Read the following poem, then answer the question. Barnacles My soul is sailing through the sea, But the Past is heavy and hinde
reth me. The Past hath crusted cumbrous shells That hold the flesh of cold sea-mells About my soul. The huge waves wash, the high waves roll, Each barnacle clingeth and worketh dole And hindereth me from sailing! Old Past, let go, and drop i' the sea Till fathomless waters cover thee! For I am living, but thou art dead; Thou drawest back, I strive ahead The Day to find. Thy shells unbind! Night comes behind; I needs must hurry with the wind And trim me best for sailing. —Sydney Lanier What is the central idea of this poem? Provide evidence from the poem to support your answer. WRITER
The central idea is barnacles. I know that because it says My soul is sailing through the sea,But the Past is heavy and hindereth me.The Past hath crusted cumbrous shellsThat hold the flesh of cold sea-mells refering to barnacles.
The central idea of this poem is that you past will haunt you if you make it a burden. for example, at first, the author talked about how the past "hindereth's" them: My soul is sailing through the sea, But the Past is heavy and hindereth me." Then after that, the author lets go of his past making a hindered to them no more: "Old Past, let go, and drop i' the sea, Till fathomless waters cover thee!"
sorry if all the grammars not correct i am a bit of a dummy when it comes to spelling.
Answer: Theme IS NOT the same as central idea. Theme IS NOT the same as topic. One story can have multiple themes. Themes are often recognizable and repeated throughout literature.
