Compare Keats's poems 'To Autumn' and 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci'
Compare Keats's poems 'To Autumn' and 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci'. The two poems have a clear similarity and that is the use of images of women to portray a creature of nature, although they are still hold very different personas. In 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' the woman is seen as having a darker, wilder side that we are not as familiar with. The mysterious being is shown as seductive and alluring, while still keeping images of childlike influences for example the reference of faerys. Keats was only 26 years old when he died, and wrote 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' just three years before this. He died of tuberculosis along with his mother and brother. His brother passed away in 1919, a year after both poems were written, indicating that the poems may have some significance to Keats's feelings and emotions in both poems. There is an apparent sign of death and illness in both poems, in 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' the night is describes as pale, and much of nature has been destroyed or damaged, perhaps due to the climate approaching winter, 'Alone and palely loitering? The sedge has wither'd from the lake, And no birds sing.' The significance of the disappearance of the birds and animals suggests that because it is nearing winter, the birds have flown south to migrate. There is a sheer sense of completion in 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' for the reason that the harvest is done, and
Keats, John. "To Autumn."
Bryan Vaz Commentary on "To Autumn" 25/09/04 IB English HL2 An End to Ends "To Autumn" is one of the most famous, and perfect odes written by John Keats, and any modern writer. It is quite fitting that his greatest piece was the last one that he ever wrote before he met with his unfortunate end. However, this ode has some significant differences to the other odes that he has written. Firstly, there is no flight from reality, or deviation into imagination or dream, in fact there is no narrative voice at all. Secondly, it has an unprecedented emphasis and commemoration of change and progress, not only through autumn, but through all mortal events. While the title implies a progression through autumn, the ode also has references to an aging day, and even personal maturity. The first stanza is brimming with specific vivid visual imagery. The first which relates to the change in the season and day is the "maturing sun." This sun makes the fruit ripen and cause the burst of ripe food for harvesting. He then goes on to describe the outburst of ripening fruit to an excruciating intensity. The apples are so plentiful that the trees bend with their weight. Then the gourds "swell," and the hazel nuts are "plump." The ongoing imagery, in addition to the words "And still more," implies an outburst of fertility to dangerous proportions, and there is no end in sight given by the
"On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer".
COMMENTARY ON "On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer" This poem is an expression of how the poet John Keats felt after rediscovering Homer's "The Odyssey and the Iliad" when he read Chapman's English translation of this Greek classic. To express this he uses the form of a sonnet, with fourteen lines, every set of two lines rhyming. The first four lines are one long sentence consisting mainly as metaphors to summarize his full meaning in whole. "Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold, and many goodly states and kingdoms seen". This can be understood only in a "literary" and not a "literal" sense. I say this because he was relatively poor and probably had traveled very little when he wrote this poem at age 21.* But we know that he had a strong passion for literature. * John Keats is trying to tell us that he has traveled and explored the rich realms of literature. "Round many western islands I have been which bards in fealty to Apollo hold". Keats is using "western Islands" to cause us to think of ever new vistas of constant discovery. Keats is stressing the honoured poets (bards) passion and obligation toward the 'Art of Poetry' symbolized by the Greek god 'Apollo'. "Oft on one wide expanse had I been told That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne; Yet did I never breathe its pure serene" Keats is telling us how he had heard about another great
To Autumn
To Autumn In this poem, Keats, as the title suggests, describes and evokes the season Autumn. The poem is made up of three stanzas and demonstrates the movement in time from late summer to early winter. Each stanza deals with a different aspect of autumn, introducing a range of ideas, showing the authors interpretation of the season. The poem appears almost 'perfect' within its limits and effectively recreates the experiences and images of the season autumn, as found typically in England. The reader can relate to the poem as the images created are often linked to everyday experiences. The style of the poem is extremely subtle and overall 'gentle', suggesting the slow peaceful movement through the season. The idea behind the first stanza is the 'maturing summer', as shown by Keats telling us the sun is 'maturing.' This is the first reference to time moving on as the idea of the sun growing and ageing with the season is introduced. The poem begins by telling us autumn is a 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.' This tells us the stage in the day is early morning, as suggested by the 'mists.' The alliteration on the 'm' hints at the soft, gentle nature of the season. The reference to autumn's 'fruitfulness' suggests the generosity of the season, emphasising the atmosphere of total unalloyed peacefulness. Keats's use of the metaphor 'close bosom friend' tells us of the
To autumn
James Levine To autumn * He's addressing the season of autumn * Mellow- soft and gentle * Autumn is the time of year when the fruit is at its ripest but also when it dies. * He says that autumn has a friend, the sun. maturing summer- means that summer has grown old and turned into autumn. * Conspiring- collaborating, planning- negative undertones. Secretly done and sinister. . 'how to load and bless with fruit the vines' - how to make the vines as full of grapes as possible. Picturesque. Eaves- part of the roof that overhangs the cottage. 2. 'to blend with apples the mossed cottage- trees' to make the trees grow so many apples that the trees bend. 3. 'fill all fruit with ripeness to the core' - make all the fruit very ripe. 4. Gourd- a kind of climbing plant, when you empty the fruit you can use the skin to store water. Therefore, 'to swell the gourd' means to make it very ripe. 5. 'to plump the hazel shells with sweet kernel'- make them better and crunchier and more ripe. 6. 'to set budding more and still more, later flowers for the bees' to make spring happen again and attract bees. Their clammy shells- shows that the bees are full of energy This could also mean that the flowers are full of pollen. * 'until they think warm days will never cease' the bees are being tricked, they think its wonderful, but then they'll suddenly die. * Keats died of tuberculosis
'The Four Seasons' - Select for detailed comparison two or three poems which depict the seasons.
'The Four Seasons' - Select for detailed comparison two or three poems which depict the seasons. Look at the structure of each poem as well as its use of language, and show how the poems not only describe the seasons but also convey its mood. As you write indicate your response to the words and ideas in the poems, and at the end say which poem you prefer, giving your reasons. I am going to tell you about three different poems I have chosen which I feel best portray the seasons. I have chosen 'Spring' by G.M Hopkins, 'To Autumn' by John Keats and 'Skating' from 'The Prelude' by William Wordsworth. The poem 'Spring' by G.M Hopkins is a very happy and joyful poem and full of life. In the very first line, Hopkins refers to Spring as the most attractive season of them all, telling us: 'Nothing is so beautiful as Spring' (Line 1). He carries on creating a buoyant and cheerful atmosphere by using words and phrases such as the alliterative phrases 'long and lovely and lush' (Line 2) and 'With richness, the racing lambs too have fair their fling' (Line 8). In the first stanza, Hopkins uses imagery with phrases such as 'weeds in wheels' (Line 2) and 'The glassy pear tree leaves and blooms' (Line 6), which gives the reader pictures of Springtime. The image of 'The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush' (Line 7), gives the impression of being wrapped in a mixture of happy
Compare And Contrast The Themes Of Time, Life And Death In John Keats' 'To Autumn' and Ted Hughes' 'October Salmon'.
Compare And Contrast The Themes Of Time, Life And Death In John Keats' 'To Autumn' and Ted Hughes' 'October Salmon' In Keats' 'To Autumn' he relates the subject (autumn) to love, death and immortality. Time as something is coming to an end, as in 'To Autumn' and time moving towards death and waiting as in 'October Salmon'. It's very common for these two particular authors to write on this theme. Keats writes about the time in autumn as it causes summer to end and winter to arrive, however, he sometimes uses time as the object in a more depressing way. Such a method is displayed in his 'ode on melancholy' where in the first stanza he talks about the movement towards the night, 'shade will come too drowsily' and 'wakeful anguish of the soul'. Ted Hughes seems to prefer the more positive outlook that the salmon's time has not been wasted or, as displayed in 'Work and Play' the swallow is doing something more pleasurable with her time than the humans. When I read 'Ode On Melancholy' it gave me a negative, depressing feel as did 'To Autumn' because of their suggestion that things will end, whereas 'October Salmon' has more positive connotations; 'gallery of marvels', 'primrose and violet' and 'the bloom of sea life'. Autumn seems to have elongated summer too much and that's not a good thing, 'warm days will never cease' and 'o'er brimmed their clammy cells' are examples of
“To Autumn” by John Keats and “The Prelude” by Wordsworth
Two of the most skilled poets of all time were William Wordsworth and John Keats, both poets wrote romantic poetry. From poems like "To Autumn" by John Keats and "The Prelude" (1) by William Wordsworth we can see that both well known poets used their poetry to describe their feelings and the atmosphere of them around them. As Wordsworth lived before Keats time he is known to be the creator of this type of poetry, yet Keats seems to be a slightly better poet and it is clear that he has based his poetry from that of Wordsworth. In studying "to autumn" and "the Prelude" (1) I have discovered John Keats uses much better vocabulary than Wordsworth yet I think that Wordsworth states his emotions and feelings much clearer and much easier to understand. Both poets use nature in the poems to help them express their feelings especially John Keats who expresses himself triumphantly using a more positive aspect of nature. In Wordsworth's "the prelude" (1) a young boy steals a small boat, on doing so he disembarks on a journey which Wordsworth uses to symbolise the journey between childhood and adulthood. From the start of the journey the boy seems to be very sad and discontent as the use of the willow tree reflects these emotional feelings, also as the door opens between childhood and adulthood which is symbolised by the unloosening of the chain he becomes confused and unsure
How Important A Part Did Florence Nightingale Play In Improving The Training Of Nurses In The 19th Century?
How Important A Part Did Florence Nightingale Play In Improving The Training Of Nurses In The 19th Century? Just 150 years ago nursing was not regarded as a profession. Stories about nurses in the early 19th century suggest that they often did little to help their patients recover. Most nurses were untrained and were paid less than factory workers. They slept in wards and part of their wages was gin. One of the women who changed that image of nursing was Florence Nightingale. Florence Nightingale was born in Italy on 12 May 1820 and was named Florence after her birthplace. She came from a Middle-class family and her parents were appalled by her intentions to go into nursing. Although she was conscious of her calling at an early age, she found it difficult to break from her social circle and pursue a nursing career. Born to William Edward and Frances Nightingale (in Florence, Italy, hence her name) she was expected to fulfil the usual role of a wealthy young woman, making a good marriage and living a conventional life. But Florence had other ideas: as a child she enjoyed learning and developed an interest in social issues, visiting her local hospital and the homes of the sick. Florence Nightingale brought a new sense of discipline and professionalism to a job that had very bad reputation at the time. She became a nurse despite the opposition of her family, and studied in
Comparing The Stolen Bacillus and The Nightingale and the Rose
Comparing The Stolen Bacillus and The Nightingale and the Rose The Stolen Bacillus by H. G. Wells and The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde have many similarities and differences. I think that the main similarity is sacrifice. In the Nightingale and the Rose the nightingale sacrifices its life to make a red rose for the young student to give to the Professor's daughter so that she would dance with him. The nightingale sacrificed its life for the love of the young student because the bird thinks "love is a wonderful thing". The anarchist in The Stolen Bacillus was going to sacrifice everybody's life that was living in the city but that failed so he sacrificed his life to become a martyr. He was willing to sacrifice the city to rebel against the government. He wanted the bacteria to "Go forth, increase and multiply and replenish the cisterns, and death - mysterious, untraceable death, death swift and terrible, death full of pain and indignity - will be released on this city,". These two sacrifices were for two completely different purposes the nightingales for something "more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine opals", for love, the anarchist sacrificed to "take the husband from the wife, here the child from its mother," for death and rebellion. The Stolen Bacillus begins by setting the scene, it starts straight away with two people in a lab who we do not know