Analysis of John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic Movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death. During his life, his poems were not generally well received by critics; however, after his death, his reputation grew to the extent that by the end of the 19th century he had become one of the most beloved of all English poets. He has had a significant influence on a diverse range of later poets and writers. Jorge Luis Borges, for instance, stated that his first encounter with Keats was the most significant ...view middle of the document...
He also recognizes that the star is alone, but refers to this as “splendour”(line 2), giving the impression of the bittersweet existence of the star. The imagery of the next few lines involves the observation of life’s great spirituality as he refers to “the moving waters at their priestlike task” (line 5) and the snow on the mountains (White). Keats seems to feel that watching life changing from afar would be better than living in it and having to change with it. He ends the poem by saying that he would like to live as a star “or else swoon to death” (line 14). It is apparent that Keats understands the sacrifices of living as a star, but acknowledges its benefits as well.
The theme of the poem is the desire to live in an unchanging state. This is achieved by Keats metaphorical analysis of the star. The entire poem personifies the star as a human creature that watches patiently from above. Keats also relays his message through the use of oxymoronic ideas such as “sweet unrest” and “patient sleepless” (line 5). This concludes that Keats knows the impossibility of his desire to live in an unchanging state. The descriptions of the “earth’s” (line 7) gifts represent what is changing and the star represents what is “steadfast” (line 9) and what he desires to be. He finds comfort “pillow’d” (line 10) in this locale which helps express the theme (Keats).
Another example of Keats’ fie poetry is “To Autumn”. In “To Autumn”, a superficial reading would suggest that John Keats writes about a typical day of this season, describing all kind of colourful and detailed images (Ode). The poem is an ode that contains three stanzas, and each of these has eleven lines. With regard to the meaning of the poem the author makes an intense description of autumn at least at first sight. The first stanza begins showing this season as misty and fruitful, which, with the help of a “maturing sun”, ripen the fruit of the vines. Next, one can clearly spot a hyperbole. Keats writes that a tree has so many apples that it bends (line 5), while the gourds swell and the hazel shells plumps. Finally, Keats suggests that the bees have a large amount of flowers. And these flowers did not bud in summer but now, in autumn (Ode). As a consequence, the bees are incessantly working and their honeycombs are overflowing since summer. In the second stanza, there is an obvious personification. The poet starts asking a rhetorical question (line 12) to autumn which now is not only a woman but a gleaner. However, this woman is apparently resting in a granary or in the landscape, “Or on a half-reaped...
