Analysis of The Secret of the Sea

The poem I choose to analyze was Henry Longfellow's poem called "The Secret of the Sea." I found the poem pretty easy to understand. After reading it three times through, I picked up on little things that I missed while reading it for a first and second time. Henry Longfellow was an American writer who appealed to the emotions in his work. As I read his poem, that was evident. In the lines " For the secret of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me," he appeals to my emotions because I feel wonder and mysterious. It is almost like he does not quite know the secrets of the ocean, or experienced the heart of the sea, yet they intrigue him and make him excited. The poem reflects the romanticism writing because the whole poem deals with nature, and nature is a major aspect of the romanticism writing. The nature in the poem influences dreams and memories. Imagination, which could also go along with dreams and memories is another big aspect of romanticism writing.

There are not really any criticisms over "The Secret of the Sea" because it was not one of Henry Longfellow's major poems. So, I analyzed it myself. In the first stanza of the poem "Ah! What pleasant visions haunt me as I gaze upon the Sea! All the old romantic legends, All my dreams, come back to me," I took away that Henry is standing by the sea, reminiscing on the old legends and dreams he once had about the sea. In the second stanza "Sails of silk and ropes of sandal, such as gleam in ancient lore; And the singing of the sailors, and the answer from the shore," I envisioned the sails of the ship out on the sea were radiant in the sunlight, while listening to the singing sailor's that were answered my the echo of the shore. In the another stanza, "How he heard the ancient helmsmen chant a song so wild and clear, that the sailing sea-bird slowly, poised upon the mast to hear," I see a bird that sitting at the top of the mast, which holds the sails to listen as the helmsmen of the ship, or the person who steers the ship sings his sailing song loud and clear. In another one of the stanzas, "Woulds't thou--the Helmsmen answered, learn the secret of the sea? Only those who brave its dangers comprehend its mystery," shows me that the only people who can really understand the mystery of the sea are the ones who have been at sea and experienced the troubles in which being brave is the only option.

I feel like this poem really does appeal to my emotions because it really makes me think about my dreams, and then I image myself standing next to the sea, just looking at the horizon and recollecting all my thoughts. I too know that the sea is overwhelming with its beauty and also its space. I do not know the mystery of the sea because of I have not lived the sailor life, or experienced the troubles of the oceans, but when I stand next to the sea, I feel relaxed, and everything slowly starts to come back to me, like Henry Longfellow mentioned.

"Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Poem: The Secret of the Sea." Read Book Online: Literature Books,novels,short Stories,fiction,non-fiction, Poems,essays,plays,Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize. Web. 07 Dec. 2011. <http://www.readbookonline.net/read/3149/12724/>.