Journal 6: One in the same: “The Seafarer,” “The Wander,” and Beowulf
The
poems of the Anglo-Saxon period such as “The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer” have
many themes and techniques in common with heroic narratives like Beowulf. Since all of these works have
Anglo-Saxon origin they inevitably will share many common themes and virtues.
Across all types of Anglo-Saxon literature one will be able to see common
ideals. “The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer” are extremely similar poems which
deal with things like exile, faith in god, and journeys. Likewise, Beowulf also covers these same topics of
exile and journey. On top of that, both the poems and the heroic narrative have
similar tones and use many of the same literary devices. Overall, Anglo-Saxon
poems such as “The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer” have many literary elements in
common with heroic narratives like Beowulf.
The
Anglo-Saxon poem “The Seafarer” is
about a man exiled from his home land on a
sort of journey to heaven. The man believes that earthly comforts are no match
for the joys of heaven and as a result resolves to endure his exile in hopes of
comforts in heaven. The overall story is an allegory about the journey of life.
His exile and trip on the sea are like the trials and tests of life, while his
overall goal is eternal life in heaven.
The harshness of earthly life is evident in the narrator’s exile and the
melancholy tone that is used. This leads into another aspect of “The Seafarer”
and that is the fact that it is an elegy, or a poem that mourns the death of a
person or laments something lost. Also, “The Seafarer” uses literary devices
such as alliteration, kennings, and caesuras throughout. Like Beowulf, “The Seafarer” is about the
journey of life. In Beowulf, the
journey of life can be seen in the way Beowulf matures through his younger
years, adulthood, and old age. Also the harshness of life on Earth is also
evident in Beowulf. The deaths of the
Danes and their struggles are one example of this harshness. Finally, Beowulf has a melancholy tone much like
“The Seafarer” and uses kennings, alliteration, and caesuras.
The
next Anglo-Saxon poem “The Wander” is extremely similar to “The Seafarer.” In
“The Wanderer” the narrator is also exiled to sea. Similarly to “The Seafarer”
and Beowulf, “The Wanderer has a
melancholy tone and uses the story line to tell of the journey of life. The
poem also uses literary device like kennings, caesuras, and alliteration. On
top of these similarities between the two poems, there are also other aspects
that “The Wanderer” has in common with Beowulf.
For example, in “The Wanderer” the narrator talks of losing kinsmen. The loss
of his kinsmen is what drives his exile as he is “hoping to find a place, a
people, a lord to replace.” Similarly in Beowulf,
the Danes have lost many a kinsmen and many have been forced into exile far
away from their homes as a result of fear. As one can see, there are many
similarities between “The Wanderer”, “The Seafarer”, and Beowulf.
Overall,
“The Wanderer”, “The Seafarer”, and Beowulf
share many themes and techniques. Of the most prominent themes found within all
of these Anglo-Saxon works is that of the journey of life. For example, in “The
Seafarer” the journey of life is described as the narrator’s journey across the
sea towards life in heaven. Then, in “The Wanderer” while the narrator still
goes on a journey across the sea, the motive behind his Journey is more about
the loss of kinsmen and his journey to replace them in his heart. Finally, in Beowulf the journey is one of learning
as Beowulf develops through his younger years all the way to his old age. Themes are not the only aspect that these
works share. They also share many techniques including the use of the same
literary devices and tone. The tone of all three of the works is melancholy.
Also, all three works use many of the same literary devices such as kennings,
caesuras, and alliteration. In conclusion, Anglo-Saxon poems such as “The
Wanderer” and “The Seafarer” share many aspects with heroic narratives such as Beowulf.
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