'The Lotus Eaters' by Tennyson

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Compare the first (“‘Courage!’ he said, and pointed towards the land”) and last line (“Oh rest ye, brother mariners, we will not wander more.”) and decide which attitude typified imperial England in 1833. Is the poem forward or backward looking?

The first line of the poem “’Courage!’ he said, and pointed towards the land,” is indeed typical of imperial England and looks forward in many respects. It looks forward as if going into battle. Soldiers of imperial England would have been proud to go into battle. Yet courage can also lead to pride which is a theme running through much of Tennyson’s work predicting the fall of the British Empire.

In contrast the last line of the poem “Oh rest ye, brother mariners, we will not wander more,” is contradictory to the statement of typical imperial England. In 1833 the British Empire was at its height with new discoveries everyday. Metaphorically though, this last line of the poem represents an end to exploration. This line is saying the growth of England is stunted and will not move forward. However, it could be conceived as forward looking but in a negative light because it could be seen as a prediction of the fall of the British Empire.

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The whole poem is a metaphor for the British Empire. Throughout there are tired words and phrases such as “languid,” “weary dream” and “slumberous.” These slow words demonstrate a state of paralysis, being stuck and not moving anywhere. This is once again a prediction of the British Empire; completely opposite to the state imperial England was in during 1833. The state of paralysis is key in this poem. It shows that the poem is neither forward or backward looking yet each day progresses forward. Towards the end of ‘The Lotus – Eaters’ the “Elysian Valleys” are mentioned. This is ...

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