APOSTROPHE TO THE OCEAN
What kind of scene is presented in the first three lines?
The first tree lines present the earth and the ocean as a lonely, solitary scene where no one intrudes. The ocean makes music with its waves.
What is the speaker's attitude towards society and nature?
He loves society but loves nature more because through the contact with nature he discovers something about himself; become simpler, and in doing so, becomes part of something larger; Thus he feels what he is not able to express although he cannot hide it.
How does the speaker contrast man's power with that of sea?
Man has complete power over the land, which he ruins, but his power stops on the shore where begins the power of the ocean to wreek the ships and their crews.
How does he describe our power's oblivion?
Man is overwhelmed by the power of the sea and disappears into its depths without even a funeral.
How does the ocean behave towards mankind?
The ocean arises and casts Man away from its bosom, it has no mercy in front of his fear. On the open ocean people are pretty much tost- it is powerful and unpredictable.
What are the speaker's feelings towards the ocean?
When a child, he played by the ocean. Whwn it was stormy, he still loved it. It was a big delight to him then and now. The last metaphor compares his laying his hands on the waves to the way he would lay his hands upon the mane of his horse. This creates an image of trust.
The rhyme scheme
A,B,A,B,B,C,B,C,C.
ASSONANCE line 11= fleets, sweet,thee.
ALLITERATION line 22= for earth's destruction thou dost all despise. line 25= and howling, to his gods, where haply lies.
PARALLELISM linw 1,2,3= There is
PARADOX line 3=society where none intrudes. line 9= what i can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.
APOSTROPHE line 10=roll'. line 28=joy'
PERSONIFICATION stanza CLXXX= contains examples of the personification of the ocean through verbs referring to human action
SIMILE stanza CLLXXIX= drop of rain
SOLECISM line 27= 'there let him lay' instead of 'there let him lie'
OXYMORON line 33= 'pleasing fear'. This device conveys the idea of the sublime.
METAPHOR line 36= and laid my hands upon thy mane-as i do here. The ocean is here presented as a horse which the speaker trusts.