From In Memoriam A. H. H.--Alfred, Lord Tennyson-285

Speaker: The speaker of this poem is Lord Alfred Tennyson. This poem is part of a sequence composed after the death of the poet's closest friend, his sister's fiance. In the poem, the author is reflecting on his feelings after the mans's death. He felt such a great emptiness, as evident by the poem's content and language. The fact that the poem is told by the closest friend of the deceased makes the poem seem even more sorrowful, knowing that it is personal and heartfelt. Knowing of their relationship, the reader can truly sympathize for the author.

Rhyme: There is a definite rhyme scheme in this poem. The last word in the first and last lines of every stanza have an end rhyme. The middle two lines of each stanza also have end rhymes. This creates a familiar feel to the poem, allowing the reader to concentrate more on the content iteself than the rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme maintains the rythm of the poem also.

Meter: Stressed and unstressed syllables are key in this poem. Stressed syllables came every two or three words, varying by the line. Because of the rhyme scheme, the last word of every line was one syllable, and those syllables were all accented. Commas and other punctuation, along with the meter, helped to slow down the pace of this poem. By reading it with the appropriate breaks, it is more dramatic and emotional, thus achieving the author's intended effect.

Synecdoche: The author of this poem uses synecdoche. He talks about standing by a door, waiting for a hand. It is not a hand he is waiting for though, it is a person that he is waiting for. He says that this hand can be clasped no more. He refers to his deceased friend as a hand, because it is too difficult to remember him in his entirety, it is too painful. He cannot conjure up memories of his friend as if he were a person because they were so close; this is a type of subconscious diversion often associated with the death of a loved one. Also, the word hand makes you think of outstretching and reaching for something. He is grasping for his friend, for he misses him so horribly. It is a pathetic gesture that the reader can relate to. He keeps reaching and keeps trying for something that is gone; simplying envisioning that evokes powerful emotions.

In the last stanza particularly, the author uses alliteration. The stanza opens with, "He is not here." The alliteration of this line seems to be a sort of resignation. The author accepts that his friend is gone, but says so with a subtle bitterness, by accenting "he" and "here". Also, alliteration was used in the last line: "On the bald streets breaks the blank day". This alliteration emphasizes three negative words, reflecting the author's negative emotions. The word bald describes not only the emptiness of the streets, but also the emptiness that the author feels inside. Not only does day break, but so did the author's heart. Not only was the day blank, but so was the author's life. he felt such an emptiness and hopelessness; he expressed it through the accentual alliteration of those three words.

Reaction: This poem made me feel rather depressed. I sympathized for the author, and felt truly horrible for his loss. It made me imagine what it would be like to lose my best friend. The thought hurt me so badly...I had this vividly empty feeling inside after reading this, as if I had just suffered what he had. The poem made me realize that I need to value and cherish all of my relationships, because you never know when it could all be swept away...