-The Lotos-Eaters By TennysonI. Introduction
For quite some time, Tennyson offers attracted readers by what Edmond Gosse named
the beauty of the atmosphere which in turn Tennyson contrives to players around his
function, molding
this in the blue mystery of twilight, inside the opaline haze of sun. He is a single
of the greatest
agent figures in the Victorian Age. His producing incorporates a large number of
poetic styles
and includes a few of the finest idyllic poetry in the language. He could be one of
the couple of poets to
have developed acknowledged masterpieces in several poetic makes, he
applied perhaps the most distinguished and versatile of all the written
functions in the
English language.
The first time I read The Lotus-Eaters1, I have to admit that I had a
vigorous
dislike for doing it. Having see the Odyssey in Literature school last year, this
appeared like its
replica. It struck me that Tennyson was plagiarizing Homer. When I
reread the
poem with greater interesting depth, I noticed it is poetic tactics, imagery, signs
and so forth It was
seriously exceptional basically, although the colocar didnt remain uniform. Although
as you
thoroughly appreciate it, the truth is how it pertains and is also true to life.
This being the first time I had developed ever happen a work simply by Tennyson. I actually
couldnt know
anything about his life. The idea that manifested me was that when producing
this kind of poem
Tennyson was stressed out and cynical. Sort of like Hamlet2 inside the To be or perhaps not
to be
soliloquy. In one point in the composition, he says, Loss of life is the end of the
worldlife almost all labor
always be? I think he meant that life is hard to have, there are so many obstructions
numerous wrong
converts, and you can by no means go back and alter anything.
II. Evaluation of Composition
A. Brief summary
The poem is about the journey of Odysseus for the Land of the Lotus
Eaters. Below they come across a competition of creatures known as the Lotophagi (lotus
eaters). TheyLotophagi spend their very own days in a daze, actually. This was
the effect with the lotus flower. It had been a ancient version of narcotics.
The Lotophagi offered the rose to Odysseus and his staff members. Some of
the clique got it. After which, they too, experienced a state of euphoria. Beneath
these kinds of circumstances, they start speaking of staying over hereland of Lotos
Eaters, in support of dream about house. They forget their girlfriends or wives and children
only dream about them.
Subsequently, the entire staff ate the lotos plant. Tennyson describes
euphoria as Drifting off to sleep in a half-dream. They hallucinate about their
wives and homes. It is often a considerable amount of period since they have
had left Ithaca3. They wonder about what has changed. At the end
heOdysseus concluded We will not take off more, meaning that they will
just remain, stay.
N. Style
The first five stanzas will be narrative. They can be in the Spenserian stanza
form, which is associated with tales of adventure and action.
The opening word of Odysseus to his guys is courage, an satrical command
because the remaining poem displays their bravery ebbing away. Arriving for the
shore of this fabulous and dreamy land, the mariners land amidst a
group of the habitants, who provide them with the fruits of the lotos tree. Because
quickly as they preference the fruit the men feel tired. No longer wanting to return
home to Ithaca, they are really content to relax where they may be.
Other poem, via line 46, is the music (choric song) sung by the
mariners. In it they share the beauty of lotus-land and their personal heavy and
melancholy sense of fatigue.
In the 4th stanza from the song, the repeated phrase Let us only
catches their emotions. The lines of the music are infrequent in length although
repetitious in phrasing, giving a lazy and stupor feeling, like they are in
a situation of torpor. The stanzas gradually become longer toward the end in the
composition, hinting their particular confusion and ominous feelings.
The final stanza features twenty-eight lines. In it the mariners suggest that
they will rest about just like the gods on Olympus, who also apathetically and
thoughtlessly disrupt the lives of folks on earth for his or her own idle amusement.
The disagreement they present is that since the gods may so easily spoil peoples
lives and circumvent their work, why should they aspire to anything but rest
and leisure? They consider, We will not wander more.
C. Significance
I question the symbolism of Odysseus enc ounter with the
Lotos-Eaters. Following so many many years of battle, after so much grief and stress
that Odysseus wonderful men put in, they need to avoid into a dreamlike world
in which they could begin all their healing. Mentally, the more deeply the discomfort
you have experienced, a lot more often the first is drawn to experiences of euphoria in
order to counter-top it. On the a further level, the Lotophagi encounter appears to
be an antecedent with the adventures in this article with the Cyclops, Circe
Calypso, plus the Sirens4.
There are a lot of pictures in the poem. There is also a brief hint of
foreshadowing, In whichthe island of the Lotos-Eaters that always seemd
evening, meaning that if you are in a point out of happiness, everything
seems a similar. That only when you are drugged is the fact you get involved this express
to be. His words was thinhis beating cardiovascular system did make. This describes
a ancient rendition of drug addicts.
D. Theme
Among the recurring topics in many poetry is the issue between
personal satisfaction and public responsibility. That may be, often the personality
in the poem is pulled a method by a thing he or she wants to do, and another
way by a sense of duty or perhaps obligation that must be performed. This is actually the
theme of The Lotos-Eaters also. Odysseus, the narrator and the captain of
the team, is captured between attaining euphoria and getting the staff back
to Ithaca. In the end, yet , we find out that his hubris has caused him to
stay on this kind of island. As he says, we can not wander more. That he has
given in to personal happiness.
Likewise, if you see the Odyssey, youll find that the complete story relies
around the our personal odysseys. It includes things that people, as individuals, face in
everyday life, desire, attraction, lust, and so forth The island from the Lotos Eaters
provides one of the things us teenagers deal with everyday, prescription drugs. Just as the lotos
eaters tempt the team, we get peer pressure from our friends and society. And so
this poem is merely one element of our jorney of your life, as Tenyson describes this.
III. Poems Place in Authors Career
Although Tennyson dealt with romantic views of conflict and heroes, in
contrast to other copy writers of his day, he felt that poetry should certainly reflect a
specific formality borrowed from Ancient greek tragedy literary works. In The
Lotos-Eaters, Tennyson was faithful to his heart. As such, the poem displays
the ideals in the imperialism and his own personal goals-war causes heroes
and heroes in death check out a glorious the grave. This appears a little
farfetched, although his was Tennysons idea. Although this individual borrowed from
biblical and Greek-tragedy sources, his characters and nature can also be
contemporary, and transcend all the realms together. The Lotos-Eaters was
written in 1833, when he posted a volume of poems that included his famous
The Lady of Shalott. During his undergraduate days for Cambridge this individual often
did not bother to write down his compositions. All of us owe the first edition of
The Lotos-Eaters to Arthur Hallam, who also reproduced it from Tennysons
information of information.
4. The Poems Place in it is Time
Tennyson turned to inquiries of fatality, religious faith, and immortality
in a number of short poetry, of which The Lotus-Eaters was obviously a part. Tennyson
a new way of attaining a agreement with his public. He gave them what they
desired. For example , the poem Princess was received by the hearts of the millions
as it supported the womens legal rights, which was among the issues simply
igniting at that time. His consummately crafted
verse expressed the terms of the Victorian feeling for order and harmony.
Unlike Dickens, who was within Tennesons as well as a interpersonal critic
Tennyson couldnt seem to you should find an ill to society. Probably that is why having been
provided the title of Lord rather than Dickens.
V. Bibliography
1 . Master Alfred Tennyson, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99, October 99
2 . The Norton Anthology of Poetry, The Lotos-Eaters, W. T. Norton & Company
Nyc, 1997, s. 540.
3. World Wide Web-http://charon.sfsu.edu/TENNYSON/tennyson.html.