Critically evaluate The poemBreak, Break, Break–Tennyson

          Lord Alfred Tennyson was the most popular poets of the English Victorian Ages. His poetry was read in all cultured households; he was made Poet Laureate and was buried in Westminster Abbey. His poetry was an epitome of his time. According to W. J. Long “Through the entire Victorian period Tennyson stood of the summit of the poetry in England”

          The poem ‘Break, Break and Break’ is one of the best known of Tennyson’s short poems. It is derived from the volume ‘In Memoriam’ which express the poet’s grief over the premature death of his friend Arthur Henry Hallam. The poet’s powerful feelings for his friends and the loneliness caused by his friend are very nicely shown in the poem.

          Title is always an outward impression of any literary works. In literature, titles are generally given on the central incidents, or on the name of the hero or heroine or over the general meaning of the work. As P. K. Thakar in his book, “Appreciating English poetry says,

“The real meaning of

poetry is always hidden.

          Here the title ‘Break, Break and Break’ is very much meaningful. When the waves of the sea break on the rocks near the shore, it makes a sound which makes poet unhappy. It gives tragic feeling and remembering his friend who is dead. The title expresses sorrow, agony, and aloofness of poet. In this way, the title is very suggestive and apt.

            The poem is full of deep pathos. It mourns the death of the poet’s friend. Tennyson expresses his deep sorrow by repeating the word ‘break’. Tennyson compares his fate with that of other ‘Fisherman,’ ‘Sailor’ etc. No object of nature is affected by the death of his friend. The poet’s heart is filled with grief. He longs for the touch of the vanished hand and to hear the silenced voice. The description of ‘the voice that is still’ and ‘Vanished hand’ suggest the death and emptiness in poet’s life that is central idea of the poem.

          The scene of the poem is probably Clevedon, a little watering place on the Bristol Channel. The poet is sitting on shore and addresses the sea. The poem opens with three repeated word ‘Break’. On the shore, the waves are continuously tossing up on the gray stone and the poet’s heart is filled up with many sweet memories of his friends. It inspires the poet to think about his dead friend and expresses the feelings of great loss and emptiness which such a death leaves behind. As the poet says,

“And I would that my tongue could utter

The thought that arise in me.

          This feeling of the poet is developed greatly by the three sharp contrasting pictures in second stanza. The pictures are very short and simple and show how powerfully the poet could create an appeal. The picture is about the cheerful life of fisherman’s playing with sister. He shouts contrary to the poet’s mood that is very much sad.

          Tennyson also expresses the joy of sailor who sings in his boat. This shows the each and every person connected with the sea is happy but he is not because he took away his friend from him. He longs for the touch of the vanished hand and to hear the silenced voice. He says,

And the sound of a voice that is still.

“But O for the touch of a vanish’d hand,

          In the third stanza, the poet turns for the gay aspect of nature to the sadness of his life when he sees the huge ship going on the sea but he misses the touch of his friend who is now appeared and far away forms him. The poet still remembers his friend’s sound that means his talks and thoughts. By this, he shows that the physical distance between both can not destroy the feeling of their relationship.  

          In the last stanza, the poet repeats the same words ‘break break break’. He ends with the sorrowful remarks that the day of his life spent with particular friend are gone and they will never return to him. As he says in the last lines,

 “But the tender grace of a day that is dead  

Will never come back to me.

          The style of poem ‘Break Break Break’ is very remarkable. The repeated use of ‘Break’ creates some kind of musical effect in the reader’s mind. Moreover, Tennyson The poet has tried to bring musicality through alliteration.

            1. The thought that arise in me. 2.  Haven under the hill.

          Repetition of sound at line ends, called Rhymes. The main function of Rhyme is to define or isolate the individual line of hence and also link different lines of here together. The poem has remarkable rhyme. - Sea-me. - Hill-still. - Pay-bay.

          Apart from Rhyme, the poet has also used various Rhythm to show the different impression of waves over the reader. We also find some symbols as “cold gray stones” – probably refer to the stones of the churchyard of Clevedon. Haven –usually refers to the visible sky but here it refers to shelter for ship that is part.

          This way ‘Break, Break, Break’ is an excellent lyrical poem based on a contrast where the poet’s personal sorrow is seen against the usual picture of life. It deals with Tennyson’s miseries caused death of his friend. The poet has expressed his grief, sense of separation, longingness in the poem. Through the poem, we are made to feel the pathos of the permanent loss that death creates for a human being. It is the superb combination of thought and musicality as Edward Albert says,

“This lyric has a brevity,

unity and simple earnestness

of emotion that make it

truly great.”

Style of ‘if’

          The style of the poem ‘If’ is very simple like prose. Most of the lines start with ‘If’ that is a condition. All things are dependent on ‘If ’.Besides the tone of the poem is moralizing. The rhyme scheme runs ‘ab ab cd cd’. In a short the poem is simple but having a great meaning. 

As far as poetic style is concerned, ‘The Wild Swans’ is written in a style of typical nature poetry. The poem has remarkable rhyming words. Dry-sky. Count-mount

          Alliteration is a repetition of the same sound at the beginning of one  or two words in a line. This poetic quality gives a special style to the poem. e.g.

The bell-beat of their wings above my head. In this line, /b/ sound is used.

Poet has used the figure ‘nine’ in most magical way, first he says nine and fifty swans and then he adds that ‘the nineteenth autumn has come upon me’. This shows the representation of past and present. The word ‘Twilight’ is used for two times. First poet tells ‘October twilight the water’ for good sense and then hearing at twilight for the negativity of the poet.