Sea Fever | John Masefield | Questions Answers

Sea Fever
John Masefield 

Topics:

✓  Substance of the poem.

✓ All important questions and answers.

Substance:

John Masefield, being a sailor, enjoyed the loneliness and quit environment of the sea.

In the poem ‘Sea Fever’ the poet expresses a strong and eternal desire of the human being to know the unknown and to travel and explore the beauty of the nature.

The poet is determined to go down the seas again, and for that he needs a tall ship and a star to guide in the darkness of night. He will be pleased by the wheel’s kick, the wind’s song, and the white sail’s shaking when a grey mist on the sea’s face will be seen at the time grey dawn breaking.

The poet must go down the seas again as he could not deny the wild and the clear call of the running tide. The poet asked for a windy day with white clouds flying. He wanted to see the foamy waves and listen to the cry of Sea-gulls.

The poet wanted to go down the sea again to enjoy the life of a vagrant gypsy. The poet wanted to experience wandering life in the whale’s way where the wind was like a whetted knife. He would love to listen to interesting stories from the fellow sailors. There would be quite sleep and a sweet dream while the lone journey of the poet would be over.

• A discussion of the poem through Short questions and answers:

(a) What time does the poet prefer to go down to the sea?

Ans:- The poet wishes to go down to the seas at the break of dawn.

(b) What kind of day does the poet prefer for sailing?

Ans:- The poet refers a windy day for sailing with the white clouds flying.

(c) What does the poet prefer to hear from a fellow rover?

Ans:-  The poet prefers to hear cheerful stories from a fellow rover.

**Some more important questions with answers:

(a)  Where does the poet wish to go and why?

Ans:-  The poet wishes to go to the lonely sea with open sky above, to feel the excitement of the sea voyage.

(b) What does the poet want to take for the voyage?

Ans:-  The poet wants to take a tall ship and a star for the voyage.

(c) What does ‘blown spume’ signify? 

Ans:-  The phrase ‘blown spume’ signifies the rising waves breaking into foam.

(d) Whose way will the poet follow?

Ans:-  The poet will follow the way shown by the whale and sea-gull.

(e) What will steer the ship?

Ans:-  The star will steer the ship.

(f) What does the poet mean by ‘a tall ship’ ?

Ans:- ‘The tall ship’ refers to a strongly built, big ship capable of withstanding stormy weather in the sea.

(g) “I must go down the seas again” — Why has the word ‘again’ been used ?

Ans:- The poet, in his early life, was a sailor by profession. Although he deserted the ship because of sickness, yet he could never forget the wonderful days spent on the ship. He felt a deep urge within him to go back to the sea again. That is why the word ‘again’ has been used.

(h) How does the poet personified in the poem ‘Sea Fever’ ?

Ans:- The poet has personified the sea by using the by words and phrases ‘lonely’, ‘sea’s face’ and ‘the call of the running tide’.

(i) Whose call cannot be denied ?

Ans:- The call of the sea or the running tide cannot be denied.

(j) How does the poet describe the sea ?

Ans:- The poet had described the sea as turbulent. It is full of rolling waves spluttering and spraying water as it breaks down into foams.

(k) Explain the line “And quite sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over”.

Ans:- In this line, the poet has wished for a happy ending to the sea journey. But the significance is graver. Here, the poet has compared a sea voyage to a man’s life which is full of struggle and challenges and a positive culmination of that life, which means, a peaceful afterlife and eternal rest.

(l) To what is the sea journey compared to ?

Ans:- The sea journey has been compared to the ups and downs of a human life with all ups and downs.

(m) What does the poet want to hear?

Ans: The poet wants to hear the song of the wind, the call of the running tide and the cry of the sea-gulls.

(n) What kind of life does the poet desire to lead?

Ans: The poet desires to lead the vagrant gypsy life.

(o) What does the poet want after the long journey?

Ans: The poets wants to have a quite sleep and a sweat dream after the long journey.

(p) How does the poet describe the waves of sea?

Ans: On windy day the waves of the sea rising high will roll and break down spraying foams.

(q) “And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.” — What does the poet want to see on the sea’s face?

Ans: The poet wants to see a grey mist and a grey dawn breaking, on the sea’s face.

(r) “….. where the wind’s like a whetted knife;” — What does the line ‘the wind’s like a whetted knife’ signify?

Ans: ‘The wind’s is like a whetted knife' signifies the feeling of chilliness due to the strong cold wind. ‘Whetted knife’ means sharp. Hence the wind is so cold that it cuts like a sharp knife.

Grammar in use

4. Do as directed:

(a) What a shocking sight! ( Change into an assertive sentence)

Ans:-  It is a very shocking sight.

(b) I am sure of his success. ( Change into a complex sentence)

Ans:- I am sure that he will succeed.

(c) Snigdha  is not only wise but also brave. ( Change into a simple sentence)

Ans:-  Besides being wise, Snigdha is brave.

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