Wednesday, October 24, 2012

"Crossing the Bar"


“Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Tennyson employs symbolism throughout the poem. It is about the journey towards death and that it may come unexpectedly. “And may there be no sadness of farewell when I embark.” This line portrays the speakers view of death as a journey. In addition, it also reveals that the speaker does not want his friends and family to be sad when he dies. “I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar.” This line reveals a subtle eagerness towards death. Pilot symbolizes God because it is capitalized and it refers to seeing a person after the speaker has died.  Crossing the bar symbolizes the transition from life on earth to eternal life through death. Because death means that the speaker will move onto eternal life, he or she is accepting of it and thinks of death in a positive light.

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