Sea Fever by John Masefield discussion and analysis through question-answer for Class X

 

In this poem the poet expresses his desire to go to the seas again. He wants to go to that part of the sea where nobody has yet dared to venture. His adventurous spirit(অভিযাত্রীসুলভ মন) makes him to embark upon(পাড়ি জমানো) a journey to see the unseen and know the unknown.

Here is a list of questions along with the answers based on each line in each stanza. 

Stanza I

1. Who wants to “go down to the seas again”?

Ans: The poet wants to go down to the seas again.

2. Who is referred to here by the personal pronoun ‘I’?

Ans: The poet himself is referred to here by the personal pronoun ‘I’.

3. What role does the word ‘I’ play?

Ans: The use of the word ‘I’ makes the poem personal in tone. It helps the poet express his personal feelings.

4. What does the word ‘must’ signify?

Ans: The word ‘must’ points towards the degree of determination the poet has.

It signifies that the poet is determined to “go down to the seas again.”

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5. What does the word ‘again’ signify?

Ans: It indicates that the poet had been to the seas in the past. He is not a new comer in the world of sea-voyage(সমুদ্র যাত্রা).

6. What kind of a sea does the poet want to go?

Ans: The poet wants to go to the lonely(নির্জন) sea.

7. What adjective does the poet use to describe the sea? (in line no 01, stanza I )

Ans: The poet uses the word/adjective “lonely” to describe the sea.

8. What does the poet ask for to start his sea-voyage? (in line no 02, stanza I)

Ans: The poet asks for “a tall ship and a star”.

9. What is going to be the role played by the star during the voyage?

Ans: The star is going to steer(নিয়ে যাওয়া) the ship forward(সামনে).

10. What is the adjective used to describe the ship?

Ans: The adjective used to describe the ship is ‘tall’.

11. What is referred to here by the word ‘her’?

Ans: The ship is referred to here by the word ‘her’.

12. Why is the ship treated like a human being?

Ans: This is a case of personification. In literature, especially in poems, inanimate জড়) objects (বস্তুসমুহ) are ascribed (আরোপিত করা) human qualities. This is known as personification.

Personification is a technique used by poets to attract the attention of the readers. This is a device to make lines attractive (আকর্ষনীয়)and appealing(আবেদনময়).

13. What does the poet ask for to start his sea-voyage? (in line no 03, stanza I)

Ans: The poet asks for ‘Wheel’s kick’, ‘the wind’s song’, and ‘the white sail’s shaking’ to start his sea-voyage.

14. What is the colour of the sail?

Ans: The colour of the sail is white.

15. What is meant by ‘wind’s song’?

Ans: The phrase ‘wind’s song’ refers to the sound made by the blowing wind. This phrase is an instance(উদাহরন) of personification.

16. What does the poet need to start his sea-voyage? (in line no 04, stanza I)

Ans: The poet wants ‘grey mist on the sea’s face, and a ‘grey dawn breaking’ to start his journey.

17. In which time of the day does the poet want to go out?

Ans: The poet wants to go out at the time of ‘grey dawn breaking’. This means the poet wants to go out at the time of the very start of the day.

18. What is meant by ‘grey mist on the sea’s face’?

Ans: This is an instance of personification. This phrase refers to a sea full of mist.

19. What does the word ‘mist’ signify/ symbolise?

Ans: The word ‘mist’ stands for mystery (রহস্য)or uncertainty(অনিশ্চয়তা). It refers to something that is not known to human beings.

20. Why does the poet want to go to a misty sea?

Ans: ‘Misty sea’ refers to a mysterious or unknown(অজানা) sea. The poet wants to go to an unknown land. He wants to face(সন্মুখীন হওয়া) the challenges(কঠিন পরিস্থিতি,সমস্যা) of exploring(আবিষ্কার করা) an unknown sea. This shows the adventurous spirit of the poet.

21. Why does the poet want ‘grey mist’ on the face of the sea?

Ans: The colour grey (ধূসর)generally stands for loneliness, (একাকীত্ব),depression(গভীরহতাশা), sadness, monotony(একঘেয়েমি), and barrenness(রুক্ষতা,উষরতা). Here it stands for silence and mystery. Sea shrouded(আবৃত থাকা) by grey mist also stands for mystery. The poet wants to go to a mysterious sea. Thus he can quench(মেটানো) his thirst for adventure.

 

Stanza II

 

22. Why does the poet want to go to the seas?

Ans: The poet wants to go to the seas because he cannot deny the ‘call of the running tide’.

23. How is the call of the ‘ running tide’ ?

Ans: The call of the running tide is a ‘wild and clear call’.

24. Why does it appear to be difficult for the poet to deny ‘the call of the running tide’?

Ans: It appears to be difficult for the poet to deny ‘the call of the running tide’ because the call of the running  tide is ‘wild and clear’.

25. What are the two adjectives used to describe the call of the tide?

Ans: The two adjectives used to describe the call of the tide are ‘wild’ and ‘clear’.

26. What are the things that the poet wants to start his journey? (in stanza II)

Ans: The poet wants ‘windy day’, ‘white clouds flying, ‘flung  spray’, ‘the blown spume’ ,and ‘the sea-gulls crying’ to start his journey.

27. What idea do you get about the poet in his wish for ‘a windy day’?

Ans: The poet is adventurous in spirit and he never wants to miss the thrill of adventure(অভিযানের আনন্দ).

28. What do the phrase such as ‘flung spray’and ‘blown spume’ signify?

Ans: They signify /stand for agility, speed, brute(বন্য) natural force, restlessness(অস্থিরতা), and challenge.

29. What does the phrase ‘sea-gulls crying’ stand for?

Ans: Sea-gulls represent the natural world which stands opposed to the human world. The poet wants the company of the sea-gulls. It means the poet only seeks the presence of the natural world and does not want to be disturbed by any human company.

 

Stanza III

30. What life does the poet want? (in line no 01, stanza III )

Ans: The poet wants the vagrant(ভবঘুরে) gypsy (যাযাবর)life.

31. Why does the poet want ‘the vagrant gypsy life’?

Ans: The poet wants the vagrant gypsy life because the poet has adventurous spirit. His love for adventure and his love for the natural world make him embrace(স্বাদরে গ্রহন করে নেওয়া)‘the vagrant gypsy life.’

32. What does the phrase ‘the gull’s way’ signify?

Ans: It stands for the natural world which is unknown, unexplored, and unadulterated(দূষণহীন,দূষণমুক্ত) by human beings.

33. What does the phrase ‘the whale’s way’ stand for?

Ans: It stands for the natural world which is unknown, unexplored, and unadulterated by the human beings.

34. Where does the wind act like ‘a whetted knife’?

Ans: The wind acts like a whetted knife in that area of the sea where seagulls and whales roam (ঘুরে বেড়ায়)freely.

35. What does the phrase ‘the wind’s like a whetted knife’ refer to?

Ans: The phrase refers to the sharp speed of the wind.

36. Explain the simile(উপমা) used in the phrase ‘the wind’s like a whetted knife’?

Ans: In the phrase ‘the wind’s like a whetted knife’, the blowing wind is considered as similar to a ‘whetted knife’. In a simile, two dissimilar (পৃথক)objects are compared and regarded as similar. Words such as ‘like’ is used in a simile. So here we find that ‘wind’ and ‘whetted knife’, two dissimilar objects, are regarded as being similar. So here is a case of simile used to describe the speed of the blowing wind. Simile is mainly used in poems to achieve special effect.

37. What does the poet mean in the line ‘To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife; ’ ?

Ans: The poet wants to go to that area of the sea where the gulls and the whales roam. He wants their company in his journey. They roam in the unknown part of the sea where nobody goes. In that lonely sea, the wind blows freely at its highest speed. It is a pure natural world secluded (বিচ্ছিন্ন)from other parts of the sea. The line refers to this remotest(সবচেয়ে দুরবর্তী), secluded, and lonely sea and conveys the poet’s desire to go to such part of the sea.

38. What does the poet want when ‘the long trick’s over’?

Ans: the poet wants ‘quiet sleep and a sweet dream’ when ‘the long trick’s over’.

39. What do we conclude from the poet’s desire to listen to tales, sleep a ‘quiet sleep’, and ‘sweet dream’ once the journey comes to an end?

Ans: The poet’s wishes tell us that the poet not only lives a life full of adventure but also wants sleep and rest. He can balance both the lives. Both ‘adventure’, and ‘rest’ can peacefully co-exist(সহাবস্থান) in his life.

40. What are the adjectives you find in the last stanza and how are they used?

Ans: We find many adjectives in the last stanza.

The adjective ‘vagrant’ is used to describe the kind of life the poet wants.

‘gypsy’ is another adjective to describe the kind of life the poet wants.

The adjective ‘merry’ is used to describe ‘yarn’(tale).

The words ‘laughing’ and ‘fellow’ can be seen as functioning as adjectives to describe ‘rover’ (sailor).

‘Quiet’ is used to describe ‘sleep’.

‘sweet’ is used to describe ‘dream’

41. What are the things the poet wants (in all the three stanzas) to undertake his sea-voyage?

Ans: The list of the things the poet wants is long. Here it is-

In stanza I the poet wants the following things-

a tall ship

a star

the wheel’s kick

the wind’s song

the white mist on the sea’s face

grey dawn breaking

 

In stanza II the poet wants the following things-

a windy day

white cloud flying

flung (নিক্ষিপ্ত,ছিটকে যাওয়া)spray (জলের বিন্দু)

blown (ছিটকে যাওয়া)spume(ফেনা)

crying sea-gulls