A Grave Essay Questions

How does Moore use sound and motion to convey her meaning?

Moore doesn't just use images to describe the sea and convey its disconcerting allure; she uses sound and motion to let her sea breathe, pulse, roar, rustle. The waves "fade breathlessly while the sea rustles in and out of the / seaweed" while the tortoise shell is "in motion" beneath cliffs. Birds "swim" through the air swiftly, "emitting catcalls," lighthouses pulse, bell buoys are noisy. The sea is alive and active. It is not something man can tame or even fully know; it is comprised of many parts, all going about their business without any regard to the "unconscious" men. Through the representation of movement and sound, Moore asserts the that the sea is an active force, and that men must beware of its power.

How does Moore approach her subject of the sea?

Moore does not claim to fully encapsulate the sea in her description of it. There are no platitudes, no harmonious assertions of its peaceful placidity, no sense that Moore thinks she can understand herself better through asserting her dominance over nature the way Romantic poets endeavored to do. She comes at the sea as if it were a multifaceted stone, alighting on one surface, making a precise observation, then flitting away to another surface and another observation. The descriptions are contradictory, difficult, fleeting, but that is precisely the point: the sea, like God or death, cannot be fully comprehended by man. Moore suggests that looking at parts can help us to see the whole.

How is "A Grave" similar to "The Fish"?

These two poems are perhaps Moore's most famous dealing with the elusive but alluring subject of the sea. They both describe the sea piecemeal, focusing on small things like fish, tortoise shells, mussels, seaweed, foamy crests of waves. They both express awe and reverence of the sea that arises from an understanding that it is not there for man's comprehension or consumption; rather, it is unfathomable in all ways and should be regarded with respect and recognition of its essential mystery.