On First Looking into Chapmans Homer

Question 1

Summary

Answer 1

George Chapman – a translator for Homers Iliad and Odyssey. Self-justification for being a poet. An epiphanic poem- Chapman allows him to transcend the physical nature of the body.

Question 2

Form

Answer 2

Petrarchan Sonnet (14 lines 8/6 Volta) – Keats makes particularly effective use of the natural divisions of Petrarchan sonnet. It prompts the turn from one theme to another (exploration to discovery/exclamatory after the Volta. Breaks rhythmic structure in the last line which draws readers attention.

Question 3

Volta

Answer 3

‘Then’ the conjunction marks the Volta

Question 4

Caesura

Answer 4

Caesura – mid line pause indicated through spaces, punctuation allows for reflection.

Question 5

Exploration/ Discovery

Answer 5

The theme of exploration dominants the octave, with the metaphor of the poet as literary adventurer, and this is followed by the theme of discovery in the sestet, with the use of similes through which Keats attempts to convey his wonder.

Question 6

Cortez

Answer 6

Sense of awe conveyed by the image of Cortez on a mountain peak staring at the Pacific while his men wait wondering. (Keats confuses Cortez – who conquered Mexico with Balboa). • By linking his own discovery of the translation to that of the explorers, he affirms that the poet’s imaginative ability to disclose the wonders of the world.

Question 7

Love for Poetry

Answer 7

Poetry must mean more to him than anything else.