How does Sextons refrain of That story alter the meaning of the ...

[bio_gurl]

How does Sextons refrain of That story alter the meaning of the episodesit describes? What is the tone of this poem (the poets attitude toward her material)?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What do you know, or what can you find out, about Ulyssess life that mayshed light on what is said here?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[Gabe]

Answer to Question 1

• The use of the phrase That story signals to the reader the worldly-wise, cynical tone that the speaker is using to describe the events of the poem, especially in light of the fact that one of the connotations of story is something made up, a fantasy. The suggestion is that such episodes are indeed fairy tales, not to be confused with the workaday reality that actual people have to live within. At the end of the poem, Sexton presents a ludicrously idealized list of examples of what it means to live happily ever after, and then, by concluding it with a final repetition of That story, is basically ending the narration with a variant of Yeah, right or As if.

Answer to Question 2

• In both the Homeric epics, Ulysses (Odysseus) is presented as wily, crafty, and endlessly resourceful. Especially in The Odyssey, he is also characterized by an unquenchable spirit of curiosityas shown, for example, in the famous episode in which he has his crewmen stop up their ears and lash him to the mast so that he may hear the song of the Sirens without being lured to his death on the rocks. It is shown indirectly, but just as meaningfully, in his expression of contempt for the race of Cyclopes because they live in caves and simply eat whatever grows on their island, just as their ancestors did, without making any effort to build homes or till the soil or in any other way to advance themselves and improve their lives. His inability to pass any land without going ashore to investigate it leads to the deaths of many of his companions and extends his homecoming voyage by a number of years. It is this quality of hisand the willingness to brave its inevitable dangers that Tennysons poem celebrates as the beacon light of human progress.