A Sailor Went to Sea
By Nursery Rhyme
A sailor went to sea, sea, sea,
To see what he could see, see, see.
But all that he could see, see, see,
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.A sailor went to knee, knee, knee
To see what he could knee, knee, knee
But all that he could knee, knee, knee
Was the bottom of the deep blue knee, knee, knee!A sailor went to chop, chop, chop
To see what he could chop, chop, chop
But all that he could chop, chop, chop
Was the bottom of the deep blue chop, chop, chop!
Summary of A Sailor Went to Sea
- Popularity of “A Sailor Went to Sea”: This nursery rhyme first appeared in 1972 in a recorded form. Iona Opie recorded it in Birmingham. The rhyme has undergone a transformation from “My father went to sea” to “A sailor…. It is quite common for children to chant it everywhere in the United Kingdom but its origin is still unknown, including who composed it first though Sarah Webb, an Irish writer, is credited for listing it in her book having the same title. The rhyme is also used as a clapping game song with the word ‘sea’ replaced with ‘knee’ and ‘chop’.
- “A Sailor Went to Sea” As a Representative of Seafaring: Although the rhyme is superficially about seafaring, it also has a deeper lesson for the children living on the seashores having deep coastal areas that they need to see the sea deeply to understand it. The rhyme presents a sailor who went to the sea far out to experience its depth and width. This shows the deeper struggle to find out meanings in nature. Seeing is believing, as the saying goes, and when a person or a sailor goes deep into the sea, he experiences the truth about its depth and limits of his power and stamina.
- Major Themes in “A Sailor Went to Sea”: Seafaring, finding deeper meanings in nature, natural beauty, and world music are some of the major thematic strands of this nursery rhyme. Although the rhyme shows just a chant about the sailor who goes to the sea and sees a lot of things, it does not mention these things. Rather, it leaves it to seafaring, a profession mostly adopted in areas having a long coast. Therefore, it points to the deeper meanings in nature that a person experiences when he goes far out into the seas and sees nature in action. The rhyming of the words sea and see coincides with the natural music and the verbal melody.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in A Sailor Went to Sea
The anonymous poet used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices are analyzed below.
- Allusion: It means to use references from society, history, or culture to stress upon the main idea. The poet used the allusion to geographical entities such as the sea.
- Alliteration: It means to use initial consonants in successive words. The poem shows the use of consonant sounds, such as /s/ in “see see” and “sea sea.”
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “A sailor went to sea, sea, sea” and the sound of /a/ and /e/ in “But all that he could see, see, see.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ and /s/ in “To see what he could see, see, see” and the sound of /th/ and /s/ in “Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The anonymous poet has used imagery in this poem, such as “To see what he could see, see, see”, “But all that he could see, see, see” and “Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.”
- 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 such as sea, sailor, bottom, and blue to show the depth of the sea.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in A Sailor Went to Sea
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: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal, poetic, and melodic diction.
- End Rhyme: It means to use verses having matching end words. The anonymous poet shows the use of the end rhyme see/sea.
- Quatrain: It is a Persian stanza having four verses. The poem shows the use of a quatrain, such as in the first stanza.
- Repetition: This device is used to stress upon the main thematic idea, such as see and sea has been repeated several times in this nursery rhyme.
- Rhyme Scheme: This poem shows the rhyme scheme of AAAA in both stanzas.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are two stanzas, with each being a quatrain.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows an exciting, thrilling, and jovial tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when teaching the kids about the sea and sailors.
A sailor went to sea, sea, sea,
To see what he could see, see, see.
But all that he could see, see, see,
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.
