In “Old Ironsides,” Oliver Wendell Holmes conveys that he believes the ship deserves a better ending than it is getting. What does he mean when he writes, “And give her to the god of storms / The lightning and the gale”?

Question

The ship should be put in a museum for others to visit and admire.

The ship should be stripped and used to build a new one.

Let the ship sink at sea, rather than suffer humiliating demolition.

An enemy should destroy the ship in the course of battle.

Answer 1

In the lines "And give her to the god of storms / The lightning and the gale,” Oliver Wendell Holmes is expressing a desire for the ship to meet a grand and heroic end, rather than be subjected to the indignity of being destroyed or decommissioned. This suggests that the ship should sink at sea during a storm, fighting against nature itself, which would be a more noble end than being torn apart for scrap. Therefore, the correct interpretation is:

Let the ship sink at sea, rather than suffer humiliating demolition.