Poetry Analysis 1 - The Surfer

The Surfer, by Judith Wright

He thrust his joy against the weight of the sea;

climbed through, slid under those long banks of

foam --

(hawthorn hedges in spring, thorns in the face

stinging).

How his brown strength drove through the hollow

and coil

of green-through weirs of water!

Muscle of arm thrust down long muscle of water;

and swimming so, went out of sight

where mortal, masterful, frail, the gulls went

wheeling

in air as he in water, with delight.

Turn home, the sun goes down; swimmer, turn

home.

Last leaf of gold vanishes from the sea-curve.

Take the big roller's shoulder, speed and serve;

come to the long beach home like a gull diving.

For on the sand the grey-wolf sea lies, snarling,

cold twilight wind splits the waves' hair and shows

the bones they worry in their wolf-teeth. O, wind

blows

and sea crouches on sand, fawning and mouthing;

drops there and snatches again, drops and again

snatches

its broken toy, its whitened pebbles and shells.

Subject Matter

The poem is about a surfer and his ability, and one afternoon down at the beach. The poet is an observer and onlooker of the surfer, and the poem shows the surfer's skill during a long day at the beach and his reluctance to get out of the water at sundown, then the danger of the water during the evening, and the warnings of the poet as they urge the surfer out of the water and to "turn home".

Purpose/Theme

The poet conveys the theme of the surfer's enjoyment of his recreational sport, then the danger of the water as the sun goes down. For example: "He thrust his joy against the weight of the sea" then to "On the sand the grey-wolf sea lies, snarling".

The urgency is conveyed in the second stanza, starting off subtly then building its way up as the poet becomes increasingly afraid for the safety of the surfer.

Emotions

The surfer's joy and delight - "he in water, with delight" - changes to urgency as the poet urges the surfer to get out of the water and "turn home" before the sun goes down, the finally to the dark, foreboding danger of the ocean as it lashes the beach and coastline - "sea crouches on sand, fawning and mouthing".

The first line of the second stanza creates a smooth, peaceful transition into twilight, the end of the afternoon. Word choice, alliteration and similes help to create this transition, then the final change into a darker set of emotions in the third stanza.

Craftmanship

Language

The poet uses the techniques of imagery, metaphors, similes, description, personification, symbolism and word choice to convey emotions and scenes throughout the poem. In the first stanza, the line "muscle of arm thrust down long muscle of water" sets the scene of when the surfer is paddling out to sea. It shows the strength of the surfer against the weight of the sea.

The first words of the second stanza, "turn home, the sun goes down; swimmer, turn home" use repetition to get the point across. The metaphor and word choice of "the last leaf of gold" in the second line of the second stanza create an image of the sunset, plunging the landscape into darkness. 

The heavy use of description, imagery and personification in the language of the last stanza create a deep, dark feeling. The dangerous, hazardous conditions of the ocean after dark are conveyed using words such as "the grey-wolf sea lies, snarling", "shows the bones they worry in their wolf-teeth" and "it's broken toys".

Imagery

The imagery is constantly reinforced and restated throughout the entire poem, with description, personification (last stanza) and the use of both similes and metaphors alike. We can clearly imagine the frothy blue waves of the ocean pierced by bright golden beams of sunlight during the day, then the crack and sigh of the angry waves against the beach during the evening, and the brief period of twilight snatched between.

Movement

The poem does not regularly move to the next line or the next stanza, and there is no particular pace or rhythm. There is a very little amount of rhyme, and so is mostly blank verse. In this, the poet has let the reader be free to choose how they read it, and create their own pace.

Sounds

There are a few examples alliteration, but no evidence of assonance and onomatopoeia. The alliteration, for example "Take the big roller's shoulder, speed and serve", tries to convey the message and emotion of urgency to both the surfer in the poem and the reader outside it.

Summary

For me this poem has achieved its purpose and gotten its point across, especially with the symbolism and aim of "the ocean can be dangerous".  The whole piece transitioned effectively and the entire imagery, description, emotion and language made the poem just that even more effective. The movement, pace and lack of rhyme is annoying for my taste, but the writer has successfully achieved what she wanted.