Alfred Lord Tennyson

The Eagle

The Eagle by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is a strong poem that conveys the characteristics of an eagle. Tennyson uses a variety of diction, imagery, syntax, and sense of drama to evoke the eagle's predatory power. Every line has a deep meaning which Tennyson provides an image of the eagle have a superior status in the poem. The poem gives us a vivid heroic image of an eagle.

Tennyson first uses alliteration in the first line, "He clasps the crag with crooked hands." This describes that the eagle is old. The word "claps" means the eagle is rigid, while "crooked" is used to make the eagle exotic and strange. It provides a exposure of the eagle appearance. Additionaly, "lonely lands" expresses the eagle's solitude over a vast amount of area. In tis case, Alfred Lord Tennyson uses imagery as he describes the eagle in the "lonely lands." It pulls the first two stanza together and gives a deep meaning. The eagle "stands" in the "azure world" with a strong power and confidence.

In line 4, the use of the words " wrinkled" and "crawls" represents a powerful diction. It reflects the image of the sea as an old age, which is linked with the eagle in line 1. But, in this stanza it also describes a strong proud in it's old age, but as a feeble. As the "sea beneath him crawls," personifies the sea is inferior to the eagle, while the eagle is a superior to the sea. The superiority status gives the eagle the violent predatory power. As he "watches" the prey, the eagle feel confident, because his standing from "mountain wall." This describes that the eagle is a god like as he has the walls that represents a castle with a strong wall.

Finally, the last stanza, Alfred Lord Tennyson uses syntax and drama to evoke the eagles predatory power. The eagle is being compared to a "thunderbolt" through the use of a simile. The power of the eagle as "he falls" is at the end to add suspense. The syntax is used to make it dramatic. As the eagle falls he attacks the prey violently like a thunderbolt. The strong power of the eagle is like a thunderbolt, a sudden attack, without a warning.