Sea fever
John Masefield
B. Choose the best answer:
1. The title of the poem ‘Sea Fever’ means ___.
a) flu fever
b) The poet’s deep wish to be at sea
c) the poet’s fear of the sea
Ans: b) the poet’s deep wish to be at sea.
2. The poet asks for ___
a) a fishing net
b) a big boat
c) a tall ship
Ans: c) a tall ship
3. The poet wants to lead a life at sea like ___.
a) the gulls and whales
b) the penguins and sharks
c) the pelicans and dolphins
Ans: a) the gulls and whales.
C. Read the lines and answer the questions:
1. I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and sky
Ans: Where does the poet want to go?
The poet wants to go down to the sea again.
2. And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking.
Ans: What according to the poet are the pleasures of sailing?
The kick of the wheel, the song of the the winds and the fluttering of the sails are the pleasures of sailing.
3. And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying.
Why does the poet ask for a windy day?
Ans: A windy day could help the poet to sail fast. So he asks for a windy day.
4. And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow rover.
What kind of human company does the poet want?
Ans: The poet wants a merry companion who could tell him a joyful, long story.
5. And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over
What does the poet want to do after his voyage is over?
Ans: After his voyage is over the poet wants to sleep peacefully and have a sweet dream.
D. Poem Appreciation
1. Fill in the blanks with correct rhyming words from the poem.
sky – by , knife – life , rover – over
2. Quote the line that has been repeated in the poem:
I must go down to the seas again.
3. Write the poetic device which is used in the line below:
And a grey mist on the sea’s face – Personification.
(The sea is spoken of as a living person )
4. What poetic device is used for the comparison in the below line?
………..where the wind’s like a whetted knife:
Ans: Simile
E. The poem has many visual and sound images. Complete the table with examples from the poem.
Visual images Sound images
Wheel’s kick Wind’s song
White sail’s shaking Call of the running tide
Grey mist, grey down, wild call, clear call
White clouds flying, flung sea-gulls crying
Flung spray, blown spume. laughing fellow-rover
Paragraph Writing:
How does the poet express his desire to set sail in the sea?
Poem: Sea Fever
Poet : Jhon Masefield
Theme: Wanderlust, adventure, and memories
The poet wants to go back to the lonely sea. All he needs is a tall ship and the pole star to guide him. The poet wants to feel the wheel’s kick. He likes to hear the wind’s song. He wants to see the sails fluttering in the wind. The mist on the sea, the grey daybreak and the wild call of the tide lure him. The poet wants to enjoy the spray and spume of the waves. He likes to go the gull’s way and the whale’s way. He wants to hear a merry yarn from a fellow sailor. After the long voyage, the poet wishes to sleep peacefully with sweet dreams.
Moral: “Sea Fever” is the excitement and freedom of sea-faring life.
Video explanation of this poem with tamil meaning: CLICK HERE
