Ulysses Essay
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In the third and final stanza Ulysses is coming to the realization that he is becoming old but will forever be remembered as his younger self. Tennyson relates this also to Hallem in that even though he has passed on he will always be remembered as a warming light that burns forever in the hearts of the ones that loved him. He creates what seems like a bucket list or a list of things to do before he dies. In this list he mentions to sail the time away and explore, possibly see his old friend Achilles, whom helped defeat troy with the Trojan Horse. This reference could be talking about how at the end of his own life maybe he will be able to see his late friend, Hallem. And how he just wants to move on with his own life because that is what Hallem would have wanted him to have done. And it may have taken Lord Alfred Tennyson ten years to recuperate from such a devastating loss of a loved one with this strong poem it is extremely clear to us all that he is excited to be back to normal.
In this poem it seems as though Lord Alfred Tennyson was depressed about his life but doesnt want to be anymore. This comes from in the last stanza he starts to look towards the future and at things to come that he cant wait to encounter, opposite of the first stanza where he is looking at his past as to say where have the times gone over the years. The second stanza seems kind of like a mixture considering that he is excited to leave his son with such a great legacy that he himself has created but at the same time he seems sad that he knows his soon will proudly take on his isle but he will do so in his own manner and not follow the path Ulysses has created. This poem is so powerful and carries such a strong message that it has taught many people “to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Such as Tennyson himself learned to do after the death of his friend.
This poem is a direct reminder to the fact that even though it is easiest to look back at the past of a late loved one a person has to eventually figure out that they have to move on in life. Lord Alfred Tennyson doesnt want anyone to waist life away by looking in the past, as he wasted ten years of his life grieving on the loss of a very close friend.