Blog 3- Crossing The Bar

In Crossing The Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, I noticed symbolism in the speaker's approach of death. The line, "And may there be no moaning of the bar...And may there be no saddness of farewell,"(Alfred,886), express Alfred's plea for others to not mourn over his death. The bar which refers to a harbor's sandbar, suggest the speaker is comparing death to a journey of greater life and happiness. Thus, we should not grieve over his passing, but rejoice in knowing he is embarking, crossing the bar, and meeting his Pilot, (Alfred,886). I found the term: "Pilot" to symbolize God who is like a captain or pilot, navigating our way through life and to Him in the afterlife. Home is equated with death in the second stanza when the speaker says, "turns again home,"(Alfred,886). Home, the final destination at the end of the bar, is death of his body and eternal life of his soul. The speaker understands his journey may be treacherous: "The flood may bear me far,"(Alfred,886), but he keeps the hope of seeing his Creator and home close in mind.