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  • Essay / My understanding of Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem

    For my literary analysis, I chose the work "Tears, Idle Tears", written by Alfred Lord Tennyson in 1847 (Tennyson, 1847). The poem is without rhyme and in blank verse, with the same phrase at the end of every fifth line, "the days that are no more." There are repeated words that give cadence and rhythm to the poem; "sad" and "fresh" in the second verse, to "sad" and "strange" in the third verse, and the repetition of the phrase "the days which are no more." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay My first impression when reading this poem is that the author is inexplicably saddened while looking at the autumn fields, which he describes as "happy", a statement that makes one wonder why something that he considers joyful to cause sadness. The tone tells me that sadness comes from the end of spring and summer, and the transition to the darker times of fall and winter. Words in its description, such as "fresh," "glistening," and "sparkling," evoke new growth and the brighter times of spring and summer. On the other hand, comparisons of the scene like "sad" and "death in life" and expressions such as "the days that are no more" make me think of the landscape that becomes more desolate only when the seasons change. I also seem to be comparing the scene to another sad event that is not quite described in the poem, which seems to be that of lost or unrequited love, or the death of loved ones. This is what I interpret from the passages that say: “flows with all we love,” “dear kisses as remembered after death,” and “on lips that are for others; deep like love, deep like first love and wild with all regret. The overall tone of the poem is melancholic, with the author recalling the good of what was before being replaced by the sadness of what is to come. The back and forth plunges the reader into the author's inner turmoil. The passage that caught my interest the most was the last paragraph, in which the author creates a very deep sense of loss. This poem was written in 1847, which corresponds to the realistic period. The major themes of this period were Darwinism, industrialization, individualism and the age of doubt. Darwinism is based on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, a theory that is still rejected by religious sects today. Industrialization was brought about by the Industrial Revolution, during which a clear differentiation between the upper and lower classes became apparent. Individualism is the exploration of individuality, which means representing subjects realistically and accurately. The Age of Doubt was brought on by anxiety over the comfort of the past, the reality of the present, and the unknown of the future (Western Governors University, n.d., s. 6.21). During the Realist period, intense changes took place across Europe and the United States, which affected both political, economic and social areas. One of the main contributors was the Industrial Revolution. Because of the class differentiation this caused between the rich and the poor, artists sought to capture the dismal plight of the less fortunate of the time. The dramatic changes that were occurring affected every aspect of life during the realistic period. Realistic literature, like other arts of the time, focused on capturing real-life situations. The authors moved away from the idealized romantic themes of the earlier period, aptly called the Romantic period. The themes..