Alliteration In Break Break, Break, By Alfred Tennyson

Rafael Villafana

English 102

Professor Daily

January 29, 2018 “Break Break Break “was composed by Alfred Tennyson and it mainly deals with loss. The poem is a depiction of the personal grief and pain the poet goes through. The poet is mourning the death of a close friend whom he will never see again. In the first stanza, the poet describes how the sea crashes against the “cold gray stones” (Tennyson, 2) showing how he struggles with his unexpressed inner feelings. The poem reflects on death and the sorrow that it causes to the poet while relating it to the setting of the sea. The second stanza presents an observation of the people around the poet. The image of the sea and its waves splashing against the cold gray stones, the singing

They are laughing and enjoying themselves while playing. The other characters in the poem include the sailor who is singing in his boat and the unnamed narrator. Repetition: The speaker uses repetition in line 1 and 13 of the poem. The line "Break, break, break" is repeated by then poet to challenge the waves to break against the rocks of the seaside because the poet feels that even if the waves break, nothing will change. Alliteration: The poet uses alliteration through words such as "sailor" and "sing" (Tennyson, 7-8) and "stately ships (Tennyson, 9). Diction: The diction used in the poem ins a formal one. For example, the poet uses the term "thy" (Tennyson, 14) instead of your. Personification: The poet uses personification in the 9th and 10th line of the poem to describe the "stately ships" (Tennyson, 9) and the "haven under the hill" (Tennyson, 10). The speaker is concerned that even the inanimate ships are sailing silently and carefree. Personification is also evident in the poet's description of a day as being dead. "…a day that is dead." (Tennyson,

This can be seen in how he wishes to "touch" the "vanished hand" and "hear the "voice that is still." (Tennyson, 11-12). The speaker sees representations of death all around him. The "stately ships"(Tennyson, 9) represents wooden coffins being taken to the cemetery or "haven under the hill" (Tennyson, 10) while the "cold gray stones" (Tennyson, 2) are likely to represent gravestones. At the end of the poem, the poet states how the death of his friend cannot be reversed. He feels sad that he cannot bring back the close relationship that he shared with his deceased