At Home - "To-morrow we shall be..."

• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Onomatopoeic Epizeuxis ("Plod Plod") creates an auditory echo of weariness and monotony, evoking the image of trudging through a lifeless, unchanging environment - The sound, almost sluggish, conveys the physical effort of moving forward without hope or direction, underscoring the sense of life's endless, repetitive cycle - In this way, the metaphor suggests the futility of existence, where one moves forward without any real change or purpose, much like the ghostly speaker's journey between life and death
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Onomatopoeic Epizeuxis ("Plod Plod") mimics the sound of slow, laboured walking, highlighting the banality of the life the speaker is excluded from - Despite the promise of an idyllic tomorrow, the phrase underscores the mundanity of the existence the living embrace, trapped in an endless cycle of routine and routine alone - The repetition hints that even what is hoped for (the "tomorrow") is tainted by a lack of fulfilment and joy, resembling the soul’s alienation from the meaningfulness of life
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Onomatopoeic Epizeuxis ("Plod Plod") enhances the alienation of the speaker from the living, who continue their mundane journeys without awareness of the speaker’s spectral absence - The heavy, rhythmic repetition also contrasts with the freedom of movement the living experience, highlighting the speaker’s helplessness - The phrase evokes the physicality of life while amplifying the inaccessibility of this existence for the dead, underscoring the separation between the realms of the living and the dead
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Onomatopoeic Epizeuxis ("Plod Plod") can also suggest the weight of time dragging forward, an unstoppable, relentless passage that becomes more laborious with each step - The repetition emphasizes that the passage of time, though inevitable, is marked by exhaustion and futility, especially as the speaker observes the living continuing their unremarkable path - The sense of inescapability suggests that time itself, much like the speaker, is caught in a repetitive and endless cycle with no end in sight
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Onomatopoeic Epizeuxis ("Plod Plod") echoes the slow, laborious march of death - the process of decay that is inevitable for all - The sound mimics the trudging of bodies in a final journey, emphasizing the mortality of human existence - By repeating this sound, Rossetti reinforces the idea that death, much like the plodding journey, is not sudden but a drawn-out, often unnoticed process that creeps forward, leaving behind only the traces of what was
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Symbolism ("Featureless Sands") symbolizes the emptiness and monotony of existence - The barren, undisturbed landscape reflects a life devoid of meaning or direction, where individuals move along without a clear purpose, just as the speaker observes the living progressing without acknowledging the inevitable march toward death - The featureless sands evoke a sense of futility, where progress feels hollow, and each step leads nowhere significant
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Symbolism ("Featureless Sands") may symbolize the speaker's isolation from the living world - The lack of distinctive features in the sand mirrors the speaker's own spiritual void - a soul cut off from human connection and understanding - Just as the sands offer no landmarks or guides, the speaker’s existence feels formless and adrift, without a meaningful connection to the world they once inhabited
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Symbolism ("Featureless Sands") and Sands are traditionally associated with impermanence - as grains of sand are fleeting and constantly shifting, so too is life’s transient nature - In this context, the "featureless sands" symbolize the ephemeral nature of human life, which moves forward relentlessly, often without leaving a lasting impact or any discernible mark - The lack of features on the sand suggests that life, in the end, may be washed away and forgotten, much like the winds erasing marks in the sand
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Symbolism ("Featureless Sands") can also symbolize the uncertainty of the future and the unknown journey ahead - The absence of any recognizable landmarks on the sand implies a path that is unpredictable and devoid of meaning - It is a vision of an unknown tomorrow, where there are no familiar markers or signs to guide the way, mirroring the speaker’s posthumous perception of life as uncertain and void of guidance
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Symbolism ("Featureless Sands") may also symbolize the in-between space between life and death, a liminal zone where the boundaries are indistinct and unclear - Sands, often used in metaphors for death (e.g. the sands of time), represent the transitory nature of existence, leading to the idea that the speaker is caught in an intermediary state - neither fully alive nor fully dead - The featureless aspect reflects the emptiness of this realm, where nothing grows, nothing changes, and everything remains stagnant
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Metaphor ("Sea") can be interpreted as a metaphor for the unknown future - Just as the sea is vast, unpredictable, and endless, so too is the journey of life, which remains uncertain and unknowable - The idea of "coasting" along the sea suggests that the speaker, even in their spectral state, is carried along by forces beyond their control - just as humans are often swept along by the tide of time and events without truly understanding what lies ahead
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Metaphor ("Sea") is often a metaphor for deep, turbulent emotions - Here, the "miles and miles of sea" could symbolize the speaker’s emotional distance and the isolation they experience - The vastness of the sea mirrors the emotional expanse that the speaker, now deceased, feels as they watch the living from a distance - They are not part of the life unfolding but are instead adrift, left alone to experience an overwhelming emptiness
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Metaphor ("Sea") and the sea is often used to represent the relentless passage of time, as it is constantly in motion, never stopping - The "miles and miles of sea" suggest that the journey ahead, like time itself, is endless and inescapable - The speaker is confronted with the idea that both life and death are part of an unbroken flow, and no matter how far one moves, the sea - like time - will continue to stretch out forever, with no clear destination or resolution
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Metaphor ("Sea") highlights the vastness of human existence and the world beyond the speaker’s reach - Just as the sea stretches endlessly to the horizon, the lives of the living seem to go on without interruption, full of possibilities and experiences the speaker can no longer partake in - The immensity of the sea serves as a reminder of the vastness of life and the ever-expanding distance between the living and the dead, emphasizing the speaker’s powerlessness to re-enter that world
• In 'At Home', the quote "To-morrow we shall be, plod plod along the featureless sands, And coasting miles and miles of sea", the use of Metaphor ("Sea") symbolizes the vastness and complexity of life, with its endless stretches representing the unpredictable journey ahead - Just as the sea contains numerous hidden depths, the speaker’s experience mirrors the vast, often opaque nature of existence, filled with both visible and unseen challenges - The "miles and miles of sea" evoke the idea of an ongoing journey that is as boundless as the sea itself, filled with endless possibilities and uncertainties