Tennyson describes the “untraveled world” as “gleam.” The words “untraveled” and “gleams” sort of talk to one another it “gleams” because it is shiny, bright, and new. This lack of punctuation parallels Ulysses’ continual drive forward. It creates a sense of continuity and motion. On the other side of the “arch” there, “Gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades.” Tennyson uses enjambment between lines 19 and 20, which makes the words flow without pause. As if, through his “experience,” Ulysses can see everything he has yet to do. “An arch” is also a threshold it marks a boundary. Tennyson does not, however, tell the reader of any one keystone “experience.” He does not say which-if there is one-will ensure the structure holds. Therefore, Ulysses’ “experience” has made him strong, and able to endure hard times. Each new “experience” seems to add a new piece to his “arch,” his collection of experiences (i.e. It also contains the keystone, which secures all of the other pieces. Tennyson uses a metaphor: “all experience is an arch.” “An arch” is a strong structure that can bear a lot of weight. Everything that Ulysses sees and does only makes him want to see and do more. Tennyson carries “all” to the next line saying, “Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough.” The repetition reinforces this idea of a whole, creating a sense of universality. It also diminishes the significance of the “all ” he does not linger on any one person or place, putting it above the others. The past tense verb “have met” conveys a brief crossing of paths, as opposed to an extended or more permanent stay. But at the same time, he is merely one of many. This seems to imply that his effect on others is not as significant as their impact on him. However, Tennyson uses “I,” which separates Ulysses from the “all,” and emphasizes him as an individual. Ulysses affected everything and everyone, and they affected him. The ambiguity suggests some measure of reciprocity. “Part” means that there are pieces of a whole, as Ulysses leaves a little bit of himself behind every place he goes. Tennyson’s diction creates ambiguity in line 18: “I am a part of all that I have met.” It is unclear whether Ulysses changed the people and places that he met or they changed him. This passage comes from Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses,” lines 18 through 23. To rust unburnished, not to shine in use! Gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough A Response to “Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
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