Journey of the Magi
Write an essay of the mood and tone of the poem.
Quote lines in the poem to explain it Use the metaphorical meaning of spiritual rebirth to explain the points
Quote lines in the poem to explain it Use the metaphorical meaning of spiritual rebirth to explain the points
I'm sorry, this is a short answer question forum, we are unable to provide students with essays. Both the mood and the tone of the poem reflect a sense of the suffering experienced by the Magi on their journey to reach Bethlehem. They endure terrible weather, uncooperative camels and camel men, and hostile townspeople. They also suffer mentally and emotionally as they realize the imminent death of their way of life. The suffering of Jesus is also foreshadowed in the many biblical allusions in the third stanza. The poem overall is dour and anti-climactic, and suggests that religious conversion is a difficult process.
These two passages especially exemplify the theme:
"'A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'"
The magi also suffer physically.
“And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.”
This describes the suffering of being homeless in an unfamiliar place, without support. It mirrors the experience of Mary and Joseph seeking a place to give birth to Jesus.
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