Analysis Poetry Essay

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ThesisHas loyalty ever been enough to loose one`s life for? Is integrity worth keeping more than life? Taking into consideration that once a person dies, they have got no use for integrity in the next world. They will not need loyalty where they are going. How can a person choose to endanger his life just so to please another mortal? Is human nature not satisfied with what it accomplishes and just wants more? Additionally, why do other humans -superior in rank- choose to endanger the lives of their subordinates while playing it safe in safety cocoons? The poem "Sir Patrick Spense" illuminates on this issues and it does so in a purely artistic way. I will use the poem to try answering these questions.The poem has got a basic plot. It starts with the king asking for the greatest sailor to command a ship fir a royal errand as illustrated in line 1-4 of the first stanza of the poem:The King has written a braid letter...1And signed it wi` his hand...2And sent it to sir Patrick Spence...3Was walking on the sand...4 (Anonymous)The plot then moves to Sir Patrick when he takes the letter and reads its contents and feels overwhelmed by what the kings asks him to do. To him it is an impossible task to sail the sea with the weather conditions present. However, he takes up the challenge and he knows that this will be his last as a sea sailor. The poem presents different conflicts in society. It shows how the nobles view their subjects. The nobles are of the idea that whatever they want done has to be done. They do not care about the repercussions of their needs. This conflict begs the question; to what extent do the subjects have to stoop just to please the nobles or their rulers? The power that the noble wield is always argued is wielded on behalf of the people through a social contract. The subjects have expressed their willingness to be ruled by an authority that they themselves have chosen. Therefore there should be no golden bridges that subjects have to cross for instance to gain audience to their chosen leader. But from the first stanza line 1-4 of the poem, the situation is very different. Sir Patrick Spence explains thus: The King has written a braid letter...1And signed it wi his hand...2And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence...3Was walking in the sand...4 (Kennedy & Dana 21).The king needs an errand run for him. Yet he has the audacity to just send his message to the best sailor. He does not even bother to request for his presence so that he could be able to meet the famous sailor in his kingdom. During the period of Sir Patrick, earning the title of the greatest sailor was prestigious. It warranted respect even from the king. The fact that the king had never bothered to meet his best sailor shows how neglecting the ruling class can be. Furthermore, the king never bothered to understand whether the mission was possible or not....