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O-LevelLiterature in EnglishPoetry2010/11 · May/June 2011 · Q1625 Marks

ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON: Poems 16 Read this extract from Ulysses, and then answer the question that follows it: There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail; There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners, Souls that have toiled, and wrought, and thought with me – That ever with a frolic welcome took The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed Free hearts, free foreheads – you and I are old; 5 Old age hath yet his honour and his toil. Death closes all; but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods. 10 The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks; The long day wanes; the slow moon climbs; the deep Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world. Push off, and sitting well in order smite The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds 15 To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths Of all the western stars, until I die. It may be that the gulfs will wash us down; It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, And see the great Achilles, whom we knew. Though much is taken, much abides; and though We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are: 20 One equal temper of heroic hearts, 25 Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. In what ways does Tennyson strikingly convey the optimism and determination of Ulysses in these lines?

  1. In what ways does Tennyson strikingly convey the optimism and determination of Ulysses in these lines?[25]

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2011). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

  1. Candidates should explore how Tennyson powerfully conveys Ulysses’ optimism and determination in this extract.
  2. Focus on Ulysses’ rejection of passive aging ('Old age hath yet his honour and his toil', 'Death closes all; but something ere the end... may yet be done').
  3. His inspiring address to his mariners ('Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world'), inviting them to share his quest.
  4. The vivid imagery of sailing and exploration ('sail beyond the sunset', 'sounding furrows').
  5. The acknowledgment of risks ('gulfs will wash us down') balanced by the grand possibilities ('touch the Happy Isles, And see the great Achilles').
  6. The powerful concluding lines emphasizing enduring spirit: 'strong in will / To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.'
  7. Tennyson’s use of heroic language, rhythm, and expansive imagery.

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About this question

Topic
Poetry, O-Level Literature in English (syllabus 2010). Structured question, 25 marks.
Source
O-Level Literature in English, May/June 2011 Paper 1 Variant 1, question 16.

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