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The Cross of Snow Versus Sea Canes

By: Wyatt Collins

A tombstone in Ireland reads, “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, loveleaves a memory no one can steal.” By reading this quote, one can insinuate that thedeath of a loved one brings immense grief. This is the grief that is illustrated in romanticpoems, such as “Sea Canes” and “The Cross of Snow”. The purpose of this essay is tocompare and contrast the capital differences between the two poems. The three maindifferences between “Sea Canes” and “The Cross of Snow” are symbolism,attitude/tone, and theme.The most conspicuous elements of the poems are their tendency to use symboliclanguage. Imagery and symbolic language is used by both authors, but the author of “Sea Canes” tends to use it more frequently. In this poem, the symbol of sea canesrepresents his inner strength and something stronger emerging from what the death of his companions has left behind. The sea canes seemingly evolve from his grief into anewfound hope. These new and improved canes have a “rational radiance of stone,”which means that they are aware of a new happiness that endures for all eternity; an“enduring moonlight,” which means that they can last forever; “further than despair,”which means that they are out of reach of sorrow; and as “strong as the wind,” whichmeans that they are impenetrable and indestructible. Earth represents the inner-workings of the mind which are connected with a higher being or a symbol for thecreation of life. The earth tries to appeal to his reason from the inside, which is whatone’s conscience often does. When the author states that he “...cannot walk on the

moonlit leaves of ocean down that white road...” he is probably referring to the moon’sreflection on the small ocean ripples that look a little like leaves and the line is possiblysymbolic to the pathway to heaven. When the author expresses that he also cannot“...float with a dreaming motion...” he is perhaps envisioning the spirits as flying throughthe air. He describes this floating sensation in connection with owls, birds commonlyassociated with night time, which soar without a “load”. The last lines, “…that throughdividing canes brings those we love before us, as they were, with faults and all, notnobler, just there,” provide assurances and "through the dividing canes" most likelymeans through time. On the other hand, Longfellow has a more limited role in the useof symbolism, but still has a noteworthy message. The cross of snow in the mountain is"sun-defying," Longfellow says, meaning it does not melt. Longfellow also mentions thathe wears a similar "cross" on his breast, where his heart is, symbolizing his permanentlove for his lost wife. The cross means that Longfellow's love is unchanging; despitelosing her and despite the way the world is changing. Alternatively, this is a love poem;therefore, it would make sense that the mountain is a symbol of grief. However, it ismore likely that the line that describes a cross on his chest is a symbol of his grief.Therefore, the mountain seems to symbolize the martyrdom of his loved one. Theseelements of the poem reflect the writer's views and give the writings a foundation for theother elements of the narrations.The subsequent building block the writer’s used in their poems was thecontrasting tones or attitudes they address to the reader. Unlike their use of symbolism,this element seems to be very similar in both of their writings, although there are some