casabianca interpretation

Imagery:

·         boy stood on burning deck

·         flame lit around him

·         born to rule the storm

·         proud, tough childlike form

·         flames rolled on

·         he would not go without his father's word

·         father's voice no longer heard

·         boy asked if his task is done

·         father is unconscious

·         boy asked father if he can go again

·         looked from that lone post of death

·         brave despair

·         boy asked father if he should stay again

·         the wreathing fires made way

·         they wrapt the ship in splendor wild

·         caught the flag on high

·         streamed above the gallant child

·         a burst of thunder sound

·         noblest thing that perished there was that young, faithful heart

I chose the poem "Casabianca" by Felicia Dorothea Hemans because it has several strong images that can represent many things depending on how the reader interprets it.  This poem is about a boy on a burning deck asking for his father's permission to go but his father could not reply because he is unconscious so the boy eventually perished in the fire.  In this poem, Hemans kept on repeating the imagery of the fire consuming the ship, the boy asking his father whether he can go or if his task was done, and death.  In my interpretation of this poem, the battle they are in is like life, which always has its ups and downs.  The result depends on whether the person gives up or does something about it.  The flame that is consuming the ship are like the tough times and challenges in their life.  Both the father and the son might be going through a tough time in their life to a point where the father might not have been able to handle it, with his dreams and goals being crushed represented by death.  At first the boy was just surrounded by the fire but then instead of doing something about the problem, he just stood there and did not do anything.  Even though the boy is being obedient to his father, he chose not to make his own decision which resulted in his own death.  This shows how there is some point in our lives where we need to start making our own decisions and stop relying on other people to decide our fate for us.  Even though the boy was brave and faithful to his father, his lack of experience revealed to us by using the word "childlike" caused him to not survive the tragedy.  The flag can also represent someone surrendering or being able to accomplish something just like how some people used to put their flag in the territory of the people they were able to defeat.  In this case, the flag was consumed by the fire showing how both the father and son were not able to overcome their challenges.