Nama: Kinanti Dwiqalsa Paundrianagari

NPM: 21882032438

POEM OF CARGOES

General Meaning

‘Cargoes’ is an interesting poem about the history of cargo ships and the cargo that they transported.

Detailed Meaning

In the first stanza, the poet explores ancient ships and ports from the Bible and the various items they
could’ve been transported from Ophir. These include apes, peacocks, and sandalwood. The second
stanza brings in a Spanish galleon and the gemstones this particular type of ship would’ve carried. These
two different periods in history are juxtaposed with one another as well as with the final. The poet
describes a more contemporary, dirty, British ship that carries coal and cheap, uninteresting items.

Throughout this piece, Masefield engages with themes of change and history. The poet emphasizes the
differences between these three different periods in history but especially between the first two and the
third. The world made a huge shift with the advent of modern shipping and that change everything,
including the goods that were traded. Sailing loses its romantic quality by the time the reader gets to the
end of the third stanza. There is nothing appealing about the dirty ship and its uninteresting goods.

Literary Devices

Alliteration: occurs when the poet repeats the same consonant sound at the beginning of words. For
example, “tin trays” in the last line of the poem and “salt-caked smoke stack” in the first line of stanza
three.

Imagery: seen when the poet uses especially clear and interesting descriptions. For example, “Rowing
home to haven in sunny Palestine” and “Dipping through the Tropics by the palm-green shores.”

Allusion: occurs when the poet uses very specific and unusual words like “Quinquireme.” Readers have
to either look up what the word means or depend on a faint understanding of its origin. Most allusions
provide readers with a bit of information about something but don’t go into detail.

Intention of the poem

The ancients were more concerned with appearance than function