Lord Alfred Tennyson\'s \"The Eagle\"

¶ … Lord Alfred Tennyson's "The Eagle" and Thomas Hardy's "The Darkling Thrush"

Both poems in this discussion deal with birds as a central thematic focus.

However both poems have different approaches and deal with their subject matter in different ways. This discussion will attempt to show, through an analysis of the thematic strands, that both of these poems qualify as poetry in that they are a successful expression of observations and feelings. The subjective views or impressions in these two poems are expressed through the artistic use of language and metaphor and the poets make extensive use of poetic diction and imagery, as well as poetic devices such as simile and rhythm.

Poetry has been described as; "An imaginative response to experience reflecting a keen awareness of language." (Literary Terms) An even more apt view is the famous definition of poetry by William Wordsworth, who saw poetry as the "... spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings;" (What is Poetry?) Both these definitions can be related to the two poems under discussion.

The first poem by Tennyson is a good example of the poetic use of language to create a mood and atmosphere which expresses a deep feeling or impression. It is important to note that this is a fragment or very short poem and within these two stanzas of three line each the poet, through the use of poetic devices and language, is able to convey his ' massage' or intention in the poem.

The poet describes the eagle clearly in the first line of the poem.

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;

In this line the poet uses the repetition of sounds in the first letters of words in order to create a sense of the tenacity and power of the bird. This sense of power and pride is continued in the next two lines. Here imagery is used to suggest the grandeur and strength of the eagle through the fact that the bird seems to coolly survey and have mastery over all that lies beneath him.

Close to the sun in lonely lands;

Ringed with the azure world, he stands.

The poet creates this effect largely through the use of word order. Note that he places the words, "he stands" at the end of the stanza, which tends to emphasize the authority and austerity of the birds.

The last three lines of the poem continue to elaborate on this impression that the poet has of the powerful and wonderful bird.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;

He watches from his mountain walls;

And like a thunderbolt he falls.

Note the way that the poet uses descriptive adjectives. The bird looks down on the "wrinkled" sea which "crawls" beneath him.

This description tends to provide the impression of the power of this lonely but proud bird. Simile is used in the last line to describe and actual motion of the bid as it falls like a "thunderbolt." The use of the word "thunderbolt" again intensifies the feeling of power and strength of this bird.

The poem The Darkling Thrush by Hardy also deals with a bird but the bird in this case only appears in the last two stanzas of the poem. The thematic intention in this poem is firstly an expression of despair and depression; which is supported by the poetic description of the winter landscape. In the poem the protagonist feels that all hope is lost and this is emphasized by the images of the apparently dead world around him.

And Winter's dregs made desolate

The weakening eye of day.

Note that the poet uses descriptive words and images to convey his central idea in the first stanza of the poem. The use of "dregs" and "desolate" combines with the line "The weakening eye of day" to convey an image - rich view of the world as empty of meaning. The bare and barren landscape of winter echoes his feelings about life and society.

The land's sharp features seemed to be The Century's corpse outleant,