Tag: High Flight poem meaning

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A Day in Eternity John Gillespie Magee Jr. Author of "High Flight"

The Spiritual Meaning of John Gillespie Magee’s Poem “High Flight”

John Gillespie Magee Jr. featured with the sketch of proposed bronze statue by Anthony Dufort, the "High Flight" sonnet he sent his parents, one of the Harvards he trained on in Canada (lower left), and the Spitfire Brunhilde he later crashed in the UK.

“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth … put out my hand and touched the face of God.” These lines from John Gillespie Magee’s 1941 poem, “High Flight,” have inspired generations of aviators. Written from the perspective of an aircraft at 30,000 feet, we can understand the spiritual intent. At a deeper level, […]

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A Day in Eternity John Gillespie Magee Jr. Author of "High Flight"

John Gillespie Magee Loved Elinor Lyon

John Magee High Flight Poem and Elinor Lyon
Elinor Bruce Lyon in Women's Royal Naval Service uniform in 1942. John Gillespie Magee, Jr., in Royal Canadian Air Force Uniform, 1941.

John Gillespie Magee, Jr., the WWII poet and fighterpilot who wrote “High Flight,” the anthem of aviators for seventy-five years, left the world with an even greater legacy—more than a hundred letters detailing the angst of a teenager in a war-torn world. Sprinkled throughout the letters are his sentiments for a young lady named Elinor […]