“Breakbreak break” is an 1842 poem. This was during the Victorian era. Tennyson’s grief over Arthur Hallam’s death is the subject of this poem. The poem is a combination of the endless cycle of nature and Tennyson’s bitter desire to see the world end. This poem might be intended to bring together grief experiences from all walks of life, and provide comfort knowing that most people have to deal with difficult emotions such as bereavement. Tennyson may be facing the reality that losing can have a challenging effect on rationality.
It is crucial to understand what ‘rationality’ means before you can get into the arguments. This will help avoid confusing the various meanings. V.B. Shneider says it is important to understand the contexts from which definitions arise, especially after the emergence of the ‘rationality phenomena.’ This includes Anglo-Saxon social theory and the philosophy of Science. He concluded that rationality was a’reasonably grounded normativity which ensures an expedient course of activity’ by looking at the definitions in dictionary. The question of what is ‘normal’ follows. He suggests that cultural reality has two major types of norms: one that has’spontaneously developed in the social development process’ and another that is based on logical reasoning. This holds true as social standards play a significant role in the concept of normal. Normal is seen through the eyes and perceptions of the person who sees it. While the speaker allows his grief and rationality to prevail, this should not be construed as a condemnation. His bitterness does not manifest in words but actions. Therefore, he is able to satisfy the utilitarian principle of taking legal and appropriate actions that do not have any negative consequences for society. Tennyson demonstrates the bitterness of the speaker by using the imperative command. This is further reinforced with repetition, emphasizing the speaker’s anger directed at death’s impermeable barrier. “Break! Break, break! O sea! Conduplicatio is a poetic technique that increases the intensity of poetry and encourages readers. The rhythm of three stressed syllables in a staccato-like pattern suggests that anguish can be described as a continuous cycle that is dominated and dominated by regrettable memories from the past. Another possibility is that Tennyson created this image to create a hauntingly poignant image. The harsh letter ‘k’ could signify cracks appearing in the speaker’s heart. It is a symbol of the devastation caused by loss. Elisabeth Kubler Ross, a psychiatrist and pioneering author of On Death and Dying in 1969, popularized five stages or grief. This could explain why Tennyson evokes a range of emotion in her poem: resentfulness, nostalgia or acceptance. The speaker’s moods are unpredictable, indicating grief replacing rationality. The intermittent and polarized emotions are directed at various places, including dead entities like the ocean. This is a way to get away from society, but it is not clear if there is any normality in grief. Tennyson suggests that irrationality is a valid way to validate grief and demonstrate authenticity.
This speaker could be expressing a desire for the spiritual dimension through his longing. “But O for that touch of a disappear’d hand, and the sounds of a still-voice!” Tennyson uses an archaic vowel called ‘o to create a feeling of urgency, desire and desire. The long sound of the vowel creates a feeling of emptiness and sadness. The synecdoche ‘hand/voice’ could signify that the speaker is losing memories and this could be a reason for his bitter emotional pain. Another interpretation is that this could be an expression of hope. The speaker could be suggesting that there is a spiritual plane which corresponds to Earth. This could mean that the deceased can reappear on this platform. Christianity was prevalent in politics and society during the Victorian era. Theology of Nature was used to mediate the harmony between science and religion. Because science has advanced so rapidly, the distinction between natural and supernatural became increasingly blurred. The interplay of science and magic is evident in all areas of literature. Tennyson explores the many strands that lead to death in order to appeal to his cultural context.
He avoids the idea of a transcendental realm, prompting eschatological debate.
Tennyson’s poem reveals that Tennyson allows grief replace rational thought. This elegy is meant to convey the grief caused by the death of a loved. The scope is not limited to a single cry for pain or despair. Tennyson uses permanent and long-lasting images to show the fragility of human existence, creating a powerful message of appreciation about this temporary existence. It is possible that the speaker’s grief was not expressed in a rational way without it being reflected on. One might therefore consider it an essential component to literary effectiveness.
