He studied at warwick school before training as a merchant seaman. Seafever by john masefield i must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, and all i ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, and the wheels kick and the winds song and the white sails shaking, and a grey mist on the seas face and a grey dawn breaking. The first few words of sea fever were in a newspaper quiz that my daughter and i tackle each day. John masefields poem sea fever is a work of art through the use of rhythm, imagery and many multipart figures of speech. Analysis of the poem sea fever by john masefield the poem is about a person whose intense desire is to return to the sea. The poem s consistent message emphasizes the strength of the sailors call and evokes the repetitive sound of the ocean waves. Here, the speaker recalls a time when he and his wife were living in spain, and she became ill. Masefield was appointed british poet laureate in 1930. When masefield at the end of the poem writes when the long tricks over trick is a term from merchant navy slang it means a shift or a watch, a period of being onduty. The persona is longing to go back to the sea and he wishes for the simplici. The tone is melancholic or sad from the beginning as he is longing and yearning to go back to the sea l must down to the seas again. Interestingly, although in the original version of the poem published in 1902 the first line of each stanza is i must down to the seas again, in later versions masefield inserted the word go, altering both the verb and the meter of the refrain.
Ks3, ks2, john masefield, sea fever, poetry, analysis. I must go down to the seas again to the lonely sea and the sky and all i ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by and the wheels kick and the. Seafever by john masefield a database of poetry analysis. Lines one and two contain the common iambic meter found throughout the poem. John masefield 18781967 was an english poet, author, and playwright. I checked in the collected poems of john masefield publ william heinman 1923 page 27 i understand that masefield was talking about sailing when he used the phrase down to the seas and about water in the phrase the lonely sea a distinction that seems to have become lost over the years. Created for a year 7 class as part of a unit of work on treasure island, this lesson invites the children to explore masefields poem, sea fever, identifying the speakers attitude towards the sea and focusing on the use of personification and other language features. Many of the poems had been published in masefields earlier collections, saltwater ballads 1902, ballads 1903 and ballads and poems 1910. Analysis of the poem sea fever by john masefield essay.
Sea fever questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on sea fever. John masefield 18781967 was english poet laureate from 19301967 and published seafever in 1902. John masefields poem sea fever is a work of art that brings beauty to the english language through its use of rhythm, imagery and many complex figures of speech. Seafever by john masefield seafever by john masefield 18781967 i must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, and all i ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, and the wheels kick and the winds song and the white sails shaking, and a grey mist on the seas face, and a grey dawn breaking. The poem is about a man obsessed with the sea and feverishly dreaming of another, perhaps a final, trip to sea. Sea fever may be categorized as a sea chantey due to its iambic meter and natural rhythm which gives it a song like quality. Sea fever poem by john masefield poem hunter comments.
What is meant by the last line of the poem sea fever by. The person or the speaker has been to the sea before and the repetition of the line i must go down to the seas again in every stanza, brings out the speakers longing to experience sea life again. Masefield published it originally with the title hyphenated, and the opening line of each stanza beginning, i must down to the seas again. John masefields sea fever describes the poets love for the sea and desire to live the life of a sailor. To leave this world behind, is death, but when thou from this world wilt go. You would expect that the sea and a dog are two completely unrelated things in this world, but whilst reading this intelligently thought out poem, you come to realise that they are in fact very alike and share many similarities. Saltwater poems and ballads is a book of poetry on themes of seafaring and maritime history by john masefield. John masefield was poet laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967.
Sea fever first appeared in john masefields 1902 poetry collection, saltwater ballads. I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, and all i ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, and the wheels kick and the winds song and the white sails shaking, and a gray mist on the seas face, and a gray dawn breaking. Sea fever by john masefield by leiyana gonzales on prezi. Analysis of sea fever by john masefield word count. Related posts about analysis of the poem sea fever by john masefield. And the wheels kick and the winds song and the white sails shaking, and a grey mist on the sea s face, and a grey dawn breaking. The meter in sea fever follows the movement of the tall ship in rough water through its use of iambs and hard hitting spondees. The poem being nostalgic in nature and the speaker reminiscing his life at sea creates many emotions and reflected in the tone of the poetry.
Sea fever i must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky i must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky the academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets. In 1895, he deserted his ship in new york city and worked there in a carpet factory before returning to london to write poems describing his experience at sea. Unhappy at boarding school, masefield left to become a merchant seaman at the age of 15. The persona hears the call of the sea and it is a must to answer the call. Masefield employs many poetic devices in his lyric poem, effectively conveying the speakers wanderlust and love of. John masefields poem sea fever is a work of art that brings beauty to the english language through its use.
Sea fever analysis essay example for students 1171. British poet john edward masefield was born in herefordshire. Sea fever is one of english poet john masefields bestknown works. Constance crommelin, a descendant of the huguenots who had fled france to northern ireland because of roman catholic persecution, was 35 years old at the meeting. The meter in sea fever follows the movement of the ship in rough water through the use of iambs and spondees. I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide.
Analysis of sea fever by john masefield and other kinds of academic papers in our essays database at many essays. Sea fever is an excellent example of varied meter which follows the actions of a tall ship through high seas and strong wind. It was first published in 1916 by macmillan, with illustrations by charles pears. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Sea fever by john masefield academy of american poets. Sea fever, one of, if not the widest known poem of masefields, appeared in this book when masefield was 23, he met the woman who was to become his wife. This poem is one in a series written by ted hughes, addressing his wife, the american poet sylvia plath, who committed suicide in 1963. When the poem is as famous and easy to find as seafever, i really dont see the need to post the text. The meter in sea fever follows the movement of the tall ship in rough water through its use of iambs and hard hitting. Ive know this poem by heart for many years, but theres a problem i didnt know about.
Sea fever by john masefield poems academy of american. Seafever by john masefield i must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky. She was amazed that i could complete the first line but i couldnt remember the authors. Sea fever by john masefield i must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky. Analysis of sea fever by john masefield essay many essays. Sea fever by john masefield poem in depth analysis sea fever poem in. I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky. Seafever by john masefield the poem seafever by john masefield, depicts a sense of urgency to return to the sea.
A somewhat technical explanation, including various helpful examples. Analysis of the seaby james reeves essay 794 words. Although written primarily in iambic meter, the meter in sea fever varies. After reading the poem, i see that the fever is not an illness, but an obsession. The collection was influenced by masefields own years spent at sea during his teens. Read analysis of sea fever by john masefield free essay and over 89,000 other research documents. Among his best known works are the childrens novels the midnight folk and the box of delights, and the poems the everlasting mercy and seafever. Full text of john masefield see other formats john masefield john all of life is material for his seeing eye and his thinking heart, as he makes the wonderful familiar and the familiar wonderful edwin markham 1 john masefield cecure in a high place in the ranks of english writers, john masefield has attained that enviable position through various means. Both his parents died while he was a child, and at the age of thirteen, annoyed with johns addiction to reading, the aunt in charge of caring for him sent him off to train for a life as a sailor. Get an answer for what is meant by the last line of the poem sea fever by john masefield. I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, and all i ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.
Analysis of sea fever by john masefield essays poetry. Get this resource as part of a bundle and save up to 82%. You lay helpless and a little bit crazy with the fever. The poems consistent message emphasizes the strength of the sailors call and evokes the repetitive sound of the ocean waves. I must down go to the seas again, for the call of the running tide. He studied at kings school in warwick before training as a merchant seaman. And the wheels kick and the winds song and the white sails shaking, and a grey mist on the seas face, and a grey dawn breaking.
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