The
Eagle
Composed in 1851,
Tennyson’s poem ‘ The Eagle’ is a brief glimpse into the world of this powerful
bird. In a mere six lines of poetry, Tennyson has constructed a masterly
portrayal of the Eagle in its natural surroundings. This poem is very short but
full of meaning. ‘ The Eagle, a fragment’ was first published in 1851. This
poem is a poem expressing the Eagle’s attitude at which the eagle flies along with its extreme amount of
confidence and its rich at the top. A very simple poem but extremely complex in
terms of its theme and its plot.
This poem comprises two stanzas with
three lines each in the first stanza the poet personifies the Eagle by using
the word the pronoun later on in the first line the word ‘hands’ is used which
further personifies the eagle. In the second line, it is shows closer to the
sun from where everything looks like a miniature.
In the second stanza, the sea under
heath looks as if it is wrinkled and crawling and from that height. It seeks prey
and as soon as is locates. The prey it strikes like thunderbolt and goes to the
top again. Though in this poem Tennyson
wishes to put in front of us the magnanimity of the eagle by projecting it as a
human to the readers.
“ There is always
realm of the top and you are alone at
that”
Since the title of the poem identifies it as ‘ a fragment’ the reader may
be led to wonder if it represents a complete work and a completed idea. This
uncertain is enhanced by the question of what actually happens to the eagle at
the end of the poem , does he became ill somehow lose his ability to fly and tumble
helplessly into the sea. The poem is too short and offers too little background
for us to tell if the sudden reversal in the last line is meant to be ironic.
Neither explanation seems more likely than the other and we can assume that a
powerful poet like Tennyson could have leaned his audience towards
one interpretation.
No comments:
Post a Comment