Text analysis “Sail”

by Ian Hamilton Finlay

Approaching Literary Genres p. 50Millennium

FOCUS ON THE MEANING1. What do the two words that make up this shaped poem mean? Can they represent just one grammatical

form (i.e. noun, adjective, etc.) or more?

• A “sail” is a large piece of material attached to the mast of a boat or ship. To sail a sailing boat / ship means to make it move across water using its sail/s.

• A “sailor” is a person who works on a ship as a member of its crew. • A sailing is a voyage made by a ship when it takes passengers from one place to another. .• A “sail” and a “sailor” are thus closely connected.

Sail

2. The poem is apparently very simple but it may be not so easy to put its meaning into words. Try to explain it in as few words as possible.

SAILSAIL

SAIL SAILOR

• The idea of sail, of sailing , recalls freedom, adventure, and the beauty of seafaring. It is also connected with the wind and the sea as powerful forces of nature, which can be enjoyed but also feared . A sailor is the person who can enjoy or must endure all this.

FOCUS ON THE SHAPE OF THE POEM3. What does the typographical shape of this poem (slightly adapted from its original) remind you of? Give reasons for your

answer.

• It recalls the shape of a sail because of its triangular shape.

• Some of them could be white, as sails usually are in the Mediterranean sea, some could be dark-red or brown as they can be seen in the Northern seas, e.g. on the coasts of Britain or Ireland. Some could be very big, others very small. They also come in different shapes.

4. The poet has produced several variations of this poem, in different sizes and colours: how do you imagine some of them to be?