The Seafarer AngloSaxon Poetry Old English The seafarer

Old English • The seafarer Anglo - Saxon – You. Tube • Anglo-Saxons. net

Literary Terms 1. Caesuras – pause in a line; indicates a 2. 3. pause

Literary Analysis • This poem demonstrates: – the balance between the Anglo-Saxon belief in

Literary Analysis • Controversy in the Literary World… – Are there 2 speakers in

Literary Analysis • Lines 1 -5 – Elegiac • Elegy - a poem, song,

Literary Analysis • Lines 6 -11 – Concrete Images : the cold, stormy seas,

Literary Analysis • Lines 12 -16 – A person on land does not know

Literary Analysis • Lines 20 -26 – Catalogs – 4 Types of Birds…what are

Literary Analysis • By the conclusion… – Those who walk with _____ will be

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The Seafarer Anglo-Saxon Poetry

Old English • The seafarer Anglo - Saxon – You. Tube • Anglo-Saxons. net : The Seafarer – What words do you recognize? – The poems do not match word for word…why?

Literary Terms 1. Caesuras – pause in a line; indicates a 2. 3. pause for a breath (you have a handout on this) Alliteration joins the 2 parts of the line…repetition of sound Kennings – metaphorical phrases ex: “summer’s sentinel” means a cuckoo * you need to be able to recognize examples of these literary terms

Literary Analysis • This poem demonstrates: – the balance between the Anglo-Saxon belief in fate, where everything is grim and overpowering (remember what we said about the afterlife? ), and the Christian believer’s reliance on God (remember what we talked about regarding the Christian belief of the afterlife) • Land = safety and security • Sea = hardship and struggle, BUT the speaker is drawn to it b/c it brings him closer to God • “home” = heaven / closer to God

Literary Analysis • Controversy in the Literary World… – Are there 2 speakers in this poem? • The first speaker makes a complaint • The second speaker comments on this complaint – The second speaker emphasizes the relationship with the divine …OR… Is this a soliloquy…(think Shakespeare if you can’t remember what a soliloquy is) ? ?

Literary Analysis • Lines 1 -5 – Elegiac • Elegy - a poem, song, or other work of art composed as a lament for someone who has died v This is a mournful, contemplative poem v Mourns the loss of someone ******************** o Limitless suffering, sorrow, pain o Personal self-revelation to come

Literary Analysis • Lines 6 -11 – Concrete Images : the cold, stormy seas, rugged shorelines – Idea of imprisonment – Physically and Spiritually • What words show that he is suffering both physically and spiritually?

Literary Analysis • Lines 12 -16 – A person on land does not know what a mariner has to endure • Lines? • LONELINESS In Lines 17 -19 : The speaker returns to the description of weather conditions

Literary Analysis • Lines 20 -26 – Catalogs – 4 Types of Birds…what are they? • These only increase his sense of abandonment What does the drowning metaphor refer to?

Literary Analysis • By the conclusion… – Those who walk with _____ will be rewarded – Why does the speaker continue to live the life at sea? ******************* Where are there elements of Paganism? Christianity? How is this an elegy?