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Death, Acceptance, and Christianity

- The poem "Crossing the Bar" by Alfred Lord Tennyson is about confronting death with acceptance rather than fear. - The speaker sees death as a transition into the afterlife rather than an end, finding comfort in the Christian faith. They view death like crossing a sandbar from the coast into the sea. - Through references to nature and metaphorical language, the speaker expresses a serene attitude towards their impending death, confident in an afterlife and reunion with God as their "Pilot".

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Sai Aravind
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354 views

Death, Acceptance, and Christianity

- The poem "Crossing the Bar" by Alfred Lord Tennyson is about confronting death with acceptance rather than fear. - The speaker sees death as a transition into the afterlife rather than an end, finding comfort in the Christian faith. They view death like crossing a sandbar from the coast into the sea. - Through references to nature and metaphorical language, the speaker expresses a serene attitude towards their impending death, confident in an afterlife and reunion with God as their "Pilot".

Uploaded by

Sai Aravind
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Death, Acceptance, and Christianity

“Crossing the Bar” is a poem in which a speaker confronts the reality of imminent
death—and finds a kind of peace in the thought of dying. Rather than being scared
by death, the speaker presents it as a mere transition into another kind of life
(specifically, the Christian afterlife). The speaker compares this to the crossing of a
sandbar—the kind that marks the shift from a coastal area to a sea or ocean—and
asks that there be no “sadness of farewell” on their behalf. The poem is thus
inherently an argument in favor of accepting death, with the comforting knowledge
of God’s love as solace.

The speaker senses their time on earth is near an end, noting the “sunset” and
“evening star,” and even hearing a “clear call” that death is close at hand. This offers
an opportunity for them to reflect on death. Building the metaphor of death as the
crossing of a bar of sand, the speaker puts forward the idea that death is not
something to fear—but just a quiet, near-seamless transition between two different
states of being.

The poem opens with a kind of announcement, the speaker hearing the “clear call”
that it is time for them to die. As the poem progresses and the speaker reveals their
belief in the Christian God, it becomes apparent that the speaker sees this “call” as
coming from God himself. Already, this establishes the idea that there is a God
behind life and death, and that this coming death is part of God’s plan—that death
should not be feared because it is designed by God, who has people’s best interests
in mind.

As such, the speaker hopes that there “may be no moaning of the bar” when the
speaker “put[s] out to sea.” Why “moan,” goes the speaker's argument, when death
is part of God’s plan. In essence, the speaker is saying that they hope there is no fear,
sadness, or pain when they die—on the speaker’s part or on the part of others.
That’s because, ultimately, the speaker doesn’t see death as a true end.

The speaker prefers to die quietly, because to them that befits the belief that death
is merely a transition. To disturb the sandbar, metaphorically speaking, would be to
worry about death—to fear and even resist it. To die quietly on a metaphorical tide
that is “too full for sound and foam,” seems the most appropriate way to die. 

The speaker does, however, acknowledge that dying means going somewhere very
far away from the earthly realm: “For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place /
The flood may bear me far.” These lines draw a link between the ocean and eternity,
putting forward the idea that the speaker is merely returning to the eternal realm
from which they came. Indeed, the speaker believes that their life was part of God’s
plan—and so too is their death.

In fact, this journey from the earthly to the spiritual realm is even something to look
forward to. That’s because it’s only through dying that people can meet their
“Pilot”—the Christian God. The speaker hopes to know God through death, to look at
God “face to face.” Accordingly, the speaker is in a way quietly but eagerly expecting
death—not living in fear of it. Death brings with it a new kind of knowledge and
experience that isn’t available to the living. Most importantly, it leads to a reunion
with God. 

In summary, then, the poem insists that there is no reason to fear death. Instead, it
argues that people should take solace in the rather paradoxical thought that death
brings with it not an end, but a new beginning.

Summary of Crossing the Bar

 Popularity of “Crossing the Bar”:Alfred Lord Tennyson, a great English poet,


wrote ‘Crossing the Bar’. It is a popular poem due to its theme of overreaching
death. It was first published in 1889 in the collection, Demeter and Other
Poems. The poem deals with the speaker’s concern about his approaching,
inevitable death. It also highlights his accepting and calm attitude about the
end of his life. However, its popularity lies in its everlasting metaphoric
description of natural objects and their connection with the speaker’s life.
 “Crossing the Bar” As a Representative of Death: As this poem is about death,
the poet says that he hears someone calling him from the sea. The call
indicates that the evening of his life has approached, and soon he is going to
start a new journey. He compares his life to tide to express his feelings. The
last stanza of the poem marks the serenity and calmness. The poet says that
after death he will no longer be caught in the clutches of time and place. The
afterlife journey will take him so far from the limitations of life. Also, he hopes
to see his pilot or the one who gave him life and now taking him back to his
original destination. What stays in the minds of the readers is the
stark comparison of life and death.
 Major Themes in “Crossing the Bar”: Death and acceptance are the major
themes of this poem. Throughout the poem, we find many examples which
indicate that the poet is talking about the approaching dawn of his life.
Although the poem is not morbid or sad, yet it describes the poet’s meditation
over his death. He suggests that rather than fearing definite death, one should
accept that one day everyone is going to cross over from life to death.

Analysis of Literary Devices in “Crossing the Bar”

Literary devices are tools that enable the writers to present their ideas, emotions,
and feelings, using persuasive language. Lord Tennyson has also employed some
literary devices in this poem. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this
poem has been given below.

1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such


as the sound of /o/ in “And may there be no moaning of the bar” and the
sounds of /i/ and /a/ in “I hope to see my Pilot face to face.”
2. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five
senses. For example, “Sunset and evening star”; “But such a tide as moving
seems asleep” and “I hope to see my Pilot face to face.”
3. Symbolism: Symbolism is a use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities and
give meanings different from their literal meanings. “Evening” symbolizes
death and the end of life and “twilight” is the symbol of last moments of life or
old age.
4. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought or clause that does not come to an end
at a line break; instead, it moves over the next line. For example,

“I hope to see my Pilot face to face


When I have crost the bar.”

5. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line


in quick succession such as the sound of /c/ in “And one clear call for me”.
6. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made
between the objects that are different. “Crossing the bar” is a metaphor of
death.
7. Personification: Personification is to give human characteristics to inanimate
objects. For example, in the third line, ‘And may there be no moaning of the
bar’ the poet personifies “sandbar”; in the fifth line ‘But such a tide as moving
seems asleep’ he personifies the tide as if it can sleep like humans.
Analysis of Poetic Devices in “Crossing the Bar”

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is
the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

1. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this
poem each comprises four lines.
2. Quatrain: Quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here
each stanza is quatrain.
3. Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABAB rhyme scheme, and this pattern
continues throughout the poem.
4. End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. For example,
“me/sea”; “star/bar” and “foam/home.”

Quotes to be Used

The lines stated below can be used to describe the stunning beauty of nature.

“Sunset and evening star,


And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.”

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