Basic Setting(s):
The Story is set in a tropical place where the sailors find many exotic things and the scenery is wonderful as there are waterfalls and other natural beauties.
Brief Plot Summary of this chapter/essay/short story/poem/play:
The beginning of the story asks for action because the sailors get to a country which is exotic and new. Everything is strange and they see a place which is tropical with a variety of divine natural wonders. The “Lotus-eaters” are the people who are native in this place and they are very kind, but seem to be melancholic. The sailors who taste this plant have a strange feeling and they become lazy and have an immediate wish to sleep. The laziness overcomes them and they seem to be in a drugged-like state. The sailors begin to talk about the way they feel and they begin to miss being at home, but they are too lazy to prepare for return and so they choose to stay in this place for the rest of time.
Overall “mood” or “tone” of this chapter/piece/poem/essay/play?
The overall mood is neutral and it is not negative because it deals with human existence and its perils. It poses important questions which are related to the fact that people need not do anything in this world by enjoy it. On the other hand the sailors do remember that they have homes, but they would rather enjoy themselves in this new-found home and become united with the natives.
Dominant Theme?
The dominant theme is the laziness and finding the purpose in the world. Being a sailor means leading an exciting life and moving from place to place, but in this case, the sailors choose to enjoy life to the fullest by forming a new tribe and becoming lotus-eaters.
Minor Themes?
The minor themes are related to having a sense of memory and home-sickness, but this is not enough to move the sailors from the divine shores where they have established their new dwelling.
“Favorite”; “Important”; “Striking”; “Puzzling”; “Shocking” moments in the work
These moments are related to the times when the sailors taste the lotus and when they are overcome with the effect that this plant has on them. Their decision not to return home is due to the fact that they became the lotus-eaters.
“Interesting” quotations from the text (select at least two):
“Let us alone. What pleasure can we have / To war with evil? Is there any peace / In ever climbing up the climbing wave?” (93-95)
“All round the coast the languid air did swoon, / Breathing like one that hath a weary dream” (5-6).
Major Premise, message or “point” of this chapter ?
The major premise of this poem is that people can choose not to do anything in life and just be. They do not even have to look for a meaning and a purpose in life because they can just let go of the civilization and accept the life which determined by freedom.
Which “senses” (touch, taste, vision etc.) dominate here?
There are senses of touch because the sailors touch everything they see and the scenery is exotic which affects the vision as well. The taste is dominant because eating the lotus is a life-changing act.
Prose style: repetitions? Personifications? Punctuation?
There are many words which rhyme in this poem and are at the end of each line. The Lotus symbolizes wilderness and freedom which is inherent in human nature and was ruined by the progress of civilization.
Literary Allusions: (i.e. Biblical, Shakespearian, fairytale, gothic novels?):
The Biblical allusion is to the garden of Eden because the exotic shores are the place where only divine things exist.
Works Cited
Lord Tennyson, Alfred. "The Lotos-eaters." Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2016. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174631>.
