The Eagle.

Hello Readers,

 The Eagle- Alfred Lord Tennyson.

                                                                          

   Introduction:

                                                                         

                        Alfred Lord Tennyson is considered to be the greatest of the Victorian poets and is well known for craftsmanship in poetry. The poem is about an alone eagle perched on a steep rock in the sea. In his poem the poet visualizes some qualities of the eagle such as power, strength swiftness and agility and the Eagle is represented as an authoritative person. Eagles are large, powerful birds of prey. They have large, hooked beaks and excellent eyesight. They also have powerful talons/claws which help them catch prey. Eagles build their nests on high cliffs or in tall trees. The climax of the poem can be seen in the last line when the bird ‘falls’ like a thunderbolt to the sea below.

Subject matter:

                     

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;

                           The poet tries to humanize the bird using the words, ‘he’ and ‘hands’. Even the verb ‘clasps’ has connotations of warmth and friendship as when we shake hands with others. However, the crooked claws help the bird to grip the surface of the rock very tightly and permanently in his effort to balance himself on the rock which is exposed to the unrelenting blasts of wind. The harsh alliteration of ‘k’ sound seems to echo the sound of the eagle and gives an impression of strength and power.

The second line associates the bird with the realm of the sky:

Close to the sun in lonely lands,

                        Suddenly, the close-up changes into a long shot like in a film. Now, we see the bird against the sky, at a superior height. The phrase ‘lonely lands’ seems to suggest the eagle’s domination of the sky. No other force to challenge its autonomy. It is quite comfortable and undisturbed in its position. The alliteration of ‘l’ sounds contributes to the musical quality of the line.

Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.

                      The words ‘azure world’ refers to the sky of the color of ocean blue. The bird is circled or ‘ring’d’ by the blue sky. The passive action of ‘stands’ which rhymes with ‘hands’ and ‘lands’ creates an effect of stillness or inertness. This is like a still shot in cinema. The comma before ‘he’ further heightens this stillness.

                   The second stanza begins with a bird’s eye-view of the sea which appears to be crawling beneath the towering cliff. In the second stanza also the strength and power of the eagle is emphasized further by presenting the Eagle as a high and mighty king before whom his subject bow ,almost cringe, with awe.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;

                  The waves of the sea look like wrinkles of a cloth or skin from that great height. The rolling of the waves is diminished to ‘crawling’. Here the power of the sea is reduced with the use of the words “wrinkled “ and “ crawls” The word ‘crawls’ also reminds us about the reptiles who are eaten by eagles. In addition, the word ‘wrinkled’ reminds us of an old person while ‘crawls’ reminds us of a baby. Taken together, it might be suggestive of the life cycle of the humans or nature.

The next line takes us back to the eagle that appears to be poised for action: the Eagle is given a god – like presence.

He watches from his mountain walls,

                   It is not clear what he ‘watches’ from that great height. The eagle is a bird with a sharp vision and he may be watching some prey (a fish for example) far below. The word also builds up some tension as it prepares him for action. The words ‘mountain walls’ suggest the sharp incline of the rock and its inaccessibility.

The last line brings the poem to a superb climax:

And like a thunderbolt he falls.

                     Finally, the eagle dives off the cliff and swoops downward in a straight line in a graceful movement. It is an effortless action which depends on the gravitational acceleration. The word “falls” implies to the quick and sudden movement of the bird. The word ‘thunderbolt’ suggests the speed with which a thunderbolt strikes and thus the swiftness of the eagle. Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning and storms in Greek mythology. The bird may be diving at its prey which very little chance of escape has given the lightening speed at which it descends on him. As the Eagle sees the sight of a prey, it immediately shoots at it.

Conclusion:

                      In conclusion, Tennyson is interested in the description of an element of nature to show how he links between social life and nature. He uses his wit to imply certain social and political issues to indicate superiority and inferiority. 

                                                                       

Work site:

 (sunday observer)

Works Cited

sunday observer. sunday observer. Ed. Lake House. 21 1 2018. Produced by Lake House. Copyright © 1995 - 2018 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. 26 1 2018 <http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2016/12/04/creative-ink/analysis-%E2%80%98eagle%E2%80%99-alfred-lord-tennyson>.