In the
poem, the poet talks about death and the journey into the afterlife. Here, he
uses symbols from nature like sunset, evening star, sea, tide, foam, twilight, evening
bell, and flood to explain his feelings and ideas. Besides, if you read carefully,
you can understand that like others, the poet also expresses his desire
to cross the
bar between life and death without sorrowful farewells. The poem accepts the
truth that we have to leave this world, and he wishes to be calm and peaceful
in the face of mortality.
The poem is about the poet’s
acceptance of death and his hope to meet God in the afterlife.
b) Have you found any symbolsin the poem? If yes, what are those?
Yes, there are many symbols in
the poem. Some of the are- sunset, evening star, sea, tide, foam,
twilight, evening bell, and flood.
c) What do the symbols‘sunset and evening’ and ‘clear call’ mean in the poem?
The symbol ‘sunset and evening’ means
that the poet is aware of impending death and ‘clear call’ means that he is
ready to answer the call of God. He does not fear death but rather welcomes it
as a natural and inevitable part of life.
Yes, I think symbol helps the poet
express his ideas in a better way. For Example: ‘sunset and evening’ symbolizes
the end of life and ‘sea,
tide, foam, twilight, evening bell, and flood’ symbolizes
the journey of the soul from worldly life to the spiritual life.