Scott Bissett 10B
Contrast and Comparison of Poems – Pg2
Another thing that I think this poem shows about Keats is his view on death. I believe that after death, there is nothing to be feared, as if you look at his poem. After the 1st half of the 3rd stanza, all the death seems to have been left behind. It is very musical (“bleat”, “sing”, “whistles”) which I think shows that Keats believes that after death you go to heaven.
As well as all this, one other thing that I can deduce from reading John Keats’ poem, is that he doesn’t think that time should be wasted. His three stanzas all represent the senses of the human body; the first stanza is on touch, feel and taste (“sweet”, “ripeness”, “fruit”), the second is on sight and smell (“seen”, “fume”, “watchest”) and the third is on hearing (“songs”, “music”, “sing”). He has included this, I think, to show us that we should use our senses, and not let them go to waste. Another point that I think agrees with my conclusion is that in the second stanza it talks of laziness and of inactivity, and also mentions a “hook” which is closely related to the scythe of the Grim Reaper.
In comparison to this, in Ozymandias, Percy Shelley’s views on time are very clear. He is showing that time is an all powerful, and very destructive force. No one thing can stand up to it. Ozymandias, a tyrant (“sneer”, “mocked”, “stone”) who forced his subjects to create a statue of himself. He wanted it to last forever, along with his “mighty” kingdom. But it could not stand up to the test of time.
His views on nature are to me very similar to his views on time. Nature is both Creator and yet Destroyer. Although I am not sure whether or not this is Shelley’s view on death, I can see that in death Ozymandias looks extremely foolish, because he has said that you should “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair” yet all behind his broken statue is “level sands”, so everything he had achieved in his lifetime has been wasted.
There is loads of imagery in To Autumn, much of which I have mentioned when saying how Keats’ views on life, death, and time have been conveyed. The tone of the
Scott Bissett 10B
Contrast and Comparison of Poems – Pg3
first stanza is of joy, peace, happiness, and growth. This is produced by references to lots of natural living things (“fruit”, “flowers”, “bees”).
Imagery is used in the second stanza to show autumn as a woman. She is very inactive, (“sitting careless”, “sound asleep”, “hours by hours”). Although it doesn’t actually refer to her as a woman, we get that idea from references to long hair - “hair soft-lifted”, flowers - feminine - “poppies”, jobs generally done by females – “gleaner”.
In the third stanza, Imagery is used to show death, followed by something pleasant. For death, there are references such as “ barred”, “soft-dying”, “ mourn”, and “dies”. After that it is musical, implying pleasantries after death, “ bleat”, “sing”, “whistles”, “twitter”.
The imagery in Ozymandias is rather different, less changing. It seems that the author knows everything, can predict the future even. I think this comes from the many references to time; “vast”, “antique”, “boundless”. These references also seem to produce an image of a “vast” area, which is empty. This is produced by words such as “land”, “desert”, “nothing beside remains”.
Both poems have used some poetic language, such as, in To Autumn, “close bosom-friend”, “thee”, “sallows”. In Ozymandias, they don’t have as much poetic language but it is there none the less, for example, “visage”, “pedestal”, “boundless and bare”. As well as poetic language, they both also use pronouns from Shakespearian times, such as “thee” “thy” and “ye”.
I don’t think either poem uses any similes, but in To Autumn there is a lot of personification. The whole second stanza is personification of autumn being a woman. In the first stanza, autumn is described as the “close bosom-friend of the maturing sun”, which is personification. I can’t find any metaphors or personification in Ozymandias. I guess from this that either Ozymandias was written later than To Autumn, or simply that Shelley simply preferred to write in simpler English.
Scott Bissett 10B
Contrast and Comparison of Poems – Pg4
Same as before, To Autumn holds far more sound patterns. It has alliteration – “mists and mellow”, “clammy cells”, “winnowing wind”. It doesn’t seem to have assonance, but there is some sibilance – “mists and mellow fruitfulness”, “spares the next swath”, “songs of Spring”. Ozymandias on the other hand has none. However, other poetic tools, such as onomatopoeias, are not lacking from either poem. This is inconclusive, as it is hard to write without using them.
To Autumn often rearranges it words to make it fit in with the rhythm (“with fruit the vines round the that-eves run”, “to bend with apples the moss’d covered trees”, “to set budding more”). Ozymandias doesn’t do this.
After comparing many points in both poems, I have come to the conclusion that these two poems don’t have very much in common. For example, Ozymandias talks more about the strength of time, whereas To Autumn talks about how Nature, and in particular, Autumn are forces that provide much in the world.
If you are someone who doesn’t class a poem as a poem unless it has rhyme, rhythm, poetic language, sound patterns etc, then you are far more likely to prefer To Autumn, because it is much more the poet’s poem than Ozymandias. I personally prefer Ozymandias, because it has great power. Although it doesn’t have much in the ways of standard poetic tools, it does have rhyme and rhythm, as well as a deep and strong message.
Self-Criticism - Not enough actual comparison, too much just talking about the poem.
- Used the words ‘think’ and ‘believe’ to often
- It doesn’t read well, it jaws, I have obviously just looked at what to write and written about it just like that.