A Close Reading of Tennyson’s “the Eagle”
Here is another essay on poetry. As the date shows, it's been a while since I wrote it. It can serve as an example for my students, but all are free to read and enjoy. Charles Brent Oliver Dr. Borges ENGL 1020 SA1 5 March 2015 A Close Reading of Tennyson’s “the Eagle” Tennyson’s poem, “the Eagle,” is a mainstay of introductory poetry courses and textbooks. The reason for this is obvious: it is very brief, and far simpler than many more complex poems (anything by Milton comes to mind). However, although simple, it is also elegant and beautiful, and the product of much more conscious effort than might appear at first glance. Some sense of this effort can be gleaned through an examination of the poem’s use of certain musical devices, specifically alliteration, consonance, and rhyme. ...