Anglo-Saxon elegies deal with male camaraderie and the bond between man and his creator. Although there are many elegies, The Seafarer and The Wanderer are two of the most prominent. Both of these elegies deal with the loss of social society and the quest for a Christian sense of being close to God. There are many similarities and differences between the two poems. Some of the differences will be discussed here. These differences include point of view, style or form, and mood. Understanding of the elegies will also be discussed here.
             The point of view for The Seafarer is first person narrative. The speaker tells the story as if he really experienced the events. The speaker makes statements like, “how I in harsh days Hardship endured oft.” (3-4). The readers view this as an experienced perspective. In The Wanderer, the point of view varies. It begins with first person and then changes between third person and first person. The speaker makes references to his own experiences and then offers suggestions for action. The speaker seems to have an activist point of view, whereas the speaker for The Seafarer has a pacifist point of view.
             The styles of the two poems are very different. In The Seafarer, the language is difficult to understand and the sentences or lines are very rough. This allows for some misinterpretation among readers and listeners. The Wanderer is put into a more organized and structured form. When reading The Seafarer, the reader must concentrate and pay close attention to what the speaker is saying. The complicated structure and the abstract form distract the reader. The reader of The Wanderer is able to focus on the meaning the speaker is trying to communicate because the thoughts are in an
             organized fashion. This allows the reader to get a more in depth understanding and interpretation of the central message.
             The differences described previously, lead to the most important
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