Funeral Blues Flashcards
When was this poem published?
1938
What is this poem about?
The immensity of grief: the speaker has lost someone important, but the rest of the world doesn’t slow down or stop to pay its respects—it just continues as if nothing has changed.
What historical events took place in the 1930s which link to this theme of grief?
The Great Depression (economic difficulties) - many lost their jobs, found it difficult to buy enough food to feed their families.
Fascist governments had gained control in Germany, Italy and Spain.
Imperialism was common place (i.e. where parts of Africa and Asia were ruled by European countries - the lives of those in parts of Africa and Asia were controlled and their rights suppressed.)
What was the original literary context for this poem?
It was part of a play Auden wrote called The Ascent of F6—a play that satirized British imperialism - and mocked a dead politician.
However, Auden later published the poem on its own, stripping it of its immediate political engagements, and transforming it into a universal statement of grief and heartbreak.
How should we read and understand Funeral Blues today?
It can be read in relation to its own moment: the economic and political insecurity of the late 1930s.
But it can also be read without reference to any particular historical context - as an exploration of grief.
What is an imperative verb?
A command / order that is a doing word e.g. “Stop”
Which imperative verbs create a sense of urgency in the poem?
“Stop”, “prevent”, “silence”, “bring.”
What do we know about the speaker in this poem?
The speaker is a person who has recently lost someone important and is currently in mourning.
Perhaps this speaker is being a bit melodramatic, see the hyperbolic phrases like “nothing now can ever come to any good.” But… that’s often how grief and heartbreak can make things feel—like you’ll never be happy or even just okay again.
How would you describe the rhyme scheme in this poem?
Why might the poem use this rhyme scheme
It uses rhyming couplets (also known as heroic couplets). E.g.
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come
It sounds almost like a song - linking with the title “funeral blues.”
What is hyperbole?
Exaggeration
In what ways is this poem hyperbolic? Why?
The speaker makes over the top demands e.g. “stop all the clocks”
It seems as if the speaker wishes the whole world to stop and grieve and acknowledge their loss.
What could the “clocks” and the “telephone” and the “piano” symbolise?
Time - the speaker wishes time to stop.
Telephone - modern/ everyday life - they also want this to pause.
Piano - joy and celebration.
Where do you get a sense that the speaker/ the poet is using a mocking tone?
Why might this be?
“Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message ‘He is Dead’.”
This is an absurd request. Perhaps this reflects the original context of the poem when it was written as satire to show indifference to the death of the politician in the play.
“He was my North, my South, my East and West”
What does this line symbolise?
The poet has lost his or her direction in life. This is more profound than being physically lost as it also conveys a sense of helplessness as one is unable to revive the dead. It is in this sense that the poet is now spiritually lost.
“The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,” What are “stars” symbolic of?
“Stars” are symbols of hope and guidance.
For instance, sailors used stars to navigate: they helped them figure out where they were on the sea and where to go.
Stars are also bright and beautiful, often used to represent the things that people dream about, the goals they set for themselves and hope to attain. T
he speaker rejects this hope, this guidance - they have given up.
