Keats Flashcards
To autumn
Key themes - Transience
Transience: A key consideration of ‘To Autumn’ is the way in which the season transitions through different times, both stages within Autumn and as part of the wider natural world and the change of seasons. There is also consideration to ideas that can be related to humanity, such as “warm days will never cease” which creates interesting potential interpretations for a reader.
To autumn
Key themes - Nature
Nature: This poem is arguably one in which Keats most focuses on a ‘traditional’ view of nature itself, particularly out of the collection that is being studied as part of the English Romantic Verse. There are an extensive variety of descriptions for a whole range of aspects of nature, extended across different senses to help form a more vivid picture in a reader’s imagination.
To autumn
Key quotes - “Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies”
The reference to life and death is Keats helping to emphasise that it is an important and inevitable part of the natural world and lifecycles, and arguably a key aspect of autumn because it marks the start of death and decline towards winter. There is also an interesting combination of “sinking” and “light” in this line, with the former often associated with death and darkness, in comparison to the freedom and positivity of “light”. Some readers may interpret this as Keats showing his appreciation of the contrasting ideas that exist in Autumn, and his attempt to demonstrate its complexity as a season.
To autumn
Key quotes - “Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;”
This description is part of an interesting section in the second stanza in which Keats describes Autumn as a goddess-like figure, emphasising appearance and control with the idea of “soft-lifted”. The alliteration of “winnowing wind” is a simple but effective way at helping to make this line stand out to a reader, and “winnowing” itself links to autumn and harvest as it is a process of separating grain from husks.
To autumn
Key quotes - “Conspiring with him how to load and bless”
The choice of “conspiring” is interesting because it typically holds negative connotations related to plotting and scheming, while also being a key introduction to Keats’s technicals of personifying nature. It could be argued that the most effective part of this description is the initial negative expectation is replaced when it becomes clear in the next line that Autumn is wanting to ripen “fruit”. This could be seen as a way that Keats is attempting to challenge negative ideas of the season.
Ode on a Grecian Urn
Ode meaning
A lyric poem on a single, usually serious subject. Often it honors someone or something that the speaker addresses directly.
Ode on a Grecian Urn
According to lines 6-10, what figures are pictured on the urn? What are they doing?
Maidens being chased by would be lovers while others are playing musical instruments all amid a setting of flowers and trees.
Ode on a Grecian Urn
According to lines 11-14, to what “ear” should the “soft pipes, play on”?
The spiritual rather than the sensual ear.
Ode on a Grecian Urn
What figures and actions, according to lines 31-40, are pictured on the other side of the urn?
A scene from community life with a priest, a sacrificial heafer, and the people of a small town.
Ode on a Grecian Urn
What truth about the human condition does the urn convey?
How short life is
