Ulysses and Elpinor's soliloquy
Who Defines Heroism?
The different visions of heroism presented in Tennyson’s “Ulysses” and Brent MacLaine’s “Elpinor’s Soliloquy”
Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses” and Brent MacLaine’s “Elpinor’s Soliloquy” in Athena Becomes a Swallow are two poems that convey visions of heroism in entirely different ways. Both stories give different perspectives on the difference between average life and heroic life. Tennyson’s “Ulysses” focuses on the heroic life whereas MacLaine’s “Elpinor’s Soliloquy” focuses more on the average life. However, is there a difference? If so, who defines heroism? Where Tennyson’s “Ulysses” conveys the so-called heroic life, MacLaine’s “Elpinor’s Soliloquy” challenges it with a story about a considerable average man. MacLaine and Tennyson use language and imagery to reveal the difference, or non-difference, between average life and heroic life.
Tennyson’s “Ulysses” is the story of an aging hero who, at the peak of his lifetime, realizes that a life lacking adventure is a life not well lived. The speaker, being Ulysses, talks about both; his “average” home life and his heroic and adventurous past, which ultimately allows the reader to clearly view his opinion and perception on both lifestyles. At the beginning of the poem, when describing his newfound “average” lifestyle, Tennyson has specific language use to convey the overall image. He uses words such as “barren”, “crags”, and “savage” that create a rather dull atmosphere. Presumably, the choice of language reflects the speaker’s own mood: dark, dull, and rather depressing. This choice of language creates imagery upon readers, images of sluggishness and emptiness, an image without color nor excitement. The story takes a sudden twist as soon as his past is brought to the table. Suddenly, the reader gets images of color and movement. He compares his life to “an arch wherethrough (g)leams that that untraveled world whose margin fades (f)orever and forever when I move”; which ultimately
The different visions of heroism presented in Tennyson’s “Ulysses” and Brent MacLaine’s “Elpinor’s Soliloquy”
Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses” and Brent MacLaine’s “Elpinor’s Soliloquy” in Athena Becomes a Swallow are two poems that convey visions of heroism in entirely different ways. Both stories give different perspectives on the difference between average life and heroic life. Tennyson’s “Ulysses” focuses on the heroic life whereas MacLaine’s “Elpinor’s Soliloquy” focuses more on the average life. However, is there a difference? If so, who defines heroism? Where Tennyson’s “Ulysses” conveys the so-called heroic life, MacLaine’s “Elpinor’s Soliloquy” challenges it with a story about a considerable average man. MacLaine and Tennyson use language and imagery to reveal the difference, or non-difference, between average life and heroic life.
Tennyson’s “Ulysses” is the story of an aging hero who, at the peak of his lifetime, realizes that a life lacking adventure is a life not well lived. The speaker, being Ulysses, talks about both; his “average” home life and his heroic and adventurous past, which ultimately allows the reader to clearly view his opinion and perception on both lifestyles. At the beginning of the poem, when describing his newfound “average” lifestyle, Tennyson has specific language use to convey the overall image. He uses words such as “barren”, “crags”, and “savage” that create a rather dull atmosphere. Presumably, the choice of language reflects the speaker’s own mood: dark, dull, and rather depressing. This choice of language creates imagery upon readers, images of sluggishness and emptiness, an image without color nor excitement. The story takes a sudden twist as soon as his past is brought to the table. Suddenly, the reader gets images of color and movement. He compares his life to “an arch wherethrough (g)leams that that untraveled world whose margin fades (f)orever and forever when I move”; which ultimately