ACriticalAnalysisofTheGrasshopperbyTennyson. The Grasshopper by Tennyson is an interesting poem, comparing the life of a grasshopper to human life.

The Grasshoppers existence is seen very favourably, as being without complexity or suffering. Tennyson illustrates these ideas extremely well, his use of languageandmetaphorismasterful. The word summer, in various forms, is mentioned on six occasions. The repetition emphasises the warmandbright nature of life which the grasshopperenjoys.Thisisintensified with the use of similar expressions: sunlight, lighting etc. Summer is also an important metaphor for youththegrasshopperapparentlyonly lives inthesummer,andthereforedoesnot have to reckon withtheoldageofwinter.Inthyheatofsummerpridedevelopsconnotationsof theyouthfulpassioninthegrasshopperthatitcanbaskinswelteringheatofsummer. The notion that the grasshoppers existence is a happy joyful one is augmented with references to carolor singing.Carol implies that song and music is a constant companion of happiness. The poem is strongly imbued with a musical semantic field bowing, chirrup, song, singing. Tennysonwritesthataspoetsfeign....theyare deaf,Iwouldarguethatthiscouldbe an allusion to the fact that if deaf to music, that they are deaftomuchemotion,suchashappiness and joy. The joyous musical element to the poem is also presented in some aspects of the structure. Although the rhyme is not in any particular order there is significant use of it,in the form of full rhymes such as tears andfears,andinhalfrhymesgrassesandtresses.These rhymes make the poem itself more akin to song. Alliteration is used to reinforce musical elements Carol clearly, chirrup..., and to makes particular phrases stand out: Shooting, singing, ever springing. This phrase also presents clearly the rule of three, and the trochee stress patterns on each word, which make the words memorable. Line 5 mentions poets in a negative aspect. It seemsin line9, the charge to prove their falsehood could be anallusionto the fact that poets, and the classical philosophers do not know the secret to a good existence. This is in contrast to thegrasshopper, whose grace,strength, andignorancemakeithappyand seeminglyimmortal. An underlying comparison relating to the grasshoppers life, is the life of a soldier. The militaristic lexis is highly prevalent, with words as shielded armed, mailed warrior evoking images of strength. Verbs like bound and vault apply equally well to the insect and A gallant cavalier. The grasshopper is described as very light and nimble, lithe and strong this shows the creature to be very graceful, not forceful almost like a warrior imbued with qualities of elegance and nobility. There is also a reference to The Bayard a mythical steed, which is strong and valiant. The notion of gallant cavalier is given more weightwith the phrase Sans peur et sans reproche translated as without fear, without reproach. This again confirms the idea that the grasshopper is equivalent to a soldier it does not know fear or loss. The grasshoppers bravery, and happiness, is of course unlike a soldier,duetoblissfulignorance. A possible interpretation is that there is a yearning on the part of the poet to become eternally happy and joyous through ignorance like thegrasshopper.Thisisevidencedinthefirsttwo lines of the second stanza I would dwell with thee,/ merry grasshopper which shows the poets realisationthatthegrasshoppersexistenceismuchmorefilledwithhappiness.

Immortality is another theme within this poem,withthepoignantreferencetoitinthefirst stanza. Tithon, acharacter ofclassical literature,wasrefashionedin theguiseofagrasshopper at his request of immortality. Although the grasshopper is by no means immortal, it does not wither into death as humans do, or as Tithon does, as he is not made eternally youthful. The referencetoTithonindicatesthatyouthispreferabletoimmortality,havingstrengthandvigourup to death as a grasshopper. Tennyson seems envious whenhe remarks that the grasshopper hast no sorrow or tears and no compt of years, in which case the grasshopper does not comprehend its life time. In a sense, it is therefore immortal to itself, as it does notknowit will die until it doesdie. It could be said that this was a freedom thatignoranceandsimplicitywould grant men. The repetitionofthephraseWhathastthoutodowithevilinthesecondstanzaisa reiteration of a grasshoppers ignorance of the complexities of life. Evil, arguably being a manmade notion, would never affect the life of agrasshopper,whichiswhyTennysonbelieves its kind of life might be a happier one. The mortality of the grasshopper is shown in line 31, which implies that its brief life is all joy, and that death is oblivion joy is the imposed view of Tennyson,asagrasshopperhasnograspofjoyordespair. Structure in the poem is important, it is in two distinct stanzas the first and second stanza having 21 and 23 lines respectively. There is no strict metre, which adds to the poems free lyricism. Enjambment is used quite heavily in the poem, perhaps echoing theflowing and graceful nature of the grasshopper itself, the enjambment allows thephrases to carol clearly. Caesura is a technique also employed, to a lesser extent, whichgivesamoderatetempotothe poem. The poem itself ends with a question, which might symbolise the mysterious nature of life. Tennysons perspective seems to suggest that youth and happiness may create a seeming immortality in ones own mind when one has no knowledge of evilanddeath. With age youth withersandthecruelrealitiesoflifearemorelikelytorevealthemselvesinourconsciousness.