Crossing the Bar

This poem, yet another in the long line of poems about dying, evokes a particularly strong tone (Question 8). First, the speaker makes clear his metaphor between crossing a sandbar and dying with the line "may there be no moaning of the bar when I put out to sea." The speaker here is requesting that nobody cry or mourn his passing, thus giving the general impression that the speaker is not upset about his death, but rather views it as a happy occasion, and doesn't want anyone else to mourn his death. This point is reinforced by the line "May there be no sadness of farewell when I embark." However, the poem takes on a deeper tone with the line "When that which drew from out the boundless deep turns again home." The speaker adds a bit of a religious element to his attitued by essentially stating that the afterlife is his true home, and that he is only returning to where he belongs. Yet another line to reinforce this religious attitude is "I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar." The term "hope" in this line could have a potentially ambiguous meaning, but because of the strongly established tone of religiously-based optimism, the word takes on the very clear meaning of strong desire. The speaker does not just view death in a positive light, but it is his ultimate desire. He wants, above all else, to return home and see God.

I like sailing....

February

I'll take on question 7 right here. I do declare, this is the theme, the central fact of life that the author is attempting to make: Oftentimes, it is easy to fall into depression and self-pity, but the only way that one can pull through to optimism is through self-determination. Allow me to explain. The speaker is bummed out. It is February, it's cold, and depressing. The speaker is at home alone with her cat during the month of hearts and happy couples, craving fries and hockey. The speaker then falls into a bit of loathing for the human race itself. She compares people to cats, stating that many humans ought to be neutered and spare the world some of the awkward depression that the month of February may bring to cat-owning singles. But then on line 29, we see a sudden turn around. The speaker doesn't hate the world, or happy couples, or the human race, or even February. Suddenly she starts ripping on her beloved cat! At this point, the cat has already been equated to people, I hardly think it's a big stretch to connect the cat to the speaker herself. So when she yells at the cat, she's really yelling at herself to get up, get going, and be optimistic, to celebrate increase and make it be spring. I think that last part is what really encapsulates the theme. It gives a sense that nobody is going to make her happy, or optimistic, or content, particularly while she's sitting at home. No, in order to be happy, she has to actively get up and make it happen. This then leads to the theme the author is trying to convey: that one must make the decision to be optimistic; it does not simply fall into one's lap like a... ... ...cat.

This is the Five Hole. It is the space between the goalie's legs. *fun fact!*