Poetry has a way of taking readers into the poem simply by the use of words. In “The Sea,” readers are experiences why the author needs the sea. By analyzing the structure, sound, and meaning of the poem, the reader gets a clearer picture of why the author of the poem is so passionate about the sea. In the poem, the author, Pablo Neruda talks about how the sea teaches him. What he learns he does not forget because it each experience changes him. The structure of the poem is essential to understanding the meaning of the poem.
The structure of “The Sea” allows the reader some insight into what the Neruda is talking about when he says the sea teaches him. “The Sea” is an open-formed poem. It has four stanzas which consist of thirty lines. The poem varies in length. Some lines are longer than others which reflect the size of the waves in the sea. However, the poem does not have any rhyming in it. Instead, the author used lamb stresses and consonance rhythm to get his meaning across. Just as the structure of the poem is similar to sea waves, the author included the sound of the sea throughout his poem.
The use of certain words leads the poem to have the sound of a wave. Neruda uses the consonants “s” and “w” to reflect the sound of the sea as the poem is being read. Neruda uses words that starts with “s” so that the “sss” sound of the sea can be heard in the following lines of the poem, “It’s not simply the shells crunched / as if some shivering planet / were giving signs of its gradual death;” (“The Sea” 9-11). Whereas in the following lines, the author uses “w” to emphasize the “www” sound of the waves, “What it taught me before, I keep. It’s air / ceaseless wind, water and sand.” (“The Sea” 15-6). It is important that the reader hears the sound of the sea because it shows the reason the author stated, “I need the sea because it teaches me” (“The Sea” 1). His need for the sea and how it teaches him is reflected throughout the poem through sound which the reader experiences.
In “The Sea,” Neruda knows he learns something from the sea. However, he is unsure what he is learning. Listening to the sound of the waves, Neruda is uncertain if the sea is teaching him music or if he is learning about awareness. However, he does realizes that he has learned something before because he retains the knowledge of the previous lessons within him. He knows that the knowledge is there because it changes after each lesson. Neruda learns from the “university of waves” (“The Sea” 8). People who traveled or used the sea may have similar or different experiences to what Neruda’s experience.
In the poem, “The Sea,” the author describes the water as being a “university of waves” which I agree with him (“The Sea” 8). The calming sound of its waves which teaches both patience and wariness. It takes much understanding to master the waves of the sea because the waves are always changing in size and mood. Each wave teaches a lesson that must be learned, or it could lead to grave consequences for the student. It is why I prefer to walk along the seaside rather than take a boat or swim in the sea. Sea wave is a lesson I cannot understand and do not wish to learn after an almost near drowning experience. As Neruda stated, “my life changed suddenly: / as I became part of its pure movement,” my life also changed as the waves took over me (“The Sea” 29-30).
Works Cited
Neruda, Pablo, Alastair Reid, and Mary Heebner. "The Sea." On the Blue Shore of Silence: Poems of the Sea = a La Orilla Azul Del Silencio. New York: Rayo, 2004. Print.
