Read the few assigned Langston Hughes poems as well as the three poems about the seas.
The 3 poems of the water focus on the seductive, powerful yet calming force of the sea. Read the poems by Pablo Neruda (“Ode to the Sea”) and Emily Dickinson (“I Started Early – Took My Dog”) on the pdf attachment, and also read Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach,” which is on page 887 of the 6th edition Literature text.
Background:
Moby Dick, Pinocchio, and the more contemporary books and films Life of Pi and In The Heart of the Sea are just a few works of literature that deal with the power and mystery of the oceans. Poets and storytellers as far back as Homer (and before) have been enchanted with its force, its serenity, its colors, its darkness. Why do humans have an innate fascination for the water that covers 71% of the Earth’s surface? What does the sea speak to us about our own unconscious mind?
Like many bards have throughout history, the three poets selected here have listened closely. Now, you have a chance to listen closely to what they’ve written.
Briefly answer the following questions:
1. What particular aspects of the water are the different “speakers” of the poems observing in the three works?
2. How does the movement, or the colors, or the form of the ocean reflect the speakers’ minds?
3. Are there any similar images, metaphors across the 3 poems, or only differences?
4. Finally, how is the tone (p.678-683, 6th ed.) different in each poem? (what adjective words would describe the differnt tones here?)
5. Is Matthew Arnold’s speaker hopeful in any way in the last stanza of his poem?
