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Literary Devices in "The Seafarer"
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Literary Devices in "The Seafarer"
Translated by Burton Raffel
“Death leaps at the fools who forget their God.” (Raffel, n.d., p. 21, 106).
Metaphor- An implied or direct comparison
Author's Purpose
The author believes God will hold everyone accountable for their actions once they die and everyone that "forgot" about him in life should fear his judgement. This serves as a reminder to worship God in life rather than face his wrath in death.
“When wonderful things were worked among them” (Raffel, n.d., p. 21, 84).
Euphonious Alliteration- Repetition at close intervals of initial consonant words creating
a harmonious sound pattern
Author's Purpose
Euphonious alliteration of the "w" creates a pleasing rhythm and enhances the musicality of the poem.
"The soul stripped
of its flesh knows nothing / Of sweetness or sour, feels no pain…” (Raffel, n.d., p. 21, 94-95).
Personification- Attributing human characteristics to something nonhuman
Author's Purpose
As a person ages their senses begin to fade. Although they lose the ability to feel pain they lose the ability to experience and appreciate the positive aspects of life. These lines accentuate the fleeting nature of life itself and leads the speaker to preach about God.
"Those powers have vanished, those pleasures are dead” (Raffel, n.d., p. 21, 86).
Anaphora- Repetition of the same word or words at the start of two or more lines
Author's Purpose
The speaker believes that there are no longer any glorious rulers and that the world has wasted away. He decides that one should devote himself to God rather than focus on life's futility .
"The world’s honor ages and shrinks, / Bent like the men who mold it...” (Raffel, n.d., p. 21, 89-90).
Simile- A comparison using like or as
Author's Purpose
In these lines, the speaker draws attention to the increasingly impure nature of the world. The sinful essence of men underlines their need for God.
"So summer’s sentinel, the cuckoo, sings” (Raffel, n.d., p. 20, 53).
Euphonious Alliteration- Repetition at close intervals of initial consonant words creating
a harmonious sound pattern
Author's Purpose
The alliteration of the "s" creates a hissing and contributes to a mood of peril.
"And forth in sorrow and fear and pain" (Raffel, n.d., p. 19, 3).
Polysyndeton- Use of conjunctions repeatedly in quick succession
Author's Purpose
In this stanza the speaker describes his seafaring experiences and the suffering that accompanies it which helps establish a melancholic tone.
"Showed me suffering in a hundred ships, / In a thousand ports…” (Raffel, n.d., p. 19, 4-5).
Hyperbole- A claim not intended to be
taken literally; an exaggeration
Author's Purpose
This line describes the speaker's experience with seafaring as a prolonged, dreadful one.
"For a soul overflowing with sin, and nothing / Hidden on earth rises to Heaven" (Raffel, n.d., p. 21, 101-102).
Caesura-
A natural pause in the middle of a line, sometimes coinciding
with punctuation
Author's Purpose
The pause accentuates the meaningless of material possessions and how God's judgement will remain unaffected by one's earthly wealth.
"This tale is true, and mine..." (Raffel, n.d., p.19, 1).
Cacophonous Alliteration- Repetition at close intervals of initial consonant words creating a discordant
sound pattern
Author's Purpose
The speaker utilizes the harsh alliteration of the "t" to create a grim setting.