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The seafarer

 
 
In “The Seafarer”, translated by Burton Raffel, an old sailor expresses his emotions about his life on the sea and how he is affected in a sorrowful way. He longs for happiness but is unable to find it in a world controlled by fate. Fatalism was a common belief in Anglo-Saxon poetry and life in general. The Seafarer’s life was determined by fate as any other man’s life would be too. No matter what one’s merit is, their life is being predetermined by a force they can’t control. “But there isn’t a man on earth so proud, so born to greatness, so bold with his youth, grown so brave, or so graced by God, that he feels no fear as the sails unfurl, wondering what fate has willed and will do” (lns. 39-43). The Seafarer is extracting all his emotions to give the impression to the reader that although his life may be controlled by fate, the path that is chosen for him he heartily accepts and understands the power and wrath this outside force has, including God. However, he still understands that The Seafarer has experienced life and been around the world, but the sea
 
 


The sailor conveys how no matter what hardships the sea cast him, he still returned. Fate controls one's life as mentioned before as it controls one's death too. The Seafarer believes that the benevolent parts of life are controlled by God and that life itself however must come to an end. Although his heart wanders away with his hopes of the joys of summer, his soul roams with the sea. "The passion of cities, swelled proud with wine and no taste of misfortune, how often, how wearily, I put myself back on 2the paths of the sea" (lns. However, he still lives his life accordingly and away from fortune. Nothing placed in one's coffin, gold in this case, will be taken up to heaven with the 3person inside. The sins that were committed were not hidden like the gold, and they do shake the wrath of God. This job and the hardships the sea had put forth were destined for him and he accepted this. In conclusion, the Seafarer states that no matter what fate chosen for us, that we should praise the grace of god who has honored us by creating earth. He then goes on to state that nothing can change the wrath that God has set forth. That once the fate of one's life has been determined, nothing may change it. The seafarer, although surrounded by grim and misfortune, still has a longing that wraps itself around him.


Some topics in this essay:
Burton Raffel, one's life, , wrath god, life determined, matter fate, life controlled, fate controls, fate chosen, hardships sea, paths sea, controlled fate,
 
   
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