1. define "sentinel" in a dictionary 2. look up "cuckoo" in Wikipedia 3. Think about what a sentinel does, and how a cuckoo is like that, with respect to summer. 4. Examine how that metaphor works in the context of The Seafarer poem. Where does it appear in the poem, and why? ---- In Anglo saxon poetry (and several other medieval poetries) there was a special technique by which instead of directly naming a thing, the poet would describe it and leave the listener (or reader) to work it out.
The ocean is 'the whales' highway';
snow is 'the sifting from heaven's threshing floor';
a girl's hair is 'the golden hayrick over her ears'.
To call a cuckoo a 'summer sentinel' is an example of such a phrase. The technical term (in English) is a 'kenning'.
The phrase "summer sentinel meaning a cuckoo" is an example of personification. Personification is a literary device in which human qualities are attributed to animals or inanimate objects. In this case, the cuckoo is being described as a 'sentinel' which is a role typically associated with humans.
Personification, as the phrase attributes human characteristics to the cuckoo bird by describing it as a sentinel of summer. This personification creates a vivid image of the bird guarding or watching over the season of summer.
a kenning
The Latin phrase meaning "for example" is exempli gratias, abbreviated e.g. The phrase's literal meaning is "for the sake of example."
The phrase gives you a visual image of a single tree standing there, which combined with its location at the gate suggests the image of a sentinel or soldier on guard at a gate.
A sentence gives a complete thought, with a subject and verb. A phrase is a sequence of words intended to have meaning.
A phrase hard to explain so i ll give you an example like what goes around comes back around
phrase
The phrase 'time of day' is usually used as an example, 'I would not give her the time of day'. This means that she would not be given any time at all.
the meaning of the phrase myriad manifestation is-countless evidence
The figurative meaning of the phrase giving face to the lost is when Forensic Anthropologists give an identity to a person. For example, Forensic Anthropologists find out information such as the victim's race, name age weight, etc.
The meaning of the phrase "to ring" is to call someone on the phone or to visit them at their home.
The phrase mid-may is an example of an alliteration.