Introduction – Break, break, break is a well known poem written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It is written by the poet in the memory of his Late friend Arthur Hallam who got died in year 1833. This poem was written in 1835 but first published in 1842. It is an elegy.
Central Idea – Poet is in the state of sorrow due to death of his friend. Sea is a symbol of world which tries to awake the poet from this state. The activities going around the poet shows him to move on in the life. But poet is not able to forget the death of his friend.
Themes
1. Friendship – Poet lost his dear friend and now he is in deep sorrow. He is numb and worldly activities are not affecting him at all. His friendship with Arthur Hallam is of highest state and that’s why death of the later has sent the poet in such state.
2. Death is truth of life – Poem tries to state that death comes to all and it’s the ultimate truth. We should move on in the life after losing near and dear ones.
3. Personal Sorrow – Poet’s sorrow is also a strong theme of this poem. Poet despite understanding the law of life that we have to move on in life, his sorrow is not diminishing. He ends the poem in state of lamentation with these lines-
“the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me”.
Figure of Speech
- Anaphora – Repetition of ‘Break, break, break’ has Anaphora. It is a device in which same word is repeated multiple times in a rhythm.
- Extended Metaphor – ‘Sea’ throughout the poem represents this world.
- Synecdoche – ‘Vanished hand’ is a synecdoche used for Arthur Hallam. Synecdoche is a device in which a part of body is used to represent the whole body.
- Repetition – ‘Break break break’ and ‘O well’ are repeated in the poem. It shows poet is giving emphasis.
- Enjambment –
Break, break, break,
On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
If you read these lines then you will find that first line is continued in the second and third into fourth. This is Enjambment.
Autobiographical – Arthur Henry Hallam was an English Poet who became subject of poems like ‘In Memorium’ and ‘Break break break’ written by Alfred Tennyson. Death of A.H.H. made the poet extremely sad. This sadness is subject of this poem too. Hence this makes the poem autobiographical.
Structure and Rhyme scheme – Poem has four quatrains and rhyme scheme is ABCB where second line is rhyming with fourth line in every stanza.
For reading my post on critical appreciation of ‘The Solitary Reaper’ click here
For reading critical appreciation of ‘Ulysses’ of Alfred Tennyson Click here
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