Second, your prompt: Work the poem "Ulysses" by Tennyson. Avoid the urge to go to the web and have some "expert" analyze it for you, even though it is difficult. Share your insights here with your colleagues and help one another figure it out. On Friday, bring your typed responses to the questions that follow the poem. Also read "Curiosity" by Alastair Reid and answer the questions that follow that poem. By the way, isn't Alastair a great name for a cat?
Third: We will be spending Friday on symbolism, chapter six
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Well I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a formal blog post or not but I will share what I have/understand so far.
First, Ulysses final journey to me, doesn;t seem to be an earthly bound journey at all. If it had to be earthly bound I would say that it was a westward voyage, into the unknown and unexplored (As hinted at by the line "to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the western stars" [Line 60-61]). But to me the poem makes much more sense if it is not really an earthly journey but a jouney to the Happy Isles, which is another name for the final resting place for heroic souls in the underworld. Here he, and his crew, would "see the great Achilles" (Line 63).
The topics of each of the sections are fairly easy to pick out if you read it a few times so I wont dive into that, however for me picking out Ulysses' audience was hard. The third is to his friends, especially those that have died, but the 1st and 2nd sections are difficult to figue out. I finally decided that to me it sounded like someone else reading what Ulysses wrote to the masses, such as his son or wife (although I get the feeling that his wife is dead, otherwise he would have addressed her individually). I just vizualize Telemachus reading this to the people in a sort of "last will and testement" fashion as Ulysses sails into the unkonwn. Then Ulysses actually starts to talk, addressing his crew, his friends.
So far that's what i've got. I'm working on the last few questions now.
Also, does anyone else know what they metonymies are in line 49. I figured they were refering to the free hearts and free foreheads, but what do they stand for?
Thanks!
The poem to me seemed to be Ulysses making preparations to leave on his final journey. He starts with "It little profits an Idle King". then continues by describing his aged court who "know not (him)". He is bemoaning his life at Ithaca, then he moves to reminisce over his past travels. "How dull it is to pause, to make an end To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!" Ulysses feels restless and useless at home. He wants to "follow knowledge like a sinking star;" He has decided to leave again at on a final journey and given his reasons for it. The next part he describes his son who will inherit "the scepter and the isle" and take over as he leaves. "When I am gone. He works his work, I mine." Ulysses work is to travel and explore, his son's is to be monarch in his stead. Now Ulysses is walking toward the port where his ship is waiting. He addresses his crew as he climbs aboard "come my friends. 'Tis not too lat to seek a newer world". They leave "To seek, to find, and not to yield."
In the poem Ulysses moves through preparation for his journey and he seems to be talking to those that will help him with the preparations. He shows them his son and gives them instructions for what he should do when he is gone, he tells them why he is leaving, and comments to them as he gets on the ship to leave. These men (as I visualize them) scurry silently behind him ordering for the ship to be readied and carefully noting all of Ulysses introductions for when he leaves.
Also I think they are sailing to the afterlife since he mentions maybe seeing Achilles who died in the battle of Troy. So his trip is like a final journey into the unknown, and he knows he will never come back. Which is why he gives such specific instructions before he leaves.
Hi, I have a question about the homework. I'm terribly confused. Are our analysis of the two poems supposed to be typed, or can we just make a blog comment?
By the way... I couldn't get help but think of the song Ulysses by Franz Ferdinand when analyzing this poem. I don't know if there is any correlation but here it is though if your curious....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31sZ9xZr_Ew
To Michelle,
For sure you have to do the questions typed up and ready to turn in. I just wrote a blog response in case we were supposed to (although I don't think that it is a formal assignment).
-Miranda
I was wondering what everyone was thinking for question 6 of Ulysses? I'm having a hard time coming up with a second symbolic implication.
Right now, I just talked about how the sun sets in the west, implying his journey westward signifies an ending, or a passing into the afterlife. It's not exactly very creative. But I don't have any other ideas.
I was thinking the same thing for #6 on the afterlife. Also I was thinking something along the lines of westward expansion and with the discovery of new cultures and customs there is knowledge to be gained.
For number six, his westward travels imply he's headed where the sun sets, aka, where the death of his days awaits him, as Chelsea has already offered. Although I'm struggling with a second implication. My narrow-minded little brain won't allow it, it seems.
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