A. Answer these questions.
Q1. Where does the speaker wish to go?
Ans1. The speaker wished to go to the sea.
Q2. What does the speaker need when he is at sea?
Ans2. When the speaker was at the sea, he needed a tall ship, the North Star, the wheel’s kick, the wind’s song, the white sail’s shaking, a grey mist on the sea’s face and a grey dawn.
Q3. According to the speaker, what are the pleasures of sailing?
Ans3. Being a sailor, the speaker enjoyed the loneliness and quiet environment of the sea. In the poem ‘Sea Fever’, Masefield expressed his desire for sailing once again in the quite sea, under the quiet sky. He expressed his desire for the need of a well built ship to sail and a star in the dark sky to act as a guide.
Q4. What sort of a life does the speaker wish to lead at sea?
Ans4. The speaker would like to be a wandering gypsy; however he would miss the sea gulls and the white whales and most of all his time spent with his fellow men at the deck, listening to the tales and good and silent sleep which drifts into a sweet dream.
Q5. What does the speaker mean by ‘when the long trick’s over’?
Ans5. The last line refers to the sailor wanting to sleep soundly with pleasant dreams at the end of his long shift at the ship. He wished for a quiet sleep and a sweet dream ‘when the long trick's over’. It means that he imagines living a peaceful life after all the struggles of life.
B. Think and answer.
1. Why do you think the line ‘I must go down to the sea again’ is repeated at the beginning of every stanza?
Ans- In the poem, ‘Sea Fever’ a theme of longing for freedom and an adventurous ocean is developed. We can see this hope easily in the line “I must go down to the seas again". This line is repeated at the beginning of each stanza and gives immediate sense to the title. The speaker has used this line in all the stanzas to show imagery to compare life to a sea voyage and portray a strong hope for the sea.
2. What is the theme of the poem ‘Sea Fever’?
Ans- Wanderlust, adventure, and memories are the major themes of this poem. The speaker hears the calls of nature, an irresistible invitation to exploration, adventure, and jubilant life. He desires to break out of his present situation and return to the adventurous life of the sea.
