In the poem, Longfellow uses the traveler and hostler to symbolize two different aspects of humanity. The poem depicts life as a process which cannot be sped up or slowed down, and the repetition of the tide rising and falling represents the progression of life.
The poem consistently expresses a serene tone, showing the relationship between nature and man as a calm one.In the first section of the poem, Longfellow introduces nature and humanity, expressing the relationship between the respective parties through the traveler's actions.Nature is expressed through the tide, and humanity is portrayed through the traveler. The traveler "hastens toward the town," bypassing the ocean around him.
The poem does not express an identifiable meter, but the lack of punctuation or pauses in the line describing the traveler show a brief shift to a quicker rhythm.This shift contributes to the characterization of the traveler as one who does not appreciate his surroundings and rushes through life; his relationship with nature is weak because he does not respond to it when he passes by the tide. The cycle of nature is also introduced through the constant rising and falling of the tide. "The twilight darkens" reinforces the theme of the natural cycle of nature, symbolizing the end of a day, and the "the curlew calls" also symbolizes the beginning of another. Longfellow uses repetition of "the tide rises, the tide falls" to continue this cycle into the second section and all throughout the poem, symbolizing the perpetual presence of nature.Language skills In the poem, Longfellow use varieties of rhetoric, for example, “ the sea in the darkness calls” is a kind of personification, which makes the sentence vivid, in the lines of “ the tide rises the tide falls:, Longfellow uses the metaphor of the tides to describe death and loss gently, Longfellow also uses bird calling sun setting sun and getting brown and cold symbolize that the time flies, the world is going on.
The traveler symbolizes all of mankind.Summary All in all, this is a beautiful poem with neat rhythm. The repeat of “ The tide rises, the tide falls” makes a song in people’s mind. The poem arouses readers plenty imagination.
