John
Keats, “On First looking into Chapman’s Homer…” (403-407, 410-415)
John Keats:
·
1795-1821
·
Although short lived, he had a rather
successful career and was even considered as one of the greatest of all English
poets.
·
His career lasted less than five years. He
first published his work in 1821, but he later died in 1821.
·
He was rather aware of his coming death
and even diagnosed himself.
·
His themes often included: aching
desire, dreadful coming of death, and the seductive power of beauty. The
dreadful coming of death he writes about comes from personal experience of his
own coming death. As one can assume, that would be rather unnerving and
horrifying for a person to have to endure.
·
Used beautiful imagery, allusions to
other writers, and had rather philosophical poems due to his specific use of
themes.
“When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be”:
·
This poem is an obvious look into his
personal life of his coming death and how he fears it. For example, “When I
have fears that I may cease to be before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain”
(407).
·
This poem is also a reference to his
aching desire, or even an aching desire over what he will never have
experience, like love. For example, “Never have relished in the fairy power of
unreflecting love;-then on the shore of the wide world I stand alone, and think
till love and fame to nothingness do sink” (407).
“To Autumn”:
·
In a poem about autumn/Spring you can
clearly see an example of Keats’ beautiful use of Imagery.
·
For example, “While barred clouds bloom
the soft-dying day, and touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; then in a
wailful choir the small gnats mourn among the river sallows, bourne aloft or
sinking as the light wind lives or dies” (415). By using certain words like “sinking”
or “mourne” we readers can see this happening with our imagination. This would
be a good example of how great keats’ is at the use of Imagery.
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