"Break, Break, Break"

Paper Summary:

The poem "Break, Break, Break" is a powerful expression of bereavement and irrecoverable loss. It was written by Lord Alfred Tennyson, probably in 1834, following the sudden death of his very close friend, Arthur Hallam, the previous year. This paper proves a critical analysis of the poem taking into account form, style and language and the ways in which these contribute to the expression of feeling.

From the Paper:

"In the first stanza, Tennyson is so paralysed by the grief he is feeling that he cannot find the words to express and release his emotions even though he wants to. 'And I would that my tongue could utter/The thoughts that arise in me'. The second and third stanzas give way to external influences on Tennyson's feelings - such as the fisherman's boy and what he sees on the water - and are framed by his very internal emotions in his address to the sea in stanzas one and four. This circular structure of the poem creates the imagery of the circle of life and the inevitability of old age and death."

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