Daybreak by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Daybreak

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

D. A. Q. (5 Marks)

1. Bring out the significance of the title ‘Daybreak’.

Answer: The title of Longfellow’s poem consists of a single word namely ‘Daybreak’. The word means 'dawn' which appears as the night closes and the sun makes a slow but steady appearance.

Naturally the title arouses our curiosity as to what will the poem say about ‘daybreak’ and, needless to say, we are not disheartened. In fact, the poem records the activities which are likely take place in Nature as well as human society.

In this poem, we can see a natural element, namely the ‘sea-wind’, being the representative of all the natural beings takes the onus to energize the natural things and beings. It is the ‘sea-wind’ which wakes up at first, then takes the responsibility of waking up the other things and beings of Nature to start the day in human society at large so to say.

The activities of the sea- wind start at dawn and proceeds rapidly until he realizes that he has done its duty and that too quite successfully. Thus the poet, very artistically portrays a clear picture of breaking the day in which the ‘sea-wind’ plays a significant role to announce the ‘daybreak’. Thus the title of the poem appropriates its significance in the true sense of the term, ‘daybreak’.

2. How does Longfellow create an atmosphere of silence in the poem, ‘Daybreak’?

Answer: At the very outset of the poem, Daybreak, the poet, H.W. Longfellow presents the milieus of silence. It is dawn and so complete silence and passivity prevail everywhere.

As mist is spread all around, the visibility is poor. The mariners are not at all ready to set sail to their ships and start the voyage. The human being and living creatures living on the land are sleeping. It seems as if forest was dumb during the night and they had held back their leafy branches while they were having rest at night.

Naturally at the start of the day they need to stretch their branches. The birds of the woods were surely having a sleep by folding their wings. The domestic cock chanticleer seems to have rest at night. Thus, there prevails an utmost silence before breaking the day.

However, at the end of the poem silence seems to triumph in the long run as the sea-wind decides not to wake up the dead persons lying in the churchyard since they are already the denizens of the world of death and so to break their eternal silence will be proved utterly futile. In this way the poet, Longfellow draws an atmosphere of silence in the poem.

3. Substance of the poem, ‘Daybreak’

OR,

Write in your own words the activities of the sea-wind in the poem, ‘Daybreak’.

Answer: In Longfellow’s poem, ‘Daybreak’ the sea-wind, as a representative better to say as a monarch in the state of Nature, comes out of the sea and tells the mists to make a way for him to go forward.

Then it goes to the ships, welcomes the ships and tells the mariners that the night is gone and so the mariners must get ready to set sail to their ships. After that it goes to the land and tells the people and creatures living there to wake up from their sleep since it is day. Going to the forest the wind tells the trees to hang their leafy branches.

Next the sea-wind goes to the wood-bird, wakes it up from sleep and tells him to sing. Thereafter, the sea-wind goes to the farmhouse and tells the domestic cock to wake up and crow since it is at the crowing of the cock that the people living near the farmhouse will wake-up. Then the sea-wind goes to the fields of corn and tells the plants to bow down in order to welcome the morning which will come very soon.

At the penultimate stage, the wind goes to the ‘belfry tower’ and tells the church bells to ring since the ringing of these bells will herald the morning. At last the wind comes to the churchyard and looking at the graves located there feels very sorry for those who are already the inhabitants of the world of eternal sleep and so need not be awaken from their sleepy state at all.

Thus, it is the ‘sea-wind’ which wakes up at first and takes the responsibility of waking up the other things and beings of Nature to start the day in human society at large so to say. The activities of the ‘sea-wind’ start at dawn and proceed rapidly until realizes that it has none to wake up.

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