Comparison and Contrast – The Seafarer and The Wanderer
“The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer” Short Compare/Contrast Essay
“The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer” work very well as paired texts because they both seem to be reacting to the same cultural shift in values that occurred as the Anglo-Saxons settled in England and became the English. The narrator of “The Seafarer” seems to be coping more successfully with this shift by adopting the new set of values and trying to make them work in some ways with the old values. The narrator of “The Wanderer” seems to be doing less well, clinging to the past and longing for an era long gone.
Remember RACER
Restate the Question
Answer the Question
Cite Evidence
Explain how the evidence helps answer the question
Recap overall significance
Task: Write a three-paragraph essay describing the very different ways that the narrators of “The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer” address similar subjects. Include an introductory paragraph that introduces three of the topics/subjects that both the narrator of “The Seafarer” and the narrator of “The Wanderer” address. Then in the body paragraph, walk through the different and sometimes opposite ways that the two narrators talk about or react to those topics. Finally, in a concluding paragraph, make a statement generalizing what can be learned from these differences or perhaps a lesson that a modern reader could take from these ancient poems.
Write the essay in Google Docs or in Canvas' text area
Points:
Introduction:
Mentions the titles of the two poems. (5 Points)
Mentions three different topics included in both poems.(5 Points)
Body:
Explains how each poem deals differently with the first topic (5 points)
Explains how each poem deals differently with the second topic (5 points)
Explains how each poem deals differently with the third topic (5 points)
Conclusion (5 Points)
Generalizes what can be learned from the differences
and/or
A lesson that a modern reader could learn from the poems
Course and Section
Professor’s Name
October 8, 2023
Comparison and Contrast – The Seafarer and The Wanderer
The poems "The Seafarer" and "The Wanderer" are from the Anglo-Saxon period. Their author cannot be identified as the story has only been transferred orally through generations. When the poems have been written, the original creator of these poems cannot be identified anymore. The former theme focuses on loneliness and a reconciliation with God. The latter also focuses on loneliness but with more connection with the search for meaning in life. This essay will address the themes of loneliness, the passage of time, and the connection between the past and the present that are present in both of the aforementioned poems. It will also analyze how the narrator reacts to these themes.
Loneliness
In the poem "The Seafarer," the author embraces the theme of loneliness; in this loneliness, the author highlights the search for spiritual beings to cope with loneliness. The harsh condition of seafaring is also given importance, which is why the poem's characters seek spiritual beings. The seafarer seeks purpose and redemption in solitude, stating, "He who lives humbly has angels from Heaven / to carry him courage, strength, and belief." (The Seafarer, n.d.). While "The Seafarer" uses loneliness as a way of enlightenment, the poem “The Wanderer” uses it as a way of being stuck with the memories of the past, causing struggle and overwhelming emptiness of isolation on land (The Wanderer, n.d.).
Passage of Time
The poem "The Wanderer" berates time's passage and the fleeting nature o...