High Flight
By John Gillespie Magee Jr.
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds,—and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air ….Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor ever eagle flew—
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
Summary of High Flight
- Popularity of “High Flight”: Written by the first American war poet, John Gillespie Magee Jr., this beautiful sonnet presents the experience of the poet-pilot of his exciting flight into his fighter aircraft. The sonnet first appeared shortly after his accidental death in an air crash in 1941. It was published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Later, the sonnet was put into an exhibition in the Library of Congress in 1942. This sonnet is a first-hand experience of the flight of the pilot, which has made it popular across the globe.
- “High Flight” As a Representative of Flight Experience: The poet, who happens to be the speaker of the sonnet, expresses his excitement with an exclamatory expression of “Oh!” when he opens the sonnet, showing his thrill of the flight. He is of the view that he has slipped out of the bond of the Earth and has started dancing in the sky on his aircraft. The poet experiences the enjoyment of his flight, saying that he even goes higher than the larks and the eagles and seems to hover over the “footless halls of air” to show that he has gone up in the air. His thrill continues like that of a bird gracefully until he comes to the point where he touches the “sanctity of space” and even “the face of God.” The poem reaches the culmination of the flight experience of the poet.
- Major Themes in “High Flight”: Extreme flying skills, the thrill of the flight, and enjoyment of the achievement are major themes of the sonnet. The poet has beautifully put his flying experience into words, showing that he has broken up with the Earth and gone above to touch the sky, leaving the people behind him on the Earth. This is akin to showing his flying skills like that of birds and enjoying space. However, this thrill is more than he could have controlled, the reason that he gives free expressions to his excitement. This is the way he has expressed the feelings of a person traveling in free space. However, it seems that his achievement is a source of enjoyment for him that he has shared with the public in the shape of this sonnet. This achievement is to trespass into the “sanctity of space” and “touch the face of God.”
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in High Flight
John Gillespie Magee Jr. used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his ideas. Some of the major literary devices show this skill of the poem as below.
- Allusion: It means to use references from society, history, or culture to stress upon the main idea. The poet used geographical allusions, such as the earth and the sun, and of divinity, such as God.
- Alliteration: It means to use initial consonants in successive words. The sonnet shows the use of consonant sounds, such as /s/ in “sunlit silence.”
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings” and the sound of /i/ in “And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /w/ and /n/ in “And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod” and the sound of /d/ and /s/ in “And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. John Gillespie Magee Jr. used imagery in this poem such as “And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings”, “Where never lark nor ever eagle flew” and “The high untrespassed sanctity of space.”
- 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 earth, wings, things, air, hall, and God to show his experience of flying.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in High Flight
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. John Gillespie Magee Jr. shows the use of end rhyme such as earth/mirth and wings/things.
- Quatrain: It is a Persian stanza having four verses. The sonnet shows the use of a quatrain such as the first one.
- Rhyme Scheme: This sonnet shows the rhyme scheme of ABABCDCD in its octave and EFEGEG in its sestet.
- Sonnet: This is a fourteen-lined poem called a sonnet.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are two stanzas; the first octave comprises eight verses, and the second sestet comprises six verses, as shown in Rhyme Scheme.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The sonnet shows an exciting, thrilling, and reassuring.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when talking about some great experiences.
Where never lark nor ever eagle flew—
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.