Suzy Lockwood
Lotus Eaters and Choric Song – Tennyson
Very unlikely to come up, as was the poem for Section A last year. Although, basic ideas are
needed!
Overall themes and ideas: The poem is based on a section of Homer’s ‘Odyssey’, in which Odysseus
and his men reach an island where they eat a drug-like plant. The effect of eating it is to make them
feel relaxed and content. They decide that they have had enough of travelling. They want to stay
here and eat the Lotos flowers. The poem includes the sailors’ song, in which they contrast a life of
labour and responsibility with one of a drug-induced languor. The ‘lotus-eaters’ aims at highlighting
the contradictory concepts of fulfilling one’s duties and following the desires of leading a romantic
and idyllic life. Tennyson’s use of language, structure and devices effectively contrasts the reality of
working and the illusion of idleness, through which he expresses the view that such a pleasurable life
is unrealistic and naive.
Main themes and ideas:
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Idle pleasure in favour of work and responsibility
Working classes’ plight (could link to Victorian large income/living standards gap between
aristocrats and labour force)
Seductive, romantic vision of life
Reality versus illusion
Moral rights and responsibilities
Language: The ‘choric song’ is written in iambic style; the frequent uses of palilogies, sibilance and
assonance give the poem a song-like feeling. Both of these qualities generate a mesmerizing and
sleepy effect in the poem which fits the persuasive and hypnotic purposes of the choric song.
Examples of such language include the phrase ‘tir’d eyelids upon tir’d eyes’, in which the repetition
of ‘tir’d’ creates a heavy and swaying effect that mimics the state of one’s mind before sleeping and
adds to the hypnotic feeling; the words ‘sweet sleep down from the blissful skies’, where sibilance
makes the line sound light and soft, hence bringing about a soothing effect that makes the setting
being described appear to be idealistic and romantic – possibly a social commentary from Tennyson
on Victorian life, and the will to be free.
Tennyson’s language is particularly effective in presenting work and responsibility as negative and
unpleasant ideas. In stanza 7, the choric song focuses on the harshness of working, where words
such as ‘sharp’, ‘sorrow’, and ‘harken’ are used, which have much harsher and duller sounds than
the words used to describe the island, such as ‘sweet’ and ‘blissful’. The word ‘toil’ is repeated in this
stanza, which reflects the repetitive nature and dullness of everyday work while also mirroring its
systematic and regular qualities. The series of questions used in this section, for example ‘why are
we weigh’d upon with heaviness’ are presented in a quick progression, and as a result give the stanza
a hectic feeling that adds to uneasy and unpleasant nature of working. The questions are also
rhetorical, which enables them to highlight the apparent absurdity of working and consolidate the
idea that duties are full of ‘heaviness’ and ‘distress’. The repetition of ‘all things have rest’ has a
reassuring and comforting effect, which combined with the rhetorical questions, makes the stanza
very persuasive.
Suzy Lockwood
Voice: The use of voice, also in Stanza 7, is very interesting. The line ‘there is no joy but calm!’ is
abrupt and sudden; its shortness and the bright tone it adopts make it stand out from the otherwise
heavy and uneasy stanza. The use of exclamation brings variety into the stanza and its upbeat tone
brightens up the selection – this quality goes on to suggest that resting brings ‘joy’ to everyday life,
just as what the line does to the stanza. By using this piece of speech from ‘the inner spirit’ Tennyson
creates an overwhelming surreal effect associated with idleness and contentment. The monotonous
drawn out language is to represent the slow-moving lifestyle they now lead. Repetition of words
‘trouble on trouble, pain on pain’ creates a hypnotic effect, as though Tennyson aims to make the
reader feel the pace as those on the island.
Setting: Although the lotus island is presented to be blissful and cheery, Tennyson’s cynical attitude
towards an idle life is made clear. This is mainly seen from the overwhelmingly romantic language he
uses to describe the island: ‘charmed’, ‘enchanted’ and ‘holy’ give the setting a magical and
fantastical appearance and the reference to religion creates the impression of a dream-like heaven.
This is evidently a very unrealistic way of describing any landscape, and therefore can be seen as a
description that is detached from reality, possibly over-exaggerated. Hence, Tennyson suggests to
the reader that such a life is far-fetched and surreal, and people are better off pursuing down-toearth lifestyles. The large amount of exotic phrases in the choric song that describe the beauty of the
island such as ‘full-juiced apple’, ‘yonder amber light’ and ‘curving lines of creamy spray’ conjure a
picture full of rich colours and sights, and also build up a heavy and over flowing effect which
encourages the idea that the island is almost sickly in its beauty and sweetness. A nauseous effect is
created, which adds to the surreal nature of the setting to convey the message that although an idle
lifestyle can be attractive, it is not necessarily preferable to work and responsibility. Although,
ironically, the ‘gothic novels’ of the Victorian era, and the will to return to medieval ways was partly
attractive due to their ‘colour’ and simplicity of life, which is the attractiveness of the island.
Tennyson could be commenting on not only the stupidity of realising times have changed, but also
how it is not right to turn the other cheek to reality, as he expresses in Stanza Four: ‘Should life all
labour be?’ questioning whether it is a good way to live.
Destination: Overall, Tennyson’s language in this poem is very picturesque, which is effective in
presenting the idealistic island and contrasting it against the conventional mundane lifestyle led by
workers. However, through this he also expresses the point of view that idleness is not as appealing
as it appears which makes the poem seem like an ironic account on the unrealistic desires held by
society.