I was a reporter a couple of years back for Estonian Television. Sadly the clips can not be embedded as the material is archived by ERR. But the links are listed down here for your viewing pleasure :):
http://arhiiv.err.ee/vaata/peole-1
http://arhiiv.err.ee/vaata/peole-2
http://arhiiv.err.ee/vaata/peole-3
http://arhiiv.err.ee/vaata/peole-4
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Ignorantne valija ehk põhjus miks demokraatia ei toimi (Essee)
Ignorantne valija ehk põhjus miks demokraatia ei toimi
Sten-Robert Pullerits
Demokraatiat peetakse tihti võimalikest valitsusvormidest parimaks, kuid tegemist on siiski ideaaliga ning ideaalset demokraatlikku ühiskonda ei eksisteeri. Käesolev essee keskendub ühele nendest põhjustest, miks demokraatia ei toimi, ning selleks on ignorantne valijaskond. Töös analüüsitud kirjandus ei väida, et demokraatia halb oleks ega esita sellele paremini toimivat süsteemi, vaid pigem keskendub demokraatia kriitikale, mis väidab et demokraatia ei ole mitmel põhjusel võimalik või on defektne. Demokraatia kriitika jaguneb parem- ja vasakpoolseks (Gilley 2009). Parempoolne demokraatia kriitika keskendub esmalt kodanikele endale, väites, et kodanikud on liiga ignorantsed või rumalad et teha valitsemist puudutavaid otsuseid. Demokraatia ei toimi, kuna demos on defektne. Ignorantsust rõhutava kriitika peamiseks näiteks on Ameerika Ühendriikide teadusajakiri Critical Review (Gilley 2009: 117). Selle essee keskseks väiteks on seega, et demokraatia on defektne, kuna valijaskond on ignorantne. Ignorantse valijaskonna tõttu ei saa demokraatia toimida nii nagu ta on ette nähtud toimima. Töö eesmärk on välja tuua peamised poliitilise ignorantsuse põhjused, selle mõju demokraatiale ning mõned ideed, kuidas valijaskonna halba mõju demokraataiale vähendada.
Ignorantsust võib tõlgendada kui indiviidi mitteinformeeritust mingi fakti, nähtuse, muutuja või tunnuse osas (Congleton 2001: 39). Avaliku poliitika kontekstis ilmneb ignorantsus kui individuaali valik mitte koguda või arvesse võtta informatsiooni vähemalt mõne olulise avaliku poliitika dimensiooni kohta (Congleton 2001: 38). Sellele tuginedes saame öelda, et ignorantse valija all mõeldakse valija ebapiisavat informeeritust.
Mure valijaskonna ignorantsuse üle ei ole Läänes uus idee: Platon, Aristoteles ja Mill näiteks arvasid samuti, et ignorantne kodanik on demokraatia üks suurimaid puuduseid (Somin 2004: 20). Demokraatlik kodanik peaks olema hästi informeeritud poliitiliste küsimuste osas. Kodanik peaks teadma millised probleemid eksisteerivad, peaks teadma nende probleemide ajalugu, peaks teadma olulisi poliitika alaseid fakte, võimalikke alternatiive, erinevate parteide seisukohti ning tehtava valiku võimalikke tagajärgi - valija nendele standarditele aga ei vasta (Bartels 1996: 195-196). Kompetentne kodanik ei pea poliitika-alane ekspert, kuid on kindel tase, alla mille kodanikud ei ole võimelised tegema poliitiliselt põhjendatud otsuseid (Galston 2001: 218). Mitmed vaatlejad nagu Bryce, Lippmann ja Dahl leiavad, et poliitiline ignorantsus on vältimatu demokraatliku poliitika osa ( Bartels 1996: 194). Kodanike ignorantsust on seega juba pikka aega demokraatia alases kirjanduses teadvustatud ning demokraatia oluliseks probleemiks peetud.
On mitmeid küsimusi, millest kodanikud peaksid teadma, et intelligentselt hääletada. Informeeritud kodanik peaks olema küllaltki teadlik poliitikast toimuvast. Kahjuks on aga perfektselt informeeritud valija ideaal, mida tegelikkuses ei eksisteeri, kuid siiski võib eeldada, et hästi ja halvasti informeeritud kodanikel on võimalik ühiskonnas kindlasti vahet teha. Põhjalikult või ebaadekvaatselt informeeritud kodanike ära tundmiseks on võimalik läbi viia uuringuid, kus kodanikelt küsitakse erinevaid poliitika-alaseid küsimusi, mis sisaldavad fakte, probleeme, probleemide ajalugu, parteide seisukohti ning erinevate valikute võimalikke tagajärgi. Selliste uuringute põhjal on võimalik kodanikud jaotada näiteks väga kõrgelt, üsna kõrgelt, keskmiselt, üsna madalat või väga madalalt informeerituks. Sellise jaotuse on teinud näiteks Bartels oma 1996. aastal avaldatud uuringus. Kuid ignorantse valijaskonna ära tundmise võimalused ei ole käesoleva töö eesmärk. Siiski võib leida mitmeid uuringuid, mis kodanike ignorantsust ka kinnitavad. Ignorantse ning informeeritud kodaniku eristamiseks on tõenäoliselt ainus võimalus uurija subjektiivne hinnang sel teemal.
Üheks võimaluseks seletada valijaskonna ignorantsust on väide, et lihtsalt on ratsionaalne ennast mitte kurssi viia poliitika alase informatsiooniga. Ratsionaalse ignorantsuse ideed väidavad, et ühel inimesel on võimatu valimistulemusi mõjutada ning seetõttu võib intelligentsel ja muidu perfektselt ratsionaalsel kodanikul olla vähe motivatsiooni poliitika alaste teadmiste omandamiseks (Somin 2006: 3). Somin arvab, et on ratsionaalne hääletada, kui valija tasakaalustab minimaalse individuualse hääletamise kulu olulise sotsiaalse kasuga, kuid kulu enda informeerimiseks poliitikast on palju kõrgem kui hääletamise tulu (Somin 2006: 6). Hoolimata ühe hääle ebaolulisusest valimistulemuste mõjutajana ning ratsionaalsest ignorantsusest käivad paljud valimas. Üks võimalik seletus sellele on, et paljud inimesed tunnevad moraalset kohustust valimas käia, hääletades oleks nad nagu õiglasemad kuna nad täidavad oma osa (Hardin 2006: 184). Nendele näidetele tuginedes võib väita, et poliitiliste teadmiste omandamine nõuab valijalt liiga palju resursse, kuid valimas käib ta ikka ehk tegemist on ignorantse valijaga.
Tihti omavad valijad aga informatsiooni nende eelistatud partei ning nende ideoloogia kohta. Somin võrdleb neid spordifännidega, nende eesmärk ei ole hääletada „intelligentselt“, vaid nautida protsessi, kus indiviid seob ennast mingi partei ning selle ideoloogiaga. Somin toob näite spordivaldkonnast, kus näiteks mingi X meeskonna austaja ei saa mõjutada mängu tulemust, kuid siiski kogub ta informatsiooni meeskonna kohta, sest see suurendab naudingut enda seostamisest mingi meeskonnaga (Somin 2006: 7). Võrdlusmomendi võib tuua poliitikast, kus valijad, kes vihkavad näiteks ühte presidendikandidaati ning vastaspool olevad valijad, kes kaitsevad seda kandidaati kriitika eest, võivad omandada informatsiooni, et lihtsalt suurendada rõõmutunnet eelistatud poliitilise meeskonna suhtes. Kuid need valijad ei omanda võrdse mahuga informatsiooni vastaskandidaadi kohta, mis tõttu on nende info teema kohta puudulik ning see ei saa viia ratsionaalse hääletuseni.
Ka valimissüsteem on ignorantsusega seotud, kuna proportsionaalne süsteem toob kaasa hulga erinevaid parteisi, seega on valijatel vaja omada ka palju rohkem informatsiooni parteipositsioonide kohta. Proportsionaalse valimissüsteemi korral peaksid valijad proovima ka ette näha, et milline koalitsioonivalitsus võiks tekkida pärast valimisi. Majoritaarse süsteemi korral on valijatel otsuse tegemiseks vaja hankida oluliselt vähem informatsiooni (Somin 2006: 24-25). Majoritaarses valimissüteemis on tavaliselt kaks olulist parteid ning valijatel seega ka lihtsam ratsionaalseks hääletamiseks vajalikku informatsiooni hankida.
Miks on valijaskonna informeeritus oluline? Kodanike teadmised aitavad neil aru saada nende huvidest individuaalidena ning grupiliikmetena. Kui kodanikel puudub elementaarne teadmiste tase poliitilistest institutsioonidest ning protsessidest, siis on neil keeruline aru saada poliitilistest sündmustest. Teadmised võivad muuta kodanike vaateid erinevate avalike küsimuste suhtes. Mida rohkem on kodanikel teadmisi, seda paremini tajuvad nad poliitilist elu. Kodanike teadmised edendavad toetust demokraatlikele väärtustele ning edendavad ka poliitilist osalust (Galston 2001: 223-224). Informeeritud valjaskond on demokraatia eeltingimuseks, sest kui valijaskond ei ole informeeritud poliitikas toimuvast, siis ei saa nad ratsionaalselt teostada kontrolli valitsuse poliitika üle (Somin 2004: 2).
Valijaskonna poliitika alane informeeritus on demokraatia eeltingimuseks, kuid milles väljendub ignorantsete kodanike mõju demokraatiale? Halvasti informeeritud valijad on sageli toodud välja ühe põhjusena, miks niiöelda poliitiline turg ei toimi efektiivselt (Wittman 1989: 1395). Somin (2004: 2) toob välja kaks peamist ignorantsete kodanike tagajärge demokraatiale. Ignorantsete kodanike poolt valitud valitsus ei peegelda kodanike huve. Samuti soodustab ignorantsus seda, et valitsus ei käitu valijate huvides, kuna valijaskonna ignorantsus võimaldab valitsejatel manipuleerida üldsust (Somin 2006: 20). Ignorantsete kodanike tõttu ei ole rahvas võimeline kontrollima valitsust ja allub kergesti manipulatsioonile ning propagandale ehk valijad ei ole teadlikud enda huvidest.
Kuigi üldiselt tunduvad kodanike ignorantsuse väited ning selle põhjused veenvad, ei olda ignorantsuse negatiivses mõjus demokraatiale alati nõus. Wittman (1989: 400) küll nõustub sellega, et valijad ei ole poliitika alal perfektselt informeeritud, kuid siiski ei ole vaja efektiivse poliitilise turu saavutamiseks perfektselt informeeritud kodanikke. Valija jaoks on piisav leida sarnaste eelistustega inimene või organisatsioon ning küsida nõu, kuidas hääletada. Uuringutest on leitud, et 95 protsenti populatsioonist on ignorantsed ning hääletavad juhuslikult, kuid paremini informeeritud viis protsenti on siiski need, kes juhivad rahva parima valikuni (Gilley 2009: 120). Politoloogide poolt on ka tihti väidetud, et kui valijad ei ole adekvaatselt informeeritud, siis nad võivad selle kompenseerida ka niinimetatud informatsiooni „otseteid kasutades.“ Peamisteks otseteedeks on informatsioon igapäevaelust, poliitilised parteid, arvamusliirite märkused, tagasivaatav hääletamine (Somin 2004: 9). Otseteede probleemiks on aga see, et valijad ei hangi informatsiooni mitte selleks, et informeeritumalt hääletada, et osata teha valikut paremate ja halvemate kandidaatide vahel, vaid hoopis meelelahtuslikul põhjusel või et rahuldada mingeid muid psühholoogilisi vajadusi (Somin 2006: 10). Gilley poolt mainitud hästi informeeritud viis protsenti populatsioonist on järelikult need, keda võib informatsiooni otseteena kasutada. Somin (2004: 12) aga väidab, et selle viis protsenti moodustavate poliitiliste aktivistide demograafilised ning sotsiaalmajanduslikud iseloomujooned erinevad oluliselt suurema osa populatsiooni omadest ning aktivistid on ka tavaliselt oma vaadetelt ekstreemsemad. Informatsiooni hankimine arvamusliidritelt nõuab valiku tegemist, et millise liidri arvamust usaldada, kuid see ei ole võimalik ilma teadmisteta.
Ignorantne valijaskond on demokraatia probleemiks ning eelnevaid väiteid vaadates võib järeldada, et demokraatia toimiks paremini, kui valijaskond oleks piisavalt informeeritud. Mis aga aitaks vähendada defektse demose negatiivset mõju demokraatiale? Somin (2004) on toonud välja kaks peamist lahendust ignorantse valjaskonna negatiivse mõju vähendamiseks: valitsuse võimu piiramine ning detsentraliseerimine. Piiratud võimuga valitsus võib vähendada ignorantsuse probleemi, kuna väheneb valitsuse poolt tehtavate otsuste hulk ning valijatel on kergem ennast nendega kursis hoida. Seega kui valitsus oleks ainult „öövaht“, siis oleks valijatel vaja hankida vähem informatsiooni, et olla poliitikaga kursis ning nad suudaks seega ka efektiivselt valitsust kontrollida. Mida suurem on valitsuse roll ühiskonnas seda rohkem ressursse on vajalik kulutada informatsiooni hankimisele ning suurem osa valijaskonnast ei pea ratsionaalseks ennast poliitikaga kursis hoida. Tänapäevase valitsuse suuruse ja ulatuse tõttu ei ole isegi poliitikast huvitatumal ühiskonnakihil võimalik ennast kõigega kurssi viia (Somin 2004: 18). Valitsuse võimu vähendamise all peetakse silmas selle osade funktsioonide kandmist erasektorisse, kuid see aitab ainult vähendada vajamineva informatsiooni kogust niinimetatud poliitilisel turul, samas ei tähenda see seda, et erasektoris intelligentsete valikute tegemiseks ei ole vaja informatsiooni ning kõik kodanikud ka selleks suutelised oleks. Teiseks võimaluseks aga ignorantse valijaskonna negatiivse mõju vähendamiseks oleks detsentraliseerimine. Detsentraliseerimise korral on võimalik „jalgadega hääletada,“ mis tähendab seda, et kui indiviid tunneb, et näiteks tema elukohaks oleva osariigi valitsuse tegevus ei vasta tema huvidele, siis võib ta kolida teise osariiki, kus on parem elada. Niinimetatud „jalgadega hääletamine“ suhteliselt detsentraliseeritud süsteemis võib viia palju suurema enamuse kontrollini valitsuse üle kui valimistel hääletamine.Valitsused on huvitatud uutest elanikest ning firmadest kes makse maksaksid ning see avaldab mõju osariigi poliitikale ning teiselt poolt on loomulikult ka teised osariigid huvitatud, et elanikud jääksid samma kohta elama. Individuaalid võivad näha palju rohkem vaeva hankimaks informatsiooni osariigi kohta, kus on parem elada ning efektiivne „jalgadega hääletamine“ võib nõuda palju vähem detailsemat informatsiooni kui valimistel hääletamine (Somin 2006: 21-22). Iseenesest mõistetav on, et valitsused on huvitatud, et maksumaksjad ei lahkuks tema valitsemise all olevast piirkonnast, kuid siiski ei pruugi „jalgadega hääletamine“ detsentraliseeritud riigis olla kodaniku jaoks nii lihtne valik. Mingis kindlas osariigis elavat indiviidi võivad seal kinni hoida emotsionaalsed põhjused, sotsiaalsed sidemed ning muud olulised tegurid ning nende tõttu ei pruugi indiviid valida „jalgadega hääletamist“ hoolimata valitsuse mitterahuldavast poliitikast. Jalgadega hääletamiseks ei ole aga vajalik isegi riigi detsentraliseerimine. Euroopa Liidus tänu tööjõu vabale liikumisele võib samuti mainitud hääletamisviis toimuda ning selleks on vajalik ainult informatsioon töövõimaluste ning eluasemevõimaluste kohta sihtriigis ning ma arvan, et kahtlemata on kodanikul motivatsiooni seda informatsiooni ka omandada. Valitsuse võimu vähendamine ning detsentraliseerimine võivad küll teatud määral ignorantse valijaskonna negatiivset mõju vähendada, kuid siiski ei pruugi detsentraliseeritud riigis iga kodanik hakata „jalgadega hääletama“ ning samuti ei pruugi kodanik ka erasektoris intelligentsete valikute langetamiseks vajalikku informatsiooni omandada.
Samas võiks ka eeldada, et infokommunikatsiooni tehnoloogiate järjest laialdasem levik võib aidata kodanikel odavamalt ja kiiremalt omandada poliitika alast informatsiooni ning seega võiks vähendada ignorantsust. Siiski on endiselt ühe hääle mõju valimistulemustele olematu ning tehnoloogia areng ja laialdasem levik ei ole ignorantsuse vähenemise lahenduseks. Samuti ei tähenda internetiühendusega arvutile ligipääs veel ilmtingimata seda, et hääletamisest saadud kasu on ilmtingimata ka suurem informatsiooni hankimisele kulutatud ressurssidest. Kui aga pidada peamiseks psühholoogilisi takistusi, siis ei pruugi ka seetõttu infokommunikatsiooni tehnoloogiate areng ja levik ignorantsust vähendada. Samas kui peamine on siiski niinimetatud ratsionaalne ignorantsus, siis võiks eeldada, et see tegur omab teatud positiivset mõju kodanike poliitika-alasele informeeritusele.
Demokraatia jaoks on kahtlemata vajalik informeeritud valijaskond, kes oleks pädev analüüsimaks objektiivselt erinevate valikute võimalikke positiivseid ning negatiivseid külgi. Siiski näiteks ratsionaalse ignorantsuse hüpoteeside kohaselt ei ole suuremal osal valijaskonnast ratsionaalne omandada poliitika alast informatsiooni, et valimistel kaalutletud otsust langetada - lihtsalt kulud ületavad tulusi, sest üks hääl ei mõjuta valimistulemust. Ignorantne valijaskond on üks võimalus seletamaks, miks demokraatia ei toimi nii nagu ta peaks toimima ideaalis. Ignorantse valjaskonna tõttu ei suuda kodanikud kontrollida valitsust, valitsus ei käitu kodanike huvides ning kodanikud muutuvad ka eliidi poolt kergesti manipuleeritavaks. Kuigi valijaskonna ebaadekvaatne informeeritus ning selle põhjendus on küllaltki veenev, on siiski vaieldav, kas sellel ignorantsusel on nii suur mõju demokraatiale ning kas läbi informatsiooni „otseteede“ ei ole võimalik ennast poliitikaga piisavalt kurssi viia, et intelligentselt hääletada. Ignorantse valijaskonna negatiivset efekti oleks võimalik küll vähendada valitsuse võimu piiramise ning riigi detsentraliseerimisega, kuid nendel käikudel võivad olla negatiivsed tagajärjed. Käesolev essee pakkus välja ühe võimaluse seletamaks, miks demokraatia ei toimi. Kindlasti võivad defektset demokraatiat põhjustada ka mitmed muud tegurid, ignorantne valija ei pruugi olla peamine põhjus, ning käesolevate väidetega on võimalik põhjendatult mitte nõustuda. Siiski tuleb arvestada sellega, et valijaskond ei pruugi piisavalt informatsiooni omada ning seega tuleks ka leida võimalusi, kuidas halvasti informeeritud valijate negatiivset mõju demokraatiale vähendada ehk kuidas suurendada valijaskonna informeeritust.
Kasutatud kirjandus
Congleton, Robert D (2001) „Rational Ignorance, rational voter expectations, and public policy: A discrete informational foundation for fiscal illusion.“ Public Choice, 107, 35-64.
Bennet, Earl. (2006) „Know-Nothings Revisited Again.“ Political Behavior, 18(3), 219-233.
Galston, William A. (2001) „Political Knowledge, Political Engagement, and Civic Education.“ Annual Review of Political Science, 4(1), 217-234.
Hardin, Russell. (2006) „Ignorant Democracy.“ Critical Review, 18(1), 179-195.
Hyman, Herbert H. Sheatsley, Paul B. (1947) „Some Reasons Why Information Campaigns Fail.“ 11(3), 412-423).
Somin Ilya. (1998) „Voter Ignorance and Democratic Ideal.“ Critical Review, 12(4), 413-458.
Somin, Ilya. (2004) „When Ignorance Isn’t Blass: How Political Ignorance Threatens Democracy.“ Policy Analysis, 525, 1-28.
Somin, Ilya. (2006) „Knowledge About Ignorance: New Directions in the Study of Political Information.“ Critical Review, 18(1-2), 6-30.
Wittman, Donald. (1989) „Why Democracies Produce Efficient Results.“ The Journal of Political Economy, 97(6), 1395-1424.
Poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson (Analysis)
Alfred Lord Tennyson's poetry
Alfred Lord Tennyson as all other poets had many different themes he wrote about. For the sake of analysis I have picked three of these themes which, in my humble opinion, are the most important. These themes are: the coming and happening of the inevitable, love and poets/poetry. The purpose of this small writing is to compare, bring examples and analyze poetry written about those topics.
The happening of the inevitable I find the most interesting for it shows the realistic side of Tennyson, meaning that Tennyson can be thought to be more like a philosopher, pondering over life and future, than a poet. Which of course he is but the philosophical side of him asks the reader to think along with him as well to actually “choose a side”, which creates more emotions than just reading through stanza after stanza of descriptions only to come to a conclusion the author thought of. By “choosing a side” I mean that when one writes of something inevitable he states that the topic discussed is like it is. The reader, at that moment, can really choose either he or she agrees with ones written views on that certain topic or he/she does not. For example, Tennyson's views on life and death are quite clear and he presents these ideas as a logical, well-structured argumentation. The one reading it, as I mentioned, can choose a side, either to support Tennyson's arguments about life and death or ponder over them themselves, leading to another idea. Either way the purpose of a poem (for example) “Life and death” is fulfilled, being the fact that Tennyson wanted to write about life and death – no matter how the reader understands that. As I already said there are many poems by Tennyson that deal with the inevitable and the theme can be found among many works written by him even if the whole poem is not about the inevitable itself, but it is intertwined with other works as well. Poems like “All things will die” and “The death of the old year” are great examples of inevitable things and as well as contradictions leading towards individual understanding of these works:
“All things will die”
Yet all things must die.
The stream will cease to flow;
The wind will cease to blow;
The clouds will cease to fleet;
The heart will cease to beat;
For all things must die.
All things must die.
[...]
And the old earth must die.
So let the warm winds range,
And the blue wave beat the shore;
For even and morn
Ye will never see
Thro’ eternity.
All things were born.
Ye will come never more,
For all things must die.
“The death of the old year”
Old year lies a-dying.
Old year, you must not die;
You came to us so readily,
You lived with us so steadily,
Old year, you shall not die.
[...]
Step from the corpse, and let him in
That standeth there alone,
And waiteth at the door.
There’s a new foot on the floor, my friend,
And a new face at the door, my friend,
A new face at the door.
Both of these poems speak of ending of something or ending of everything. Everything (life, old earth, rivers, clouds, streams as well as years) end at some point. Tennyson sees that everything ends and it should end at some point. There is another point, however, in “The death of the old year”. He admits that everything ends but he also thinks that every end is a beginning to something new. Perfect examples of inevitability.
Another important theme Tennyson wrote about is love, which is nothing to be wondered about for almost every last poet has wrote about love, in some sense at least. Tennyson wrote about love from different perspectives and of everything it causes. That is why there are so many poems of love written by him, but that is not a surprise as well, for love is possibly something unexplainable and can be understood only if felt. Reading something written about affection can only give you a vague idea of what the author means or feels, if you have not felt at least something similar to the described point. Different conceptions of love are best described by poems “The burial of love”, “Love and death” and “Love thou thy land, with love far-brought”.
“The burial of love”
His eyes in eclipse,
Pale-cold his lips,
The light of his hopes unfed,
Mute his tongue,
His bow unstrung
With the tears he hath shed,
Backward drooping his graceful head,
Love is dead:
His last arrow is sped;
He hath not another dart;
Go–carry him to his dark deathbed;
Bury him in the cold, cold heart–
Love is dead.
[...]
“Love and death”
What time the mighty moon was gathering light
Love paced the thymy plots of Paradise,
And all about him roll’d his lustrous eyes;
When, turning round a cassia, full in view,
Death, walking all alone beneath a yew,
And talking to himself, first met his sight.
‘You must begone,’ said Death, ‘these walks are mine.’
Love wept and spread his sheeny vans for flight;
Yet ere he parted said, ‘This hour is thine:
Thou art the shadow of life, and as the tree
Stands in the sun and shadows all beneath,
So in the light of great eternity
Life eminent creates the shade of death.
The shadow passeth when the tree shall fall,
But I shall reign for ever over all.’
“Love thou thy land, with love far-brought”
Love thou thy land, with love far-brought
From out the storied past, and used
Within the present, but transfused
Thro’ future time by power of thought
[...]
As one can understand there really are different kinds of love described. The first poem concentrates on the pain or the loss of love (or the loss of a loved one), which is actually something inevitable but not in the sense as the “All things will die”. There are, however connections between those as well for the loss of of love at some point is quite certain. The second poem focuses mostly on the strength of love and it's victory over death. It is contradictory to the first poem and not only in the sense that it has a more positive feel towards love, but that it implies to the fact that love is not lost or dead after it ends, but the love even continues after death. Maybe in the sense of the people left behind the loved one who died but maybe it means that you still feel love after it ends. Possibilities are endless here and that is something I wanted to point out as well (and I already did in other words) – that Tennyson's poetry gives you a chance to explore the meaning behind his writings and find a conclusion you want to come to. The third poem describes a simpler love and that is love for your land, in other words it describes patriotism as the kind of love that carries lands and people onwards with love being a power of thought.
Third main idea and topic of Tennyson's poetry is other poets and written poems. Tennyson tries to explore the boundaries of the power in words and how poets and poems have had effect on humans in general. The poems and poets are best described with three of his famous works: “The poet's song”, “The poet's mind” and with “The poet”.
“The poet's song”
The rain had fallen, the Poet arose,
He pass’d by the town and out of the street;
A light wind blew from the gates of the sun,
And waves of shadow went over the wheat;
And he sat him down in a lonely place,
And chanted a melody loud and sweet,
That made the wild-swan pause in her cloud,
And the lark drop down at his feet.
“The poet's mind”
Vex not thou the poet’s mind
With thy shallow wit;
Vex not thou the poet’s mind,
For thou canst not fathom it.
Clear and bright it should be ever,
Flowing like a crystal river,
Bright as light, and clear as wind.
“The poet”
[...]
Her words did gather thunder as they ran,
And as the lightning to the thunder
Which follows it, riving the spirit of man,
Making earth wonder,
So was their meaning to her words. No sword
Of wrath her right arm whirl’d,
But one poor poet’s scroll, and with his word
She shook the world.
All of these poems concentrate on the understanding and some-what praising the poets. First poem describes how one melody created can even stop the world if needed to and even catch the attention of the swans. That is what is described in the last poem as well. According to Tennyson the words of a poet can be so strong that he describes them as thunder which no arm nor sword can match. Tennyson genuinely believes that word is all powerful and can achieve a lot more than war or fighting can. “The poet's mind” is not much different but it has it's own point. It asks for poet's mind not to be vexed for in order for one to be a poet, one needs a clear mind which can be compared to crystal rivers and clear flowing winds. Tennyson sees a true poet in a person who has a clear and an open mind towards everything for only then can one really write as good as possible. Even stop wars and shake the world if needed to.
In conclusion I can say that Tennyson had great and idealistic ideas. He had different views on many different topics he wrote about and was willing to share them with people. He represents something a true poet should be like - letting you ponder over the given topic yourself while just feeding you with ideas. A poet who not only offers you emotion through his work but also makes you think about what ever he has written about.
Poetry of John Masefield (Analysis)
The poetry of John Masefield
An analysis by Sten-Robert Pullerits
John Edward Masefield (Born 1 June, 1878 and died 12 May, 1967) was an English poet and writer. He is remembered as the author of the classic children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, nineteen other novels (including Captain Margaret, Multitude and Solitude and Sard Harker), and many memorable poems, including "The Everlasting Mercy" and "Sea-Fever", from his anthology Saltwater Ballads.
The purpose of this written paper is to analyze the themes, style and backround of poetry written by John Masefield as well as come to a conclusion of what Masefield wrote about and what were his favourite themes.
A Ballad of John Silver
We were schooner-rigged and rakish,
with a long and lissome hull,
And we flew the pretty colours of the crossbones and the skull;
We'd a big black Jolly Roger flapping grimly at the fore,
And we sailed the Spanish Water in the happy days of yore.
We'd a long brass gun amidships, like a well-conducted ship,
We had each a brace of pistols and a cutlass at the hip;
It's a point which tells against us, and a fact to be deplored,
But we chased the goodly merchant-men and laid their ships aboard.
Then the dead men fouled the scuppers and the wounded filled the chains,
And the paint-work all was spatter dashed with other peoples brains,
She was boarded, she was looted, she was scuttled till she sank.
And the pale survivors left us by the medium of the plank.
O! then it was (while standing by the taffrail on the poop)
We could hear the drowning folk lament the absent chicken coop;
Then, having washed the blood away, we'd little else to do
Than to dance a quiet hornpipe as the old salts taught us to.
O! the fiddle on the fo'c'sle, and the slapping naked soles,
And the genial "Down the middle, Jake, and curtsey when she rolls!"
With the silver seas around us and the pale moon overhead,
And the look-out not a-looking and his pipe-bowl glowing red.
Ah! the pig-tailed, quidding pirates and the pretty pranks we played,
All have since been put a stop to by the naughty Board of Trade;
The schooners and the merry crews are laid away to rest,
A little south the sunset in the islands of the Blest.
This poem can be a dedication to Robert Louis Stevenson, a famous author of a more famous novel Treasure Island (Published in 1883), where Long John Silver is the primary antagonist and who is considered to be a true example of a stereotypical pirate. The poem begins describing the life of pirates and what they did. How they lived a good life in the happy days of yore, how they had the best ships and equipment on seas (a well-conducted ship; We had each a brace of pistols and a cutlass). Then it takes a surprising turn and focuses on the plunder, death and destruction which others suffered from because of the life the pirates lead. The last stanza describes how this beloved “pirating” soon came to an end because of the Board of Trade established in Privy Council of the United Kingdom, which originated as the committee of inquiry in the 17th century and the lifestyle pirates lead was forced to end: The schooners and the merry crews are laid away to rest. What is interesting about this poem is the fact that it gives away a small hint of the narrator. It can be imagined that the story is told by an old pirate, telling stories of days long gone. That makes the poem quite clear and rather enjoyable. Another point worth mentioning is that Masefield uses traditional AABB rhymes, not quite common for a poet of the 20th century. For the sake of comparing the themes of different poems by the author, one should categorize the poem as a tale of pirates, as a tribute to sea or of sailors
A Night At Dago Tom's
Oh yesterday, I t'ink it was, while cruisin' down the street,
I met with Bill. - 'Hullo,' he says, 'let's give the girls a treat.'
We'd red bandanas round our necks 'n' our shrouds new rattled down,
So we filled a couple of Santy Cruz and cleared for Sailor Town.
We scooted south with a press of sail till we fetched to a caboose,
The 'Sailor's Rest,' by Dago Tom, alongside 'Paddy's Goose.'
Red curtains to the windies, ay, 'n' white sand to the floor,
And an old blind fiddler liltin' the tune of 'Lowlands No More.'
He played the 'Shaking of the Sheets' 'n' the couples did advance,
Bowing, stamping, curtsying, in the shuffling of the dance;
The old floor rocked and quivered, so it struck beholders dumb,
'N' afterwards there was sweet songs 'n' good Jamaikey rum.
'N' there was many a merry yarn of many a merry spree
Aboard the ships with royals set a-sailing on the sea,
Yarns of the hooker
Spindrift
, her as had the clipper-bow,
'There ain't no ships,' says Bill to me, 'like that there hooker now.'
When the old blind fiddler played the tune of 'Pipe the Watch Below,'
The skew-eyed landlord dowsed the glim and bade us 'stamp 'n' go,'
'N' we linked it home, did Bill 'n' I, adown the scattered streets,
Until we fetched to Land o' Nod atween the linen sheets.
Again, the poem is about sailors but it is unclear if these sailors can be connected to pirating in any way. There are small hints of drinking Santy Cruz and Jamaican rum but it would not be wise to immediately connect those facts to pirating. The poem itself is quite easily understood. A man meets with his friend Bill and they decide to go to a bar (or a brothel as suggested in the second line 'let's give the girls a treat.'). The second stanza tells about where exactly the Sailor's Rest, a place owned by Dago Tom, is situated at, however it is unclear in what town the place is located at. The phrase in the first stanza stating Sailor Town might make the reader think that it might be London, for obvious reasons, but it could be any other port of the past for sailors travelled from town to town. The third stanza focuses on the happenings and event that took place in that bar. The fourth stanza, however, is a little bit complicated. The reader may understand it as: many ships were gone from the port because ships were needed by royals for trade and they were gone even with spindrift (Which is a spray from cresting waves during a gale), in a situation where no sensible sailor goes out on the sea. And Bill comments on it being amazed – The ships are all used so much and are forced into so much work, whatever the situation, like hookers. The last stanza finishes the poem nicely, stating when the musician started playing Pipe the Watch Below, the men were forced to leave the bar and they both went home to get some sleep. The poem is similar to the first one in style as well as the theme.
A Valediction
We're bound for blue water where the great winds blow,
It's time to get the tacks aboard, time for us to go;
The crowd's at the capstan and the tune's in the shout,
'A long pull, a strong pull,
and warp the hooker out
The bow-wash is eddying, spreading from the bows,
Aloft and loose the topsails and some one give a rouse;
A salt-Atlantic chanty shall be music to the dead,
'A long pull, a strong pull,
and the yard to the masthead
Shrilly squeal the running sheaves, the weather-gear strains,
Such a clatter of chain-sheets, the devil's in the chains;
Over us the bright stars, under us the drowned,
'A long pull, a strong pull,
and we're outward bound
Yonder, round and ruddy, is the mellow old moon,
The red-funnelled tug has gone, and now, sonny, soon
We'll be clear of the Channel, so watch how you steer,
'Ease her when she pitches,
and so-long, my dear
A Valediction focuses on sea as well. It does so, however, in a different context. The first stanza can be understood as an explanation for why the sailors are leaving or as an explanation for the life they lead. Since sailors are bound to the sea they feel the urge to leave after spending some time on solid ground. A point to notice here that the ship is referred to as a hooker (An explanation to the use of wording may be the fact that ships are usually referred to as women), which connects the second and this poem quite nicely. When the first stanza tells us the story of sailors leaving then the second, third and the last stanza tell us the story of what is going on on the ship while on sea, how the men struggle and what they think and do. The poem concludes with the idea of belonging and farewell. Who exactly is said good-bye to is not revealed but this is intentional since it does not really matter. The general theme can once again be compared to sea and/or sailors but the poem introduces a new idea – farewell or some sadness about leaving. The style is similar to other poems, however, there is an addition to the usual AABB rhymes as there is a fifth line mixed with the rhymes.
An Epilogue
I had seen flowers come in stony places
And kind things done by men with ugly faces,
And the gold cup won by the worst horse at the races,
And in you, I trust, too.
This poem brings nice alternation to the sea-themed poems. While the style remains the same as it was in previous poems, the theme is completely different. The poem is easily understood as it states that the narrator (Probably Masefield himself) thinks that nothing is impossible for he has seen a lot. Whatever the situation may be, there is still hope for change. What may leave the reader confused is the fact that the poem is titled An Epilogue. It can be confusing because it is not explained to what does the epilogue refer to. Since epilogue is usually used to bring closure to something, like a story or an event, it might be difficult to grasp what has been meant by it. Is the epilogue dedicated to the “end”. If yes, then what “end”? Perhaps a dedication to a friend who has passed away or just verses marking ones own end. It may very well be that it is just a few lines symbolizing hope Masefield has for someone, who is wearied and/or depressed. It is up for the reader to decide.
Beauty
I HAVE seen dawn and sunset on moors and windy hills
Coming in solemn beauty like slow old tunes of Spain:
I have seen the lady April bringing the daffodils,
Bringing the springing grass and the soft warm April rain.
I have heard the song of the blossoms and the old chant of the sea,
And seen strange lands from under the arched white sails of ships;
But the loveliest thing of beauty God ever has shown to me,
Are her voice, and her hair, and eyes, and the dear red curve of her lips.
This poem is an exemplary example of a Romantic poem. Beauty encompasses a variety of emotions expressed by the poet by the use of a variety of techniques including metaphors, similes and onomatopoeia. A different kind of rhyme pattern is used here, being ABAB CDCD instead of the usual AABB. It is a quite interesting piece since it is one of the only ones that refers back to Masefield's earlier work: The winds and daffodils from The West Wind. The theme can be once again compared to many other works by Masefield since it includes ship and sea imagery. To explain what the poem is about and do so shortly, then one can say that it is a comparison of what is beautiful in the world and the one he adores, the latter being more beautiful (In her whole being: Voice, hair, eyes and lips etc.) than anything else he has ever known. It should be noted that Masefield does an excellent job mimicking the Romantics as well as it should be taken into consideration that Beauty is one his rare love poems.
By a Bier-Side
This is a sacred city built of marvellous earth.
Life was lived nobly here to give such beauty birth.
Beauty was in this brain and in this eager hand:
Death is so blind and dumb Death does not understand.
Death drifts the brain with dust and soils the young limbs' glory,
Death makes justice a dream, and strength a traveller's story.
Death drives the lovely soul to wander under the sky.
Death opens unknown doors. It is most grand to die.
By a Bier-Side can be considered a depressing poem indeed. An aberrance compared to the themes of the other poems analyzed this far. It is not known of whom this poem speaks about but it's clear (thanks to the phrase bier-side) that the person of whom is spoken of has died. The poem speaks of how death takes away everything and is the end of everything (which is a contradiction in style when reading Masefield's other poem A Creed, where he expresses strong beliefs in reincarnation). The person spoken of was a talented mind and wanted to make something with his life as stated in the phrases Beauty was in this brain and in this eager hand. Death, however, does not comprehend that very well, for in death the brains you have do not matter, nor do the eagerness and youngness one has. Death destroys everything – Justice becomes a dream and beliefs in strength become stories. The poem can be thought to be a dedication to those who have died, whether it was someone close to Masefield when he wrote it, or not. The tone of this poem is more serious than in the other ones and makes one wonder, what was going through Masefield's mind when he wrote it. The structure, however, is, once again, comparable with the majority of his works, following a clear and simple rhyme pattern.
C.L.M.
IN the dark womb where I began
My mother's life made me a man.
Through all the months of human birth
Her beauty fed my common earth.
I cannot see, nor breathe, nor stir,
But through the death of some of her.
Down in the darkness of the grave
She cannot see the life she gave.
For all her love, she cannot tell
Whether I use it ill or well,
Nor knock at dusty doors to find
Her beauty dusty in the mind.
If the grave's gates could be undone,
She would not know her little son,
I am so grown. If we should meet
She would pass by me in the street,
Unless my soul's face let her see
My sense of what she did for me.
What have I done to keep in mind
My debt to her and womankind?
What woman's happier life repays
Her for those months of wretched days?
For all my mouthless body leeched
Ere Birth's releasing hell was reached?
What have I done, or tried, or said
In thanks to that dear woman dead?
Men triumph over women still,
Men trample women's rights at will,
And man's lust roves the world untamed.
This poem expresses love and regret in a very unusual way. It has to be said that the poem is written to his mother or at least written with his mother in mind. It starts out by explaining how mother gave him life and died and it continues to explain, how he expresses grief, for his mother can not see him grown-up and can not see how his son has lived his life. The third stanza turns to the idea that even if death could be undone and his mother would be reincarnated it would be of no use because they would not recognize each other. In the fourth stanza the whole poem takes an unusual turn for the author thinks that he is in debt to his mother and all womankind for the suffering they need to undergo when bearing the child and when in labor. He concludes the poem with more feeling of guilt for he thinks he has not repayed the favor of living to her mother and due to that to women in general. The author thinks that he is also to blame for the fact that men are considered superior to women for he has not done anything about it. In some sense the author expresses concern over the inequality of sexes. The tone of the poem is serious and style is different to other poems as well. Even if it could be considered or labeled as a love poem it can not be compared with the poem Beauty for the difference of tone is too great.
Laugh and be Merry
Laugh and be merry, remember, better the world with a song,
Better the world with a blow in the teeth of a wrong.
Laugh, for the time is brief, a thread the length of a span.
Laugh and be proud to belong to the old proud pageant of man.
Laugh and be merry: remember, in olden time.
God made Heaven and Earth for joy He took in a rhyme,
Made them, and filled them full with the strong red wine of
His mirth
The splendid joy of the stars: the joy of the earth.
So we must laugh and drink from the deep blue cup of the sky,
Join the jubilant song of the great stars sweeping by,
Laugh, and battle, and work, and drink of the wine outpoured
In the dear green earth, the sign of the joy of the Lord.
Laugh and be merry together, like brothers akin,
Guesting awhile in the rooms of a beautiful inn,
Glad till the dancing stops, and the lilt of the music ends.
Laugh till the game is played; and be you merry, my friends.
Laugh and be Merry is a poem I wanted to include for its joyfulness and positivity. Again, quite easily understood, the poem urges mankind to be happy and joyful for life is too short to be sad or depressed. It also explains that everything great, like the world and the stars, were also created with joy, like explained in the second and the third stanza. If concentrating on the third stanza, however, one could see that the author does not only urge to live happily but wants people to live life of value – doing anything he or she is capable of. It can be said that the whole poem describes hardships of which people need to overcome. It all comes down to fact that people should be positive, happy, full of energy to the day they die (till the game is played). The tone of the poem differs from others as it is full of energy and positive-thinking. The style is even more simpler than the previous ones and states what it means quite clearly.
Hell's Pavement
“When I’m discharged at Liverpool ‘n’ draws my bit o’ pay,
I won’t come to sea no more;
I’ll court a pretty little lass ‘n’ have a weddin’ day,
‘N’ settle somewhere down shore;
I’ll never fare to sea again a-temptin’ Davy Jones,
A-hearkening to the cruel sharks a-hungerin’ for my bones;
I’ll run a blushin’ dairy-farm or go a-crackin’ stones,
Or buy ‘n’ keep a little liquor-store”
So he said.
They towed her in to Liverpool, we made the hooker fast,
And the copper-bound official paid the crew,
And Billy drew his money, but the money didn’t last,
For he painted the alongshore blue,
It was rum for Poll, and rum for Nan, and gin for Jolly Jack;
He shipped a week later in the clothes upon his back;
He had to pinch a little straw, he had to beg a sack
To sleep on, when his watch was through,
So he did.
The tone of the the whole poem is quite ironic. It talks about a sailor (which, as mentioned, is a theme quite common to Masefield's poetry) who speaks about settling down after he is discharged in Liverpool. As the reader might understand the reason he does so is because he is tired of the sea and all those dangers, so the sailor (Billy) thinks about getting married, running a dairy-farm or a small liquor shop. The author concludes the first stanza with a derisive comment, stating: So he said. The second stanza speaks about what really happened to Billy when he was finally discharged in Liverpool and after the ship (again referred to as “hooker”) was in port. So what really happened was that after Billy got his pay he squandered it really fast and was penniless and was on the ship once again. The author finds it important to comment on that as well with the phrase: So he did. As already mentioned the poem is quite ironic and it can be understood as a reference to people in general: How everyone makes promises and seldom keep them for things usually do not go the way one has planned them to go. When pondering over the themes Masefield was writing about then one might also come to a conclusion that the poem was written to describe the fact that you can not keep the sailor from sea. Using the examples of how Billy squandered his money one can come to a conclusion that sailors just can not handle themselves on dry land and start acting foolishly. And that is one of the reasons sailors must sail. The poem introduces a new element of style in Masefield's poetry as well for the poem sounds ironical.
Cargoes
QUINQUIREME of Nineveh from distant Ophir,
Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,
With a cargo of ivory,
And apes and peacocks,
Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.
Stately Spanish galleon coming from the Isthmus,
Dipping through the Tropics by the palm-green shores,
With a cargo of diamonds,
Emeralds, amythysts,
Topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores.
Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack,
Butting through the Channel in the mad March days,
With a cargo of Tyne coal,
Road-rails, pig-lead,
Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays.
Cargoes is a quite provocative poem and Masefield has done a great job writing it in the historical sense as well as humor-wise. To understand what the poem tells us, one needs to understand how it is written. The first two lines of each stanza describe a different kind of ship moving in water and the last three lines of each stanza describe the kind of cargo they are carrying. Quinquireme is a large vessel which the Phoenicians used to trade on the Mediterranean Sea and which according to the poem carried ivory, animals, wood and wine. The second stanza describes a galleon which is a large sailing ship dipping (moving up and down on waves) dipping between Latin-America and Spain. It carries precious stones, spices and gold (moidore translates to “coin of gold” and word itself is Portuguese). The third stanza describes a British ship which is not as beautiful as the previous two, nor is it as big. Coaster is a small ship powered by a steam-engine and it carries lead, firewood and iron in the English Channel even on the most stormy days. What Masefield is trying to say with the poem is a bit more complex. One explanation can be that Masefield did not really intend to have great meaning in this poem but he wanted to reflect on three very different eras in history. Another explanation could be that the author tries to describe different kingdoms and their values using the ships and cargo as an example. The cargo described in the three stanzas each correspond to the values of that time and country as well as what was the most important items of trade for them. The Phoenicians traded valuable wood, wine and exotic animals, the Spaniards traded mostly in precious diamonds and spices and coal, firewood and lead was really important to the British at that time because of the industrial capacity. The style differs from other poems once again for it uses direct historical references and may just be that it does not have any deeper or hidden meaning.
Roadways
ONE road leads to London,
One road leads to Wales,
My road leads me seawards
To the white dipping sails.
One road leads to the river,
And it goes singing slow;
My road leads to shipping,
Where the bronzed sailors go.
Leads me, lures me, calls me
To salt green tossing sea;
A road without earth's road-dust
Is the right road for me.
A wet road heaving, shining,
And wild with seagull's cries,
A mad salt sea-wind blowing
The salt spray in my eyes.
My road calls me, lures me
West, east, south, and north;
Most roads lead men homewards,
My road leads me forth.
To add more miles to the tally
Of grey miles left behind,
In quest of that one beauty
God put me here to find.
Roadways is a poem describing the choices which the people have when choosing their travels and contradicts them with the wishes of a sailor who just wishes to be on a ship and sail the seas. Stanza by stanza it tells the reader of what a sailor or a person who wishes to be on open sea wants and how the seas lure and call that very person. First and the second stanza describe how much the writer wants to be on sea, the third and the fourth one, however, describe the urge behind that wish and the whole poem is concluded by why is that so. The author describes how most people finally travel home but how he wishes to travel forth experiencing and seeing something new, to find true beauty which is his wish and a quest bestowed by god. The style is similar to the other sailing-themed poetry but the urge of traveling is depicted more than in any other ones. The rhyme pattern is unique compared to the other poems as only the second and the fourth line in each stanza rhyme.
The West Wind
IT'S a warm wind, the west wind, full of birds' cries;
I never hear the west wind but tears are in my eyes.
For it comes from the west lands, the old brown hills.
And April's in the west wind, and daffodils.
It's a fine land, the west land, for hearts as tired as mine,
Apple orchards blossom there, and the air's like wine.
There is cool green grass there, where men may lie at rest,
And the thrushes are in song there, fluting from the nest.
"Will ye not come home brother? ye have been long away,
It's April, and blossom time, and white is the may;
And bright is the sun brother, and warm is the rain,--
Will ye not come home, brother, home to us again?
"The young corn is green, brother, where the rabbits run.
It's blue sky, and white clouds, and warm rain and sun.
It's song to a man's soul, brother, fire to a man's brain,
To hear the wild bees and see the merry spring again.
"Larks are singing in the west, brother, above the green wheat,
So will ye not come home, brother, and rest your tired feet?
I've a balm for bruised hearts, brother, sleep for aching eyes,"
Says the warm wind, the west wind, full of birds' cries.
It's the white road westwards is the road I must tread
To the green grass, the cool grass, and rest for heart and head,
To the violets, and the warm hearts, and the thrushes' song,
In the fine land, the west land, the land where I belong.
Seemingly complicated at first The West Wind is actually pretty clear and states the obvious. It begins with the author remembering the land in the west (to be more exact then it is a possibility that land in the west is Great Britain), the land he once belonged to. He remembers because it is the beginning of April and thinks back to his younger days. In the second stanza the tone of poem becomes even more longing than it was in the first one and the narrator agrees that the land in the west is indeed a fine land, at least for people who are as tired as he is. The next three stanzas are a description of what is actually happening in London and are told by the narrator's (Masefield) brother who is urging him to finally come back from his travels, back home. The poem ends with the narrator making up his mind about returning home for he is grown wearied of his travels and thinks he needs a rest. So he takes a road westwards, back to the fine land where he belongs. The central theme of the poem is longing and the wish to be back home once again. The West Wind is a basis to many other Masefield's poetry and that is evident as well because of the AABB rhyme pattern used in this poem.
The Tarry Buccaneer
I'm going to be a pirate with a bright brass pivot-gun,
And an island in the Spanish Main beyond the setting sun,
And a silver flagon full of red wine to drink when work is done,
Like a fine old salt-sea scavenger, like a tarry Buccaneer.
With a sandy creek to careen in, and a pig-tailed Spanish mate,
And under my main-hatches a sparkling merry freight
Of doubloons and double moidores and pieces of eight,
Like a fine old salt-sea scavenger, like a tarry Buccaneer.
With a taste for Spanish wine-shops and for spending my doubloons,
And a crew of swart mulattoes and black-eyed octoroons,
And a thoughtful way with mutineers of making them maroons,
Like a fine old salt-sea scavenger, like a tarry Buccaneer.
With a sash of crimson velvet and a diamond-hiked sword,
And a silver whistle about my neck secured to a golden cord,
And a habit of taking captives and walking them along a board,
Like a fine old salt-sea scavenger, like a tarry Buccaneer.
With a spy-glass tucked beneath my arm and a cocked hat cocked askew,
And a long low rakish schooner a-cutting of the waves in two,
And a flag of skull and cross-bones the wickedest that ever flew,
Like a fine old salt-sea scavenger, like a tarry Buccaneer.
One can be amazed by the reoccurring simplicity in Masefield's poetry and The Tarry Buccaneer is not an exception. The only thing that could confuse the reader is the word buccaneer but upon looking it up the whole poem becomes quite clear. A buccaneers were pirates who attacked Spanish and French shipping in the Carribbean Sea during the 17th century. The poem expresses a wish, which in essence could leave an impression that the poem is written for children, to become a pirate because of they life they live and the freedom they have. The author draws a conclusion with the phrases where he states that he would have a great schooner with is fast enough to cut the waves in two, with a pirate flag and that all combined would be the wickedest thing on the seas – like buccaneers were.
The Seekers
FRIENDS and loves we have none, nor wealth nor blessed abode,
But the hope of the City of God at the other end of the road.
Not for us are content, and quiet, and peace of mind,
For we go seeking a city that we shall never find.
There is no solace on earth for us--for such as we--
Who search for a hidden city that we shall never see.
Only the road and the dawn, the sun, the wind, and the rain,
And the watch fire under stars, and sleep, and the road again.
We seek the City of God, and the haunt where beauty dwells,
And we find the noisy mart and the sound of burial bells.
Never the golden city, where radiant people meet,
But the dolorous town where mourners are going about the street.
We travel the dusty road till the light of the day is dim,
And sunset shows us spires away on the world's rim.
We travel from dawn to dusk, till the day is past and by,
Seeking the Holy City beyond the rim of the sky.
Friends and loves we have none, nor wealth nor blest abode,
But the hope of the City of God at the other end of the road.
The Seekers is a poem which may have many different explanations. Firstly it may speak of pilgrims who travel the lands and have left aside everything (friends, loved-ones, wealth etc.) only for the sake of seeking the Holy City or the City of God. The reason why everything else is cast aside is because they feel they have no place on earth and so they will not get involved with earthly things or values. Another explanation the reader may think of is that the poem talks about spirits of dead people who have not yet passed to heaven, so they wander around the earth, where they have no place because they do not belong here, trying to find the City of God (Heaven) and hope to find it after their journey. Whatever the explanation might be, this poem differs from others in the sense of style as well as tone. The poem is more serious and philosophical than other and is not as simple as many other poems written by the same author. This would be a great example of a poem which meaning is clear only to the reader himself for it may be subjective and reveal different ideas to different readers.
Tewkesbury Road
IT is good to be out on the road, and going one knows not where,
Going through meadow and village, one knows not whither or why;
Through the grey light drift of the dust, in the keen cool rush of the air,
Under the flying white clouds, and the broad blue lift of the sky.
And to halt at the chattering brook, in a tall green fern at the brink
Where the harebell grows, and the gorse, and the foxgloves purple and white;
Where the shifty-eyed delicate deer troop down to the brook to drink
When the stars are mellow and large at the coming on of the night.
O, to feel the beat of the rain, and the homely smell of the earth,
Is a tune for the blood to jig to, and joy past power of words;
And the blessed green comely meadows are all a-ripple with mirth
At the noise of the lambs at play and the dear wild cry of the birds
A poem describing how good is to travel, going through different kinds of places, not knowing why and not even thinking about it. The reason of traveling, in the opinion of the author, is just to travel and enjoy the nature around you. This is quite interesting, because once again (mostly in the second stanza) Masefield imitates the style of the Romantics, with his picturesque examples of nature. In the last stanza Masefield focuses even more greatly to the joys of traveling: how the beat of the rain feels, how homely the earth smells and how the pleasure of travels can not be described using words. What should be noted here is the fact that this is the only poem by John Masefield that describes traveling on earth not on sea. Another thing that should be brought out is the fact that Tewkesbury is a small town in Gloucestershire, England, which may quite possibly be one destination or the beginning of one of his travels. There are no records of this, however. The theme, traveling, is evident in this poem, as well as in many other. The style follows the usual style of John Masefield.
If one would focus a little bit on the themes John Masefield wrote about then one would probably notice that a lot of his poetry is about traveling and due to that longing and missing of something. The reason for this is quite simple for Masefield started traveling when he was quite young and did so on board of ships. The extent of traveling he did is said to be over 30 years and he reached America, Latin-America, Spain and Asia among many other places. This can definitely be the reason for his love for sailing and ships mutually and thanks to that for the amount of traveling based poetry written. Another themes he wrote about was death and love and life in general. This is quite common for almost every other poet writes about his or hers own life experiences. What is interesting is that upon doing some research about Masefield one finds out how he grew more and more depressed as he grew older and there is a time period where he wrote really depressing poetry. But those were mostly written when he was settled down and did not travel anymore. This, again, can be understood, for it is a theme in many of his poems – describing how an old sea-dog wants to be back on board and travel the world. Most of the poetry about longing and most of the philosophical ones are written in old age but there are also examples of travel-themed poems written a few years before he died.
In conclusion, one can say that the center theme of John Masefield poetry was traveling and sailing. There is, however, a lot of different themes he wrote about and he did so with great success and talent.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)