At the Sea-Side

Nowhere in the poem does the speaker explicitly identify themself as a child. However, various contextual clues can lead the reader to such a conclusion. The situation the speaker relates is one of submission or inferiority. The speaker states how an unidentified “they” give them “[a] wooden spade” (Line 2) in order “[t]o dig the sandy shore” (Line 3). It seems from this context that the speaker is being given direction by this other party, which places the speaker in a position of deference or obedience to the one(s) who provided the spade. It is easy to presume “they” (Line 2) is the speaker’s parents, guardians, or other older, more mature figures who would have taken the speaker to the beach.

As the poem continues, readers begin to put the pieces together. Images of spades used to dig holes on the beach typically involve children playing in the sand with shovels and pails. This imagery and the context of the authoritative figure(s) providing the speaker with their digging tools leads readers to view the speaker as a grown individual reminiscing about childhood memories.