The poem that stuck out to me most was “Casabianca” by Felicia Hemans. It was about a boy who had died on board a ship during a “Battle of the Nile.” Though he was young, he fought until the very end. In the poem, it says, “The flame that lit the battle’s wreck shone round him o’er the deck.” You could just picture this innocent boy just standing on the deck in the middle of this huge fire. Then, it goes on to say that he began “calling out to his father to ask if he should go or stay.” This boy must have gone through so much agony trying to decide what he should do. Should he die as a loyal soldier or try and save his own life? He decided then to stay. The poem described his death as “being under a flag” and that what “perished there was a young faithful heart.” The imagery stayed constant throughout the poem. Time just progressed, as did the fire. The most prominent image to me was the one of the boy dying under the flag. I could just picture him dying a painful death but being at peace with it.
There is a part in this poem that really stands out. It says, “Upon his brow he felt their breath, and in his waving hair, and looked from that lone post of death, in still yet brave despair.” This quote is describing how the boy stood during this certain point in time. The deck of the ship was on fire. He was trying to figure out what his father would do but still trying to stay strong. As the fire was gradually getting worse, he started to realize that he was facing his death. He was trying to put on a brave front because he knew what he was doing was right, but with such a stressful situation, he feels hopeless. The only way to go out of this battle right was to die.
Two stanzas after this quote it says, “They wrapt the ship in splendour wild, they caught the flag on high, and streamed above the galland child, like banners in the sky.” This description of the fire was somewhat gloomy but yet not completely terrible. Yes, the fire was closing in on this poor boy, but like the flag, the boy stood strong. It made me think of the many soldiers that died for the American flag. I could just picture this boy, like those soldiers, dying with pride and for his country. He was there and fought for what he believed in and never once backed down. This flag represented the pride, glory, and bravery of this young boy. I find it astounding that such a young boy could die such an inspiring death.
There is a part in this poem that really stands out. It says, “Upon his brow he felt their breath, and in his waving hair, and looked from that lone post of death, in still yet brave despair.” This quote is describing how the boy stood during this certain point in time. The deck of the ship was on fire. He was trying to figure out what his father would do but still trying to stay strong. As the fire was gradually getting worse, he started to realize that he was facing his death. He was trying to put on a brave front because he knew what he was doing was right, but with such a stressful situation, he feels hopeless. The only way to go out of this battle right was to die.
Two stanzas after this quote it says, “They wrapt the ship in splendour wild, they caught the flag on high, and streamed above the galland child, like banners in the sky.” This description of the fire was somewhat gloomy but yet not completely terrible. Yes, the fire was closing in on this poor boy, but like the flag, the boy stood strong. It made me think of the many soldiers that died for the American flag. I could just picture this boy, like those soldiers, dying with pride and for his country. He was there and fought for what he believed in and never once backed down. This flag represented the pride, glory, and bravery of this young boy. I find it astounding that such a young boy could die such an inspiring death.
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