"The Racer" by John Masefield - Analysis
This poem was written by John Edward Masefield (1878-1967). A British poet born in Herefordshire, Masefield studied at King’s School in Warwick. After that, he trained as a merchant seaman. His experiences at sea are often described in his poetry. Masefield was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death.
The Racer was originally published in 1923. I found it in Sea-fever: Selected Poems of John Masefield. I had an interest in Masefield’s work after reading one of his poems on http://www.poetryoutloud.org. This is a reliable website for a national poetry recitation contest, containing resources for the competition as well as a large array of poems.
I chose this poem because of the intense emotions that are conveyed. Within my theme, this corresponds to a immature runner, who has the excitement, recklessness, and daring of youth. While I have never participated in an important race, or a steeplechase, the adrenaline-filled emotions in this poem appealed to me.
The poetic form used in this case is a sonnet, made of three quatrains and a rhyming doublet, making it a fourteen line poem. The rhyming pattern is abab / cdcd / efef / gg. Typically, sonnets are used romantically. In The Racer, this is still plausible, with Masefield writing about the love for racing. This makes the poem effective.
Numerous literary devices are used that make this piece effective. With imagery such as “fiery eyeballs” (line 2) and “I heard the blood within his body thump” (line 3), a primitive, almost savage race is created. In the eighth line, Masefield writes “He laughed, he took the moment for his mate.” This is a metaphor, referring to the intensity of effort in the race and the total commitment of competing. Lastly, a potential hyperbole is found in line seven, in “With all the thousands roaring at the goal.” While a race with thousands in the audience is very possible, with the Olympics being a prime example, not all races have such large numbers in attendance. I believe Masefield was trying to convey the intense pressure of any race, as though thousands are watching.
The Racer was originally published in 1923. I found it in Sea-fever: Selected Poems of John Masefield. I had an interest in Masefield’s work after reading one of his poems on http://www.poetryoutloud.org. This is a reliable website for a national poetry recitation contest, containing resources for the competition as well as a large array of poems.
I chose this poem because of the intense emotions that are conveyed. Within my theme, this corresponds to a immature runner, who has the excitement, recklessness, and daring of youth. While I have never participated in an important race, or a steeplechase, the adrenaline-filled emotions in this poem appealed to me.
The poetic form used in this case is a sonnet, made of three quatrains and a rhyming doublet, making it a fourteen line poem. The rhyming pattern is abab / cdcd / efef / gg. Typically, sonnets are used romantically. In The Racer, this is still plausible, with Masefield writing about the love for racing. This makes the poem effective.
Numerous literary devices are used that make this piece effective. With imagery such as “fiery eyeballs” (line 2) and “I heard the blood within his body thump” (line 3), a primitive, almost savage race is created. In the eighth line, Masefield writes “He laughed, he took the moment for his mate.” This is a metaphor, referring to the intensity of effort in the race and the total commitment of competing. Lastly, a potential hyperbole is found in line seven, in “With all the thousands roaring at the goal.” While a race with thousands in the audience is very possible, with the Olympics being a prime example, not all races have such large numbers in attendance. I believe Masefield was trying to convey the intense pressure of any race, as though thousands are watching.