The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald- Ballad

The ballad, “The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald” written by Gordon Lightfoot demonstrates how the environment can cause loss. The poem describes the journey of Edmund Fitzgerald, a boat that sailed in November and was heading back to Canada from a mill in Wisconsin. However, their trip would be interrupted by a hurricane. Sadly, the boat was capsized or sunken by the hurricane. The result of the hurricane caused the men aboard the boat to die, which in turn left many families without a parent, child, etc. The ballad shows the effects of the environment on the vessel, describing, “The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound, and a wave broke over the railing. And every man knew as the captain did too, t’was the witch of November come stealin’/when the gales of November came slashin’. When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain…” (16-19, 21-22) The wind from the hurricane and crashing waves seemed to forwarn the men and captain on the boat that they were not going to make the trip, because of the harsh climate they were facing. Lightfoot further elaborates the effects of the environment on the vessel, by describing the aftermath of the shipwreck: “And all that remains in the faces and names of the wives and sons and daughters/In the maritime sailors’ cathedral. The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times. For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.” (41-42, 49-52) Due to the shipwreck, many were left grieving for their loved one(s) that passed away because of the hurricane. With all things considered, both snippets prove how the environment can cause loss; for example, the hurricane (environment) killed twenty-nine men (the loss).