8/13/2019 Tennyson - 'The Grasshopper' Analysis

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A Critical Analysis of The Grasshopperby Tennyson.

The Grasshopper by Tennyson is an interesting poem, comparing the life of a

grasshopper to human life. The Grasshoppers existence is seen very favourably, as being

without complexity or suffering. Tennyson illustrates these ideas extremely well, his use oflanguage and metaphor is masterful.

The word summer, in various forms, is mentioned on six occasions. The repetition

emphasises the warm and bright nature of life which the grasshopper enjoys. This is intensified

with the use of similar expressions: sunlight, lighting etc. Summer is also an important

metaphor for youth the grasshopper apparently only lives in the summer, and therefore does not

have to reckon with the old age of winter. In thy heat of summerpride develops connotations of

the youthful passion in the grasshopper that it can bask in sweltering heat of summer.

The notion that the grasshoppers existence is a happy joyful one is augmented with

references to carol or singing. Carol implies that song and music is a constant companion of

happiness. The poem is strongly imbued with a musical semantic field bowing, chirrup, song,singing. Tennyson writes that as poets feign....they are deaf, I would argue that this could be an

allusion to the fact that if deaf to music, that they are deaf to much emotion, such as happiness

and joy. The joyous musical element to the poem is also presented in some aspects of the

structure. Although the rhyme is not in any particular order there is significant use of it, in the

form of full rhymes such as tears and fears, and in half rhymes grasses and tresses. These

rhymes make the poem itself more akin to song. Alliteration is used to reinforce musical

elements Carol clearly, chirrup..., and to makes particular phrases stand out: Shooting,

singing, ever springing. This phrase also presents clearly the rule of three, and the trochee

stress patterns on each word, which make the words memorable. Line 5 mentions poets in a

negative aspect. It seems in line 9, the charge to prove their falsehood could be an allusion tothe fact that poets, and the classical philosophers do not know the secret to a good existence.

This is in contrast to the grasshopper, whose grace, strength, and ignorance make it happy and

seemingly immortal.

An underlying comparison relating to the grasshoppers life, is the life of a soldier. The

militaristic lexis is highly prevalent, with words as shielded armed, mailed warrior evoking

images of strength. Verbs like bound and vault apply equally well to the insect and A gallant

cavalier. The grasshopper is described as very light and nimble, lithe and strong this shows

the creature to be very graceful, not forceful almost like a warrior imbued with qualities of

elegance and nobility. There is also a reference to The Bayard a mythical steed, which is

strong and valiant. The notion of gallant cavalier is given more weight with the phrase Sans

peur et sans reproche translated as without fear, without reproach. This again confirms the

idea that the grasshopper is equivalent to a soldier it does not know fear or loss. The

grasshoppers bravery, and happiness, is of course unlike a soldier, due to blissful ignorance. A

possible interpretation is that there is a yearning on the part of the poet to become eternally

happy and joyous through ignorance like the grasshopper. This is evidenced in the first two lines

of the second stanza I would dwell with thee,/ merry grasshopper which shows the poets

realisation that the grasshoppers existence is much more filled with happiness.

8/13/2019 Tennyson - 'The Grasshopper' Analysis

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Immortality is another theme within this poem, with the poignant reference to it in the first

stanza. Tithon, a character of classical literature, was refashioned in the guise of a grasshopper

at his request of immortality. Although the grasshopper is by no means immortal, it does not

wither into death as humans do, or as Tithon does, as he is not made eternally youthful. The

reference to Tithon indicates that youth is preferable to immortality, having strength and vigour up

to death as a grasshopper. Tennyson seems envious when he remarks that the grasshopperhast no sorrow or tears and no compt of years, in which case the grasshopper does not

comprehend its life time. In a sense, it is therefore immortal to itself, as it does not know it will

die until it does die. It could be said that this was a freedom that ignorance and simplicity would

grant men. The repetition of the phrase What hast thou to do with evil in the second stanza is a

reiteration of a grasshoppers ignorance of the complexities of life. Evil, arguably being a

man-made notion, would never affect the life of a grasshopper, which is why Tennyson believes

its kind of life might be a happier one. The mortality of the grasshopper is shown in line 31,

which implies that its brief life is all joy, and that death is oblivion joy is the imposed view of

Tennyson, as a grasshopper has no grasp of joy or despair.

Structure in the poem is important, it is in two distinct stanzas the first and secondstanza having 21 and 23 lines respectively. There is no strict metre, which adds to the poems

free lyricism. Enjambment is used quite heavily in the poem, perhaps echoing the flowing and

graceful nature of the grasshopper itself, the enjambment allows the phrases to carol clearly.

Caesura is a technique also employed, to a lesser extent, which gives a moderate tempo to the

poem. The poem itself ends with a question, which might symbolise the mysterious nature of

life.

Tennysons perspective seems to suggest that youth and happiness may create a seeming

immortality in ones own mind when one has no knowledge of evil and death. With age youth

withers and the cruel realities of life are more likely to reveal themselves in our consciousness.