The Sea – Robert Lynd

The Sea – Robert Lynd

Answer the following questions in about 100 words each.

1. Mention some of the evidence that goes to show that humankind has become quite comfortable with the sea.

Robert Lynd in his essay, ‘The Sea’ says that we have grown comfortably intimate with the sea. He says that we use it as a highway of business and pleasure. According to him, for most of us, the sea is a domesticated wonder. We walk on its shores without any nervousness; we take pleasure trips on sea and swim in its waters as a luxury. We travel on the Pacific to visit remote and exquisite locations. We sit happily in lounge chairs of a cruise reading news papers with little worry about our safety. He says that we have lost both our fears and wonders of the sea. (108 words)

2. How was the sea perceived in the ancient history of humankind? Why?

According to Robert Lynd, originally man seems to have dreaded all water including the sea as a dragon’s pasture. There are several myths of beasts of sea which demand one or the other kind of sacrifice. Lynd tells us about Perseus saving Andromeda from a water beast and about St. George as a slayer of such a beast. Ancient people regard sea as half-divine and half-monster. The sea blesses men once its passion for sacrifice is satisfied.  Lynd mentions of a magical marriage in Matthew Arnold’s ‘Forsaken Merman’. There are several superstitions related to sea in olden days. These myths originated from the sea’s sense of insecurity. (107 words)

3. Why should every voyage be literally a ‘voyage into the unknown?  What do poets such as Shakespeare and Kipling say about the sea?

As per Robert Lynd, every imaginative man should treat every voyage into the unknown ‘where tall ships founder and deep death waits. He says that there are several risks and treacheries lurk under the sea. It is evident that we have not yet mastered the sea as our great ships like Titanic and Empress of Ireland sunk killing hundreds of people. Mentioning the perils of sea, Shakespeare says, ‘Full fathom five thy father lies’ in one of his poems about the sea. Kipling writes of the sea as a strange world of fearful things. Kipling writes of ‘blind white sea-snakes’ and level plains of ooze’. (105 words)

4. How does the human being view the encounter with the sea? Why is every encounter an attempt to master the sea?

Robert Lynd says that man recovers his ancient dread of the sea and has grown comfortably intimate with it. We walk on its shores without any nervousness; we take pleasure trips on sea and swim in its waters as a luxury. There are several myths of beasts of sea which demand one or the other kind of sacrifice. Ancient people regard sea as half-divine and half-monster. He says that there are several risks and treacheries lurk under the sea. We need to treat every encounter as an attempt to master the sea as our great ships like Titanic and Empress of Ireland sunk killing hundreds of people. (107 words)

5. What is Lynd’s final note on the human attempt to master the elements of nature?

According to Lynd, we must go on dreaming to master elements of nature such as the water, the air and the fire. We have to master nature by machines which are in our control. We must not feel satisfied with our attempts. We should not be boastful of our achievements. He says that, ‘we use them, but it is at our peril’. We need to be careful or else our ships would sink, we would be flooded by waters, fire would destroy us and lightening would kill us. He says that there is no victory that man has yet been able to achieve over matter. (106 words)

Answer the following questions in about 200 words each.

1. How does this essay bring out certain observations about the sea which had been taken granted until this essay was written?

Robert Lynd in his essay, ‘The Sea’ says that we have grown comfortably intimate with the sea. He says that we use it as a highway of business and pleasure. According to him, for most of us, the sea is a domesticated wonder. We walk on its shores without any nervousness; we take pleasure trips on sea and swim in its waters as a luxury. We travel on the Pacific to visit remote and exquisite locations. We sit happily in lounge chairs of a cruise reading news papers with little worry about our safety. He says that we have lost both our fears and wonders of the sea.

He further says that great disasters like the sinking or Empress Ireland jolts us into reality of our false sense of security. Originally man seems to have dreaded all water including the sea as a dragon’s pasture. There are several myths of beasts of sea which demand one or the other kind of sacrifice. We should treat every voyage into the unknown ‘where tall ships founder and deep death waits’. There are several risks and treacheries lurk under the sea. It is evident that we have not yet mastered the sea as our great ships like Titanic and Empress of Ireland sunk killing hundreds of people. (214 words)

2. The sea is both a monster and a comforter. How does this sentence hold good in the light of this essay?

Robert Lynd concludes that the sea is both a monster and a comforter in his essay, ‘The Sea’. Robert Lynd in his essay, ‘The Sea’ says that we have grown comfortably intimate with the sea. He says that we use it as a highway of business and pleasure. The sea is a domesticated wonder. We walk on its shores without any nervousness; we take pleasure trips on sea and swim in its waters as a luxury. We travel on the Pacific to visit remote and exquisite locations.

There are several myths of beasts of sea which demand one or the other kind of sacrifice. Ancient people regard sea as half-divine and half-monster. He says that there are several risks and treacheries lurk under the sea. We need to treat every encounter as an attempt to master the sea. It is evident that we have not yet mastered the sea as our great ships like Titanic and Empress of Ireland sunk killing hundreds of people. He says that we have to use sea being aware of the risks. Thus, the sea is both a monster and a comforter. He says that we have lost both our fears and wonders of the sea.  (201 words)