Poetry: To Autumn

Question 1

Whys: 1

Answer 1

Keats uses the poem as a cathartic means to process and come to terms with his ever-increasing
awareness of his own mortality.

Question 2

Whys: 2

Answer 2

Keats heralds the beauty in every season of life - from birth all the way through to death.

Question 3

Whys: 3

Answer 3

Keats draws comfort from the knowledge that the cycle of life goes on, and nature will persist
after our own lives come to an end.

Question 4

Which themes are present in this poem?

Answer 4

Faith and worship
Passage of time
Change and transformation
Death and loss
Nature

Question 5

Which poems link to this poem?

Answer 5

Afternoons
Death of a naturalist
As imperceptibly as grief
Prelude