What is the extended metaphor in the chambered nautilus?
An extended metaphor develops the comparison over a number of lines and with several examples. In “The Chambered Nautilus,” Holmes compares the life span of the nautilus to the progress of the human soul. As you read the poem, pay attention to how he develops this metaphor.
What does the chambered nautilus symbolize?
The chambered nautilus is one of the oldest creatures known to survive in the earth’s oceans. It is a symbol of nature’s grace in growth, expansion, and renewal. It is also a symbol of order amidst chaos as reflected in its spiral precision.
What are the two classical allusions found in the chambered nautilus?
The author alludes to Sirens, who are sea nymphs, and Triton, a Greek sea god. These are both classical allusions.
For what is the speaker thanking the chambered nautilus in lines 22 28?
For what is the speaker thanking the chambered nautilus in lines 22-28? What has the speaker learned from the chambered nautilus, as revealed in lines 29-35? He thanks the nautilus for its heavenly message; he has learned to emulate the nautilus by striving throughout life for constant spiritual improvement.
What do sea shells represent?
Seashells are splendid examples of the beauty left behind every life following death; the body being only a shell, where the soul continues on. The intricate spiral shapes of some seashells symbolize eternal life and a safe journey from this world.
How does the poet’s observation of the nautilus shell lead to insights about the human soul?
How does the poet’s close observation of the nautilus lead to insights about the human soul? He sees the nautilus as a romantic creature on spiral adventure. The nautilus has died and its shell has been broken open.
How does the poets observation of the nautilus shell lead to insights about the human soul?
How does the poet’s close observation of the nautilus lead to insights about the human soul? He sees the nautilus as a romantic creature on spiral adventure.
What message does the Speaker take from the shell?
What message does the speaker take from the shell? The sea is a beautiful place. Strive to live in a manner that makes tomorrow better than today.
What is the significance of the Chambered Nautilus in the poem?
Scott Trudell. As the autocrat promises, the chambered nautilus serves as a didactic metaphor for the journey of the soul through life. The poem’s speaker compares the nautilus to a ship in much the same way that the autocrat compares life’s developmental progress to a sailing voyage: “To reach the port of heaven,…
How does the narrator use the Nautilus as a metaphor?
The speaker or narrator of the poem uses the nautilus as a metaphor for the human soul, stressing that its example provides a “heavenly message” of how people should grow and develop through their lives.
What happens to the Nautilus as it grows?
As it grows, the nautilus makes new, larger chambers of its shell in which to live, closing off the old chambers and gradually forming a spiral. Holmes compares the nautilus to a “ship of pearl” sailing through enchanted but dangerous waters until it is wrecked.
What is the shell of a Nautilus made of?
With its buoyant, concave structure, the shell of the nautilus resembles the hull of a ship. However, to say it is a ship “of pearl” is not a metaphor. Like its fellow molluscs, the chambered nautilus fashions its shell out of nacre, a material better known as mother of pearl.