned by Congress half a century before. The Wanderer ship’s owners supported the dehumanization of others by enslaving them within a double layered reality. The reality of separate hidden floors on this ship not only ripped the African passengers’ freedom from them but also objectified them as items of economic profit. The use of an extravagant ship such as the Wanderer, in one of its final voyages to harbor slaves from Africa, is an example of an unresolved problem in the United States that include how slaves were dehumanized while they were hidden behind symbols of a great, wealthy, and a proud patriotic country.

When someone is face to face with atrocious acts and cruel treatments, any regular human being could transform into the meanest of brutes. The people who were tortured, abused, neglected, and or stripped of their very own dignity leading to self-preservation by any possible means necessary, even if it meant forgetting those who they love just to survive on their own terms. Because of this, there are people who also become desensitized towards brutality and inhumanity that occurs around them. In the Holocaust novel, “Night,” the young Elie Wiesel has succumb to a scarring fate; he has witnessed a countless amount of people being tortured, neglected, abused, and even killed, but he showed little emotion, he experienced many fleeting thoughts that raced through his head about how life for him would be a lot easier without his father dragging him down and he was relieved and felt freedom when

A poem which explores the feeling of loss is ‘Visiting Hour’ by Norman MacCaig. In this powerful and moving poem, the writer uses techniques such as imagery, symbolism and word choice to effectively grip the reader and keeps them with him throughout the poem.

I love how this story is not only about the mission to retrieve the hostages, but about Ben and Caesar’s family and friends. The story changes to Maddie, Josh and Nan’s current time and Ben and Caesar’s current time which fits in well with the story. I discovered that Charlie is Ben’s best mate and Lucky + Baz who are two of Ben’s close friends. I also found out that Caesar had a family who looked after him while he was lost in Afganistan.

Anglo-Saxon literature often expressed concepts of survival, battle, exile, male dominance in society, and loyalty to the lord. These aspects are strongly represented in both “The Wanderer” and “The Wife’s Lament”. Both elegies deliver themes of self-exile and the mourning of lost companions. Ideas of longing and alienation are present in these two Anglo-Saxon poems through use of figurative language, structure, point of view, comparison, and various other literary techniques.

There are some things that we do know about this poem. It is most often referred to as an elegy because of the mood of mourning and regret. Upon further reading I discovered that this poem is like others of its time period. Many

“Night exposes much that is wrong with human nature and reveals little that is right.” Discuss.

"The Wanderer" also deals with the same themes. This poem portrays a "lost" character that needs to find his way back into society but can't. It shows his feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. It also gives an impression of his loss: "So have I also, often in wretchedness fettered my feelings, far from my kin, homeless and hapless, since the days of old, When the dark earth covered my dear lord's face, And I sailed away with sorrowful heart, Over wintry seas, seeking a gold-lord, If far or near lived one to befriend me." (18-24). The author is saying that this character just experienced a loss of his king and it forced him to go out and search for another. The use of the image of the earth covering his lord's face gives the reader an exact look at what is happening. The poem contains two speakers that convey the

People lose things everyday- be it an object or a loved one. Reactions in experiencing a loss vary from person to person. However, the bond between a parent and child remains shattered when a father suddenly loses his daughter. In James Russell Lowell’s poem “After the Burial”, a friend is comforting a father who lost his daughter. With difficulty, the father attempts to move on from his daughter’s death but is unable to, regardless of the comfort he receives.

Essentially a monologue set within a frame, this poem creates two personae. The anonymous author gives a brief introduction and conclusion. The Wanderer, an aging warrior, who roams the world seeking shelter and aid. The Wanderer’s monologue divides into two distinct parts, the first being a lament for his exile and the loss of kin, friends, home, and the generosity of his king. In nature, he finds absolutely no comfort, for he has set sail on the winter stricken sea. Poignantly, the speaker dreams that he is among his companions, and embracing his king, only to awaken facing the gray, winter sea, and snowfall mingled with hail.

In the poems you have studied a recurring theme is that of ‘loss’. This can take many forms: death; identity; hope or loss of innocence

In the poems “The Wanderer” and “The Dream of the Rood,” anonymous authors give way to the idea that an Almighty God will solve every problem a person has by doing two things: 1) drawing upon the memories of a warrior who has lost everything near and dear to him due to war, and 2) entering the dream of a man who has been exiled and isolated. Each piece takes its reader through the trials and tribulations that one may not relate to in this era, yet the reader is still there alongside the character wanting them to find peace with their world and themselves. Initially, it is believed that the characters will overcome their hardships and achieve the happiness they seek. However, as the reader delves deeper into the character’s story, there is an overwhelming sense of incompleteness. What actually happens at the end of each piece is not written in stone - telling us the story is not whole - nor has a conclusion been reached. The intrapersonal thoughts being shared with the reader reveal the obstacles that keep an overall wholeness from occurring.

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

In the medieval period, the Old English elegies use unnamed speakers that offer similar descriptions of devastated landscapes and immense personal hardships. However, where the unknown authors’ of the Old English elegies often present smilier descriptions and themes across their respective works, they do not present similar opinions on larger concerns like religion and the role of community. This is a concept that is interwoven into the framework of the Old English elegies “The Wanderer” and “The Seafarer”. By comparing and contrasting these two works, this paper will argue that the unnamed narrators’ vivid descriptions of landscapes, circumstances surrounding their exile, and climactic perspectives on the earthly community function solely

The poem that I have selected for this essay is “Talking to Grief” by Denise Levertov. I chose this poem because it talks about grief. It also talks about the place that grief should have in a person’s life. The poem describes grief, and compares it to a “homeless dog.” It also describes how a dog deserves its own place in the house, instead of living under a porch or being homeless. This poem talks about how a person can be aware that grief is present, but that it is not always acknowledged and accepted. We all experience grief in different ways, and for different reasons. Everyone deals with grief in their own personal way. This poem describes a point in a person’s life when they are ready to accept grief as a part of their life