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    Poetry Guide: Alfred Lord Tennyson
    Poetry Guide: Alfred Lord Tennyson
    Poetry Guide: Alfred Lord Tennyson
    Ebook64 pages37 minutes

    Poetry Guide: Alfred Lord Tennyson

    By Raja Sharma

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    About this ebook

    Students often find understanding and interpreting poetry an uphill task, for the allusions and references almost baffle them, however, with repeated and careful reading of the same poem, taking the help of the reference books and guides; they often come close to the interpretation desired by the poet.

    With experience they begin to learn the art of understanding and appreciating poetry. They develop tact, and ironically tact can’t be taught. Guide books, notes by the teachers, and summary books, etc. are often helpful, but the differing interpretations can also confuse students. I would like to tell the students of literature that there may be as many interpretations of the same poem as desired by the reviewers and critics, but it is sometimes very surprising that not even one interpretation stands close to the one which the poet had in his or her mind while writing the poem. We depend on the guess work and through the biography of the poet, the period, the ambiance, and some other contemporary factors.

    Don’t ever try to find the meanings of the words in a poem, just feel them, and you will realize with the time that you have learned the art of studying poetry. Poetry is all about emotion, interpretation, and feelings. A poet has no identity! Through your interpretation and the interpretations made by others you create your own little world around a poem and debate over certain points.

    Reading poetry is a kind of word game. In this series “Poetry Guide” we are presenting the summary of the poems, followed by the original texts, the form of the poems, and critical analysis. This serious has been specially designed for the students of English Literature.

    All the Best

    Raja Sharma

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRaja Sharma
    Release dateSep 19, 2012
    ISBN9781301291151
    Poetry Guide: Alfred Lord Tennyson
    Author

    Raja Sharma

    Raja Sharma is a retired college lecturer.He has taught English Literature to University students for more than two decades.His students are scattered all over the world, and it is noticeable that he is in contact with more than ninety thousand of his students.

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      Book preview

      Poetry Guide - Raja Sharma

      Poetry Guide: Alfred Lord Tennyson

      By Raja Sharma

      Copyright@2012 Raja Sharma

      Smashwords Edition

      All Rights Reserved.

      Chapter 1: Preface

      Students often find understanding and interpreting poetry an uphill task, for the allusions and references almost baffle them, however, with repeated and careful reading of the same poem, taking the help of the reference books and guides; they often come close to the interpretation desired by the poet.

      With experience they begin to learn the art of understanding and appreciating poetry. They develop tact, and ironically tact can’t be taught. Guide books, notes by the teachers, and summary books, etc. are often helpful, but the differing interpretations can also confuse students. I would like to tell the students of literature that there may be as many interpretations of the same poem as desired by the reviewers and critics, but it is sometimes very surprising that not even one interpretation stands close to the one which the poet had in his or her mind while writing the poem. We depend on the guess work and through the biography of the poet, the period, the ambiance, and some other contemporary factors.

      Don’t ever try to find the meanings of the words in a poem, just feel them, and you will realize with the time that you have learned the art of studying poetry. Poetry is all about emotion, interpretation, and feelings. A poet has no identity! Through your interpretation and the interpretations made by others you create your own little world around a poem and debate over certain points.

      Reading poetry is a kind of word game. In this series Poetry Guide we are presenting the summary of the poems, followed by the original texts, the form of the poems, and critical analysis. This serious has been specially designed for the students of English Literature.

      All the Best

      Raja Sharma

      Chapter 2: Summary and Analysis of Crossing the Bar

      In the opening line of the poem, the speaker tells about the setting of the sun and the rise of the evening star. A call reaches his ears. He is about to set out to sea but he hopes that the sea will be calm and it won’t make the mournful sound of waves beating against the sand bar. (When I put out to sea can be interpreted as when the speaker leaves this world.") Sand bar is a ridge of sand built up by currents along a shore. (Metaphorically, a sand bar can be taken as a barrier between life and death).

      The speaker wishes for a tide which does not have sound or foam and it seems asleep. (He hopes his death to be peaceful). He wishes that that huge wave will carry back everything back to the depths of the ocean.

      In the concluding lines the speaker announces that the day is at end and there is the sound of the evening bell. After that there will be darkness.

      The speaker hopes

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