Casabianca

The poem I have chosen is Casabianca by Felicia Hemans. There are several different images I found in this particular poem. I found that each stanza shows its own image and when combined they tell a sad story. There are three major images that I feel put together a good understanding of the interpretation of this poem.

“The boy stood on the burning deck” is the very first line in the poem. There are several different questions that may arise just in reading this line. Such as why the ship is on fire and why the boy is still there. It seems to me that Hemans did a good job at bringing up the situation quickly and effectively, leaving you to wonder and read on. The last line of the second stanza is “A proud, though childlike form.” This line helps bring a bit more meaning to the first image I brought up. It makes you understand the story of the poem a little bit more. Instead of just a boy standing on a burning ship, you now have a proud boy standing on that ship for something. He now has a purpose and even though he may be young, he does have a brave soul. Hemans adds to these images in the next stanza with this line: “That father, faint in death below.” With this new image, more of a story is being told and more questions are being answered. Now the reader can see that the reason the proud boy is standing on the ship is because he is waiting for his father.

Once all three images have been put together, you get a better and more understandable interpretation of what this poem is depicting: The bravery of a young boy who is waiting for his father out of love and respect. I very much enjoyed reading this poem, and was moved by the boy’s love and devotion to his father. He would not leave the ship unless his father told him he could do so. “But the noblest thing that perished there was that young, faithful heart.”