Comparison The Wanderer And The Seafarer example essay topic

Throughout the history of British Literature, there have always been the themes of loneliness, torment or exile. Many times authors speak from their experiences and at times those experiences have to do with misery and discomfort with their lifestyles. In the Renaissance age, times were not always happy and people chose to pass on stories generation to generation to reveal their feelings and experiences. Poems made a great impact in easing the pain.

In the poems, 'The Seafarer' and 'The Wanderer', the themes of loneliness and exile exist throughout both of the poems. The unknown authors portray the two themes through detail and emotion. 'The Seafarer' creates a storyline of a man who is 'lost' at sea. There is a major reference to the concept of the sea and how it 'captures' the soul and leaves a lonely feeling. The character is set to know the consequence of the sea but something keeps calling him back to it. 'And yet my heart wanders away, My soul roams with sea, the whales' home, wandering to the widest corners of the world, returning ravenous with desire, Flying solitary, screaming, exciting me to the ocean, breaking oaths on the curve of a wave. ' (lines 58-64).

This poem also grasps the concept of religion and how it plays a role in this work. The character sets himself on religion and makes that as his 'sanctuary' from the sea. 'Thus the joys of God are fervent with life, where life itself fades quickly into the earth. ' (lines 64-66). The feeling of exile is presented throughout the writing. Symbolically, the sea is what keeps him apart from the world and that creates exile. There are a lot of symbols and images being used to prove the writer's point: 'In icy bands, bound with frost, with frozen chains, and hardship groaned around my heart.

' (9-11). The images represent how he feels and how he sees his life at that moment. Symbolic gestures such as, 'The song of the swan might serve for pleasure, the cry of the sea-fowl, the death-noise of birds instead of laughter, the mewing of gulls instead of mead. ' (19-22), suggest that sounds can play an effect on a person. ' The Wanderer' also deals with the same themes.

This poem portrays a 'lost' character that needs to find his way back into society but can't. It shows his feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. It also gives an impression of his loss: 'So have I also, often in wretchedness fettered my feelings, far from my kin, homeless and hapless, since the days of old, When the dark earth covered my dear lord's face, And I sailed away with sorrowful heart, Over wintry seas, seeking a gold-lord, If far or near lived one to befriend me. ' (18-24).

The author is saying that this character just experienced a loss of his king and it forced him to go out and search for another. The use of the image of the earth covering his lord's face gives the reader an exact look at what is happening. The poem contains two speakers that convey the story. It switches back and forth and creates an interesting storyline.

The symbolic part of this poem lets the author create a situation and interpret it through hidden meanings. 'Blowing snow and the blast of winter enfold the earth; night-shadows fall darkly lowering, from the north driving raging hall in wrath upon men. ' (94-97). This quote is showing a comparison between harsh weather and men falling to their doom; shows how the weather represents the harsh times of the early ages.

Basically, this poem's grief is the falling of many warriors and great men and the feeling of loss and misguidance for the character. As in many other literary works, these poems present a sense of individuality and finding a place to belong. Whereas, many times, the authors take their life experiences and convert them into poems or any other written language. Overall, the poems are part of a culture and society as a whole.