Coleridge Flashcards
Dejection, An Ode: To whom was the poem originally addressed?
Sara Hutchinson, Wordsworth’s future sister-in-law whom Coleridge was in love with.
Dejection, An Ode: What are some of the factors in Coleridge’s life that may have contributed to him writing an ode to Dejection?
He was unhappily married, artistically overshadowed by Wordsworth, and in love with an unattainable woman (Sara Hutchinson)
Dejection, An Ode: When was this poem published?
1802, in a London Newspaper. (It was NOT a part of lyrical ballads.)
Dejection, An Ode: Was this poem a part of Lyrical Ballads?
NO
Dejection, An Ode: What is the epigraph of this poem?
An excerpt from the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spence
Dejection, An Ode: Summarize the first stanza.
As described in the epigraph, the speaker believes the night’s new moon portends a big storm. He hopes that a violent storm will snap him out of his unhappiness, as the awe of such natural events has in the past.
Dejection, An Ode: Summarize the second stanza.
The poet describes the sky, the moon, the stars - he knows they are beautiful, but their beauty does not reach him like it has in the past. He’s not angry, or frustrated, or even grieving - he just can’t seem to access his emotions, especially joy.
“I see, not feel, how beautiful they are!”
This stanza also contains the first reference to the “Lady” (Sara).
Dejection, An Ode: Summarize the third stanza.
The poet wonders if there is anything that can cheer him up: he doesn’t think so. He know, certainly, that nothing external can. If he is to find joy and happiness again, it must start within himself.
Dejection, An Ode: Summarize the fourth stanza.
Again addressing himself to the “Lady,” the poet continues his stream of thought from the previous stanza. What nature (the world) is like depends on our perspective and attitudes. He knows that the soul has the power to make everything seem beautiful. It is this power he wants to access.
Dejection, An Ode: Summarize the fifth stanza.
Continuing to address the lady, the speaker reveals what “the music of the soul” that changes the way we see the world is: Joy.
Joy is pure. It makes us feel more in tune with nature and gives us a new understanding of ourselves and the world.
Dejection, An Ode: Summarize the sixth stanza.
The poet confesses that he once possessed the Joy he describes. That, along with “Fancy”/Imagination, made him go through life happily. He was able to shake off small misfortunes and take pleasure in life.
As his joy has faded, so has his Imagination, which is especially painful. He doesn’t know how to go about reclaiming what “nature gave me at my birth,” but he hopes it will return one day. He has doubts, though - it’s been so long he has begun to spare if he will ever feel the pleasures of Joy and Fancy again.
Dejection, An Ode: Summarize the seventh stanza.
This stanza turns back to the topic of weather introduced in the first paragraph. The wind is violent and terrible, making horrible noises. The speaker also likens it to an actor who only plays tragedies or a poet who writes about the horrors of war or a little girl lost in the wilderness.
The wind is vicious and horrible.
Dejection, An Ode: Summarize the eight stanza.
Though it’s midnight, the poet cannot sleep. The storm outside and the storm in his own mind keep him awake. He wishes Joy and peace upon the Lady’s soul - he essentially wishes for her all that he feels alienated from.
What is an ode?
An elaborately structured poem praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally.
Who wrote the first English odes?
Spenser
