Woo Young Kang English 6 5/11/12 Imagery is an essential pillar in poetry; with imagery, words can be used to embody

unimaginable senses and intangible emotions. In John Masefields poem, Sea Fever, Masefield portrays one sailors insatiable desire for the sea, personifying the surrounding imagery of the oceanic sights around him. In addition, he repeatedly addresses the arising emotions of lonely solitude and companionship while expressing his passion for adventure. Although each stanza is not eloquently lengthy, Masefield conveys a stirring wave of emotion one after another through his vivid choice of words. Throughout the poem, Masefield creatively describes the natural elements of the sea life around him through personification. In the beginning, the speaker states that he must once again go down to the lonely sea and the sky (1), making it apparent that this has happened many times before. This lonely sea seems to be a perfect companion for the lonely sailor who describes it as if it were an actual being; the call of the running tide (5) is impossible to ignore as it rings wild and clear to him and may not be denied (6). The wind is an individual being as well for the man, who observes the winds changes throughout every stanza. The wind sings lightly at first, enough to make the white sail shake; its strength gradually increases, however, as it soon sends clouds flying (7) and later feels like a whetted knife (10): sharp and piercing. By personifying the elements, Masefield hints humanistic qualities that add more emotional depth to the poem. Another important aspect is the loneliness of the sailor and his instinctual need for a fellow companion. The aforementioned sea and sky are lonely companions to a similarly lonely sailor that are beside him in his adventure as he leads a vagrant gypsy life (7) never settling down, flitting to and from one place to another, all while travelling the great blue expanses of whatever limits he prefers. Contrary to the overall enthusiastic tone, though, lies a deeper loneliness that stems from possibly being at sea so long alone; with no one besides the cleverly personified elements to be alongside, there is no true human let alone socially intelligent being to talk to but himself. At the end of his journey, all the sailor truly wants is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover; he wants human friendship, companionship, like a fellow seaman to tell him a classic tale of old.

The striving urge of the speaker in Masefields poem seeks out adventure and motion away from a repetitive, settling lifestyle. This need for a thrill comes in the form of the sea that beckons to him, an undeniable call that must be answered and tended to. The second or third line in each stanza begins with And all I ask (2, 7, 11); that phrase is usually to plead for a single thing, but the speaker is particularly specific with his pleas, as if he wants his experiences to be perfect. These requests, of course, arent tranquil and peaceful: at least not in the beginning. He wants the wheels kick, the shaking of sails, flung spray, blown spume, and seagulls crying exciting motion and stirring action at best. But as his journey begins to come to a close, his thirst for a thrill begins to die down; in the end, all the man wants is quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long tricks over (12), his undeniable urges and passions used up and finally at rest. Architecturally, a pillar is useful as both a necessary frame for the building and as an ornately exquisite decoration. Imagery in the same sense is a pillar of literature; it provides a frame for the words to be built upon and can be cleverly used to color in a deeper persona of emotion and character. Masefields Sea Fever is an exceptional example of such, for he turns ostensible scenes into characters with meaning. In this way, Masefield leads the reader through a poetic tale of longing, camaraderie, and the undeniable thrill of adventure that can only be enhanced further by ones mere imagination.