Read these final lines from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar."
"For though from out our bourne of Time and Place/The flood may bear me far,/I hope to see my Pilot face to face/When I have crost the bar."
With which of these does Tennyson conclude his poem?
a. the wish that he will meet God when he dies (correct choice)
b. the wish that his sea voyage will be a safe one
c. the longing that the sea will somehow return his love
d. the hope that his love awaits him at the end of his voyage (incorrect choice)
While taking the test, I chose answer D, but the correct answer is A. I would like to know why this is. Can someone please help?
Who else but God would someone want to face after he'd died?
That makes sense. Thank you Ms. Sue. Can you please answer my other two recent questions?
You're welcome. However, I'm sorry but I'm not very good at literature. Probably one of our literary experts will help sometime in the next few hours.
I'd love to meet Gilbert Gottfried after I die TBH.
The final lines of "Crossing the Bar" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson express the speaker's hope to meet his Pilot face to face after he has crossed the bar. To understand why the correct answer is A, let's analyze the lines in more detail.
The phrase "For though from out our bourne of Time and Place" suggests that the speaker is leaving their familiar world, represented by Time and Place. The word "bourne" can be interpreted as a destination or limit that separates the normal realm of existence from an unknown realm.
The line continues, "The flood may bear me far," which implies that the speaker will be carried away by a metaphorical flood, perhaps representing the passage of time or the forces of nature beyond their control.
The crucial part comes in the next line: "I hope to see my Pilot face to face." Here, the word "Pilot" refers to God or a divine being who guides and navigates the speaker's journey. The speaker expresses their wish to come face to face with the Pilot, indicating a desire to meet God after death.
Finally, the last line confirms this interpretation: "When I have crost the bar." The phrase "crost the bar" refers to crossing the threshold or boundary between life and death. By crossing this bar, the speaker hopes to encounter their Pilot (God) in the afterlife.
Now, let's consider the incorrect answer choice, D: "the hope that his love awaits him at the end of his voyage." Although love is not explicitly mentioned in the final lines of the poem, the reference to the Pilot face to face and crossing the bar suggests a spiritual or divine encounter, rather than a human love waiting at the end of the voyage.
In conclusion, Tennyson concludes his poem "Crossing the Bar" with the wish to meet God, represented by the Pilot, face to face after crossing the threshold into the afterlife. The imagery and references throughout the poem allude to the speaker's hopes and beliefs about the transcendent nature of death.