“The Seafarer” Analysis Questions
Directions: Answer the questions in complete sentences. Cite line numbers when referencing the poem.
1. Find 2 examples of imagery in the first stanza that helps express the speaker’s sense of isolation.
2. What deep feelings does the poet express in the first stanza that help to classify it as an elegy?
3. Identify and explain the paradox that is expressed in the second stanza of the poem.
4. How does the speaker’s attitude towards the sea seems to shift once again in the third stanza? Some
scholars believe that the poem is a dialogue between an old, disillusioned sailor and a young sailor
eager for adventure. Do you think the poem contains a single voice or two distinct voices? Why?
5. The second half of the poem begins at line 64. What topic is now being discussed, what are some of the
strong emotions being expressed, in the second half of the poem?
6. Pagans in Anglo-Saxon England (or non-Christians) felt themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their
control, whereas Christians put their trust in salvation and heaven. In what way does the poem reveal
the influence of both beliefs? Identify aspects of the poem that are from the pagan / heroic world, and
others that are Judeo-Christian.
7. Analyzing the final stanza, what do you believe is the purpose of this poem?
8. Find 3 examples of alliteration, 2 examples of kennings, and 1 examples of assonance. Be sure
to include the example and its line number.
9. The speaker in the poem expresses feelings of loneliness and isolation after leaving behind the
comforts of home and friends. Have you ever felt this way before? Explain.