The Chambered Nautilus
April 30, 2013
Period 3
PERSONIFICATION ESSAY: THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS In the poem, “The Chambered Nautilus”, written by Oliver Wendell Holmes, he tells the fate of a nautilus to show us that we should live our lives like everyday like its our last and that we should move forward from the past. To prove his moral, he tells the fate of a nautilus by giving it human qualities and using personification to show how it lives its life and not dwell on its past. Homles uses personification in this poem to compare how the nautilus’ shell is like our very own human bodies and that we should live life everyday like its our last and move forward from the past. The first line that he uses to give the nautilus human qualities is when he says, “…As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell… Before thee lies revealed-Its irised ceiling rent” (Lines 12-14). Homles shows that after the nautilus is lured by the singing sirens, the sea nymphs, the shell breaks in half and reveals the chambers which the nautilus lived almost like how an actual person, or a tenant, rents and moves into different apartments like how the nautilus moves into different chambers as it shells gets bigger and bigger. Holmes proves to us that this helps the poems subject because it demonstrates that we move forward from the past like how the nautilus moves into its different chambers. Another example of Holmes using personification in this poem is when he shows us how the nautilus dies from the tempting nymphs. “… where the Siren sings, And coral reefs lie bare, Where the cold sea maids- rise to sun their streaming hair” (Lines 5-7). Holmes compares the ugly sea nymphs, who disguise themselves to beautiful sea women, or in this case cold sea-maids, to tempt and lure the nautilus to come to them but in return making him crash causing the nautilus’ shell to break. Lines five to seven gives us an idea that its important to the poems subject because it shows us how the sea nymphs caused the nautilus to
Period 3
PERSONIFICATION ESSAY: THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS In the poem, “The Chambered Nautilus”, written by Oliver Wendell Holmes, he tells the fate of a nautilus to show us that we should live our lives like everyday like its our last and that we should move forward from the past. To prove his moral, he tells the fate of a nautilus by giving it human qualities and using personification to show how it lives its life and not dwell on its past. Homles uses personification in this poem to compare how the nautilus’ shell is like our very own human bodies and that we should live life everyday like its our last and move forward from the past. The first line that he uses to give the nautilus human qualities is when he says, “…As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell… Before thee lies revealed-Its irised ceiling rent” (Lines 12-14). Homles shows that after the nautilus is lured by the singing sirens, the sea nymphs, the shell breaks in half and reveals the chambers which the nautilus lived almost like how an actual person, or a tenant, rents and moves into different apartments like how the nautilus moves into different chambers as it shells gets bigger and bigger. Holmes proves to us that this helps the poems subject because it demonstrates that we move forward from the past like how the nautilus moves into its different chambers. Another example of Holmes using personification in this poem is when he shows us how the nautilus dies from the tempting nymphs. “… where the Siren sings, And coral reefs lie bare, Where the cold sea maids- rise to sun their streaming hair” (Lines 5-7). Holmes compares the ugly sea nymphs, who disguise themselves to beautiful sea women, or in this case cold sea-maids, to tempt and lure the nautilus to come to them but in return making him crash causing the nautilus’ shell to break. Lines five to seven gives us an idea that its important to the poems subject because it shows us how the sea nymphs caused the nautilus to