The Sea Is Calm Tonight Poem Analysis

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Module: ENG1501
Semester: 02
Assignment: 01
Unique Number: 553403

Student: Nasreen Netto
Student Number: 55533213 Questions
1. What tone is created in the first six lines of the first stanza? Identify and discuss poetic devices and stylistic elements (such as the use of punctuation) that help the poet to create this tone.

Line1 -“The Sea is calm tonight” creates a very easy, quiet and calm atmosphere (tone), just like the ocean. The words are very short and clear. The line ends with a full stop, making it a complete, straightforward sentence. There is no action or movement, just stillness and tranquillity.
Adjectives like "tranquil", “calm”, “full”, “fair” and "sweet" also creates a relaxing, comforting feeling. In Line 4-5 he reminds us that the bay is tranquil. This settles on the idea of calm water from line 1.The first 6 lines of the first stanza also rhymes. That regular rhythm and rhyme creates a feeling of calmness and being fully conscious.
The sea is calm tonight.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Lines1-4. Line 2 falls into line three using no punctuation and line 3 falls into 4 the same way. This allows the poem to flow from line to line instead of being read line by line. It …show more content…

All of a sudden the sea goes from being just a thing you observe or listen to, to a complete metaphor. The comparison being made is of a full body of water to a person’s faith in God. A sea is a huge body of water, water as far as the eye can see. The author is suggesting that a person’s faith should be similar to this vast, unending body of water—always full. In the next line, though, the phrase “was once, too at the full…” means the author feels people have less faith than they once did. “Sea of Faith” symbolizes the ocean of spiritual belief in the world—all of our faith put

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