How Far Do You Think Ulysses Is a Celebration of Old Men?

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There are several arguments for the belief that ‘Ulysses’ is a celebration of old men. One argument is that Ulysses is determined and courageous, even in his old age. This can be seen through various lines, but especially line 57, where the words ‘not too late’ show how that even though Ulysses is old, he still believes he can use what time he has left alive in a good way; he believes he can use his last days show how that even though Ulysses is old, he still believes he can use what time he has left alive in a good way; he believes he can use his last days to the full. Also, line 52 suggests that he believe he can still do one more honourable thing before he dies; ‘some work of noble note may yet be done’ shows how Ulysses almost refuses to let his age get in the way of him, he still goes out seeking adventure. It can also be said that Ulysses refuses to wait for death to catch up with him. This can be evidently seen on line 51: ‘Death closes all: but something ere the end…’ This shows how even though Ulysses knows death will soon come for him, he is absolutely determined not to waste his final days, the latter part of the quote shows how he is determined to use his last days usefully. Another argument that Ulysses is a celebration of old men is that it is an example of male friendship and the spirit between friends. This can be seen in the final stanza, where Ulysses is talking to his mariners about going off on another adventure. The words ‘tis not too late to seek a newer world’ suggest Ulysses is rallying a cry to his mariners to join him on another one of his adventures, and that they should disregard their age and live what life they have left. However, it could be argued that ‘Ulysses’ is not a celebration of old men, in the sense that Ulysses disregards any position of authority he may have; he would rather spend time travelling than ruling the island he

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