2. • The speaker of this poem describes a traveler
coming to a town by way of the shore, while
the tide rises and falls endlessly. The
ceaselessness of the waves contrasts with the
traveler’s brief stay.
– human action is fleeting, nature is eternal
3. Stanza Summaries
1. the traveler comes to town;
nature pays him/her no mind;
man has little influence on
nature
2. the waves erase the footprints
of the traveler; human life is
nothing compared to the
power of nature.
3. the traveler’s stay was short;
the tides are continuous.
4. Rhyme Scheme
• Words that rhyme with “falls” occur in the first,
second, and fifth lines of each stanza.
• The rhyme suggests a pattern of recurrence that
imitates the rise and fall of the tide.
• the rhyme scheme is aabba/aacca/aadda - this
pattern evokes the image of the recurring waves
and underscores the cyclical, ceaseless quality of
nature
5. • Daylight returns each morning (nature eternal)
- like the tides - but the traveler will never
return (humans are temporary)
6. • The traveler leaves footprints in the sand. The
wave erases the footprints and the traveler
moves on.
• Nature stronger than man.
7. • “Our destined end” or purpose is to act bravely
and patiently achieve our goals
• Make a mark on the world – be remembered
• great people make their mark on the world and,
through their example, inspire others to act
8. lines 17-18 - metaphor
• Life is like a battlefield, the world is full of
strife, and that individual’s life in the world is
only temporary, like a bivouac
9. Compare the two poems
• Reread lines 8-10 in “The Tide Rises...”
and 25-32 in “A Psalm of Life.”
Consider what happens to the
footprints in each poem. Based on this
and other images, how would you say
Longfellow’s outlook on life and death
in each poem is similar? In what way is
it different?
10. • In both poems, life is fleeting. “The Tide
Rises...” is more somber, humans are dwarfed
by nature and not much remembered -
indicated by the footprints that the tide erases
• In “A Psalm of Life,” individuals can have an
enduring impact on the world (indicated by
the footprints that remain) - a view that is
denied in “The Tide Rises...”
11. Symbolism
• Traveler – any human, no identity since
they’re forgettable
• Tide – continuation of time
• Journey of traveler – life as we live it
12. • “traveler hastens to town” – people are
always trying to avoid death
• Reference to animals and the tide at the
beginning and at the end – life goes on after
we are dead
