On the Beach at Fontana Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

On the Beach at Fontana

Wind whines and whines the shingle,
The crazy pierstakes groan;
A senile sea numbers each single
Slimesilvered stone.

From whining wind and colder
Grey sea I wrap him warm
And touch his trembling fineboned shoulder
And boyish arm.

Around us fear, descending
Darkness of fear above
And in my heart how deep unending
Ache of love!

Summary of On the Beach at Fontana

Popularity of “On the Beach at Fontana”: James Joyce, an Irish poetic icon, wrote this poem “On the Beach at Fontana” in 1914. He published it three years later in a Poetry Magazine. The poem presents a father’s unbound love for his son and his concern to save him from the threats posed by the beach of Fontana. The beauty of the poem lies in this paternal emotion that is adorable as well as painful. The poem has won popularity across the globe on account of this paternal concern.
“On the Beach at Fontana” As a Representative of Paternal Love: The speaker of “On the Beach at Fontana” is a father. He talks about the fierce winds that whine the shingles of the houses located near the beach and talks about an old man checking those stones on the rooftops. Following this, he comes to the point that although the winds are cold and whining, he protects his boy from these winds and wraps his shoulders. The situation is such that fear has crept into his old bones because of his excessive love for his son lest his son may lose himself to these fierce winds. This paternal love has also its pangs that the father has to suffer. Therefore, he calls it “ache of love.”
Major Themes in “On the Beach at Fontana”: Paternal love, care and fierce nature are three major thematic strands of “On the Beach at Fontana.” The poet shows this paternal love from the unidentifiable speaker who happens to be at the beach at Fontana and observing fierce winds which have jolted the very foundations of the shingles of the rooftops of the houses located near the beach. He minutely observes the people inspecting the shingles and wraps his son into his fold to save him from these cold and terrifying winds. This is fatherly love in which he also feels the pangs of love. It is because it is his responsibility to save his son from the environment and the world. However, he also knows that the fierce nature does not take care of people whether they are young, or old, or fathers, or sons. They just take care of how they blow.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in On the Beach at Fontana

James Joyce’s skill of using literary devices is quite obvious in this poem. Some of the major literary devices used in this poem are as follows.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ in “Wind whines and whines the shingle” and the sound of /a/ in “The crazy pierstakes groan.”
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /s/ in “senile sea” and “silme silvered stone” and /h/ in “heart how.”
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “And touch his trembling fineboned shoulder” and the sound of /s/ in “A senile sea numbers each single.”
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;

Around us fear, descending
Darkness of fear above
And in my heart how deep unending
Ache of love!

Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The poem shows irony in that the love does not have aches, but the poet has stated that paternal love has its own ache.
Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. James Joyce has used imagery in this poem, such as “From whining wind and colder”, “And touch his trembling fineboned shoulder” and “Around us fear, descending.”
Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet has presented the wind as if it is a dog as it whines.
Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols of wind, stone, and sea to demonstrate the fears of the father.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in On the Beach at Fontana

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Diction and Tone: Diction means the type of language, and tone means the voice of the text. The poem has simple and poetic text, but its tone is terrifying and fearful, touched with the pain of paternal love.
End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. James Joyce used end rhyme in this poem, such as “shingle/single”, “groan/stone” and “colder/shoulder.”
Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain.
Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme, and this pattern continues until the end.
Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem, with each comprising four verses.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the pangs and pain of love.