Tennyson’s Ulysses and Colonialism

A casual reading of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Ulysses creates the impression that the poem is the reaching out of a heroic person towards something more substantial than mere survival. In fact when we first did it in school we studied it merely based on its face value-a poem using the technique of dramatic monologue, which talks about the struggle of a human being to break free from mediocrity. I had the same poem in college. A professor made a casual observation about the poem encouraging the British to go out and capture the world. Upon closer inspection I was shocked at some of the things the poem implies. It is little more than propaganda for colonialism. In the Victorian Age (1837 –1901), only the first born legitimate sons were entitled to property. This left the other sons (illegitimate and not first borns) discontended. Since they had no claim to property a feeling of unrest developed among these people. All these people needed something to do. Some believe that Tennyson was commissioned by Queen Victoria to be a virtual mouth peace for imperialism.When looked at from that perspective, the poem Ulysses seems to encourage,the sons with no claim to their father’s fortunes, to embark on a voyage of conquest. Tennyson is not alone as a poet who sings the praises of England's world conquest being honourable. Rudyard Kipling among others spurs the British to adopt an imperial role through his writing. These writers support the notion that it is Britain’s obligation (read birthright) to rule and ‘culture’ the rest of the world. While all this may seem very noble and patriotic for the Britisher, as he is asked to champion the cause of his nation's expansion, it is sinister in what it implied for the rest of the world. Especially in the context of what colonialism did and is still doing (neocolonialism) to the rest of the world Tennyson’s words “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”, takes on a whole new meaning.