18 pages • 36 minutes read
Joaquin MillerColumbus
Nonfiction | Poem | Middle Grade | Published in 1900A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Importance of Resilience and Hope
The defining theme of “Columbus” is found in what the figure of Columbus represents: an unbreakable will in the face of adversity and danger. As the ship’s mate details throughout the poem, the problems facing Columbus and his crew during their voyage are many and serious. The ship’s crew are growing “mutinous” (Line 9) and ready to rebel, with everyone in poor health and looking “wan and weak” (Line 10) after their prolonged time at sea. The natural world surrounding them is not a friendly ally, but a threat: “[T]he very stars are gone” (Line 6), rendering traditional navigation impossible, and the “mad sea [is] show[ing] his teeth” (Line 26), threatening a shipwreck.
Yet, in spite of all these real dangers, Columbus refuses to panic, and does not even betray the slightest sign of self-doubt. His refrain “‘Sail on!’” at the end of each stanza reinforces the key theme of refusing to give in even in the face of serious setbacks. For this reason, the poem’s speaker hails Columbus as inspirational, as the speaker claims Columbus’s resilience is the “grandest lesson” (Line 39) he gave to the world. Columbus’s determination is thus represented as something to which to aspire, with his voyage serving as both a creative retelling of his historical voyage and a moral lesson about the power of endurance and hope more generally.
The Pragmatic Versus the Visionary
The poem’s speaker uses the dialogue between the mate and Columbus to construct a thematic contrast between the limitations of pragmatism (as represented by the mate) and the audacity of the visionary (as represented by Columbus). Throughout the poem, the mate is concerned only with practical matters: He frets about the crew’s low morale and poor state of health, and the unfavorable conditions of the voyage itself. The mate’s concerns are valid from a logistical point of view, but the mundane nature of such concerns is juxtaposed with the heroic daring Columbus represents. Columbus remains unfazed by the problems that cause such consternation in the mate, for the simple reason that Columbus keeps his eyes set on a higher goal: the discovery of a new world, and the ultimate success of his mission. In valorizing Columbus’s unshakeable resolve and the boldness of his vision—and in giving Columbus no other response to the mate’s concerns except the perpetual urging to “‘Sail on!’”—the speaker represents Columbus’s position as the superior one. Thematically, the poem asserts that the visionary is superior to the pragmatist, and that it is the visionary who succeeds in moving mankind forward throughout history.
The Perils and Triumphs of Discovery
The speaker in “Columbus” continuously emphasizes the very real hardships Columbus and his crew are facing, which in turn creates thematic tension between the temptation of giving up and the tantalizing possibility of success if they continue sailing. The mate’s dire warnings about the conditions of the ship’s situation during the night and the state of its crew raises the stakes for Columbus, suggesting that the pressure to finally reach land is only growing more urgent by the day. This tension fosters a sense of momentum, which leads to a greater emotional payoff at the poem’s end when Columbus at last achieves his goal. This theme of discovery serves as the moral lesson at the heart of the poem: There is no victory without first enduring and overcoming hardship. The speaker suggests that Columbus’s voyage of discovery is so impressive because it was so difficult and dangerous, and the setbacks on his voyage have only served to make the ultimate discovery of the New World even more heroic.
