“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” Gordon Lightfoot

The ballad, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” written by Gordon Lightfoot, shares both themes of loss and environment. The poem tells a story of a shipwreck, where the crew was caught in a storm, and 29 lives were lost on the Great Lakes. A central theme in the poem, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” as the story describes a shipwreck. 29 people died in the story, and throughout the poem, we can tell the tone is one of mourning for the men and women who lost their lives. It describes how the lake never gives up her dead, and the effects of the loss the death of these people had on society. The poet describes the impact of the loss of these people on their loved ones, “They might have split up or they might have capsized/They may have broke deep and took water/And all that remains is the faces and the names/Of the wives and the sons and the daughters” (Lightfoot, 37-40). It is important to remember these men and their sacrifices to their work. They are a great loss of society, specifically to their close ones. Remembering them is remembering their tragedy, and so working to learn from history: commemorating the men and women who gave their lives to their work. The environment is a second central theme in the poem, “The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerlad.” Throughout the ballad, the poet describes the gloomy November skies that develop into a life-taking storm. The wind and the waves are defined as the “witch of November” (Lightwood, 20), describing the threatening storm. “The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound/And a wave broke over the railing/T’was the witch of November come stealin’/The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait/When the gales of November came slashin’/When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain/In the face of a hurricane west wind/Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya/Fellas, it’s been good t’know ya/The captain wired in he had water comin’ in/And the good ship and crew was in peril/And later that night when his lights went outta sight/Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (Lightwood, 17-18, 20-24, 26, 28-32). Mother Nature cannot always be predicted: these men lost their lives, thinking they were ahead of the storm. The author describes the sailors realizing they were going to die, as the hurricane (storm) set upon them. The men were so close to the bay, if the storm had occurred when thought, the men would have lived. You cannot control the environment, and you must always be prepared for unpredictability. Had this ship been better prepared for the storm, they may have survived the crash. It is important to commemorate the loss of these dedicated workers, to remember their sacrifice, but equally important to learn from their mistakes: to understand there are some things out of our control.