Born on August 6, 1809, in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England, Alfred Tennyson is one of the well-loved Victorian poets. Tennyson, the fourth of twelve children, showed an early talent for writing. At the age of twelve he wrote a 6,000-line epic poem. His father, the Reverend George Tennyson, tutored his sons in classical and modern languages. As a child, Tennyson was influenced profoundly by the poetry of Byron and Scott, and his earliest poems reflect the lyric intensity and meditative expressiveness of his Romantic forebears. These early poems demonstrate his ability to link external scenery to interior states of mind.
Tennyson was appointed as Laureate by Queen Victoria, who became an admirer if his works. He used a wide range of subject matter ranging from medieval legends to classical myths. His poetry gave an impact in the Anglo-American literature. And thus his poems and the technique still live today and are used by famous writers.
One of his famous works was the poem “Crossing the Bar”, which he had written when he was about 80 years old. “Crossing the Bar” as a title, used sand bar as a metaphor for a boundary between life and death. It was considered to be his final poem. Since “Crossing the Bar” was his last poem, he wants to implement the feeling of sorrow. In my opinion, the reason why he wrote the poem is that, he does not want his relatives and friends to be sadden or cry over his death, especially in that time that he was already old. The significance of his poetry is that he does not only make his work understandable and relatable, but also making us feel what the poet feels.
Alfred Tennyson had inspired millions of readers with his works through poetry. He would write poems about life and decision making. His works are very inspirational, that his techniques and ideas are being used today by famous writers. Just like in his poem “Crossing the Bar”, he showed that life does not end in death. His works tackle about being happy with your plan in life, to never regret the decisions that you have made, and not to be afraid with what is awaiting you in the future.
As a reflection in his life, a great way to express your thoughts and feelings is through poetry. He experienced hardships, like most people do. One way to survive life is to face it and never give up. Life is always a journey and it may not end with death. His legacy will remain in us, through poetry by promoting the feeling that we want to get from the readers. We should always remember that life does not end in death and once a good poet ,always a good poet.
Sources: http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/tennyson/analysis.html
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/lord-alfred-tennyson
Language in literature, Anglo-American Literature by Arkaina, Estipona, Galvaz, Ribo,&Soriano
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