To Autumn

Question 1

Who is the poet? When was he born and when did he die?

Answer 1

John Keats (1795-1821)

Question 2

What type of poet was Keats?

Answer 2

archetypal romantic poet

Question 3

What is the context of this poem?

Answer 3

• Inspiration from walking along the River Itchen in Winchester

Question 4

ANALYSIS

“Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness” What does the sibilance in the first line suggest?(2)

Answer 4

• It suggests an impression softness

- combined form a sense of effort and pleasure

Question 5

ANALYSIS

What is the effect of the mellifluous alliterative phrase “fruitfulness”?

Answer 5

• It gives a nourishing warm sound

- warm feel to autumn

Question 6

What is romanticism?(3)

Answer 6

• describes the movement in art and literature
• distinguished by
  new interest in human psychology
  expression of personal feelings
  interest in the natural world

Question 7

CONTEXT

What is the literary background of this poem? (4)

Answer 7

• A deep appreciation of the power and beauty of nature
• Understanding of the deeper meaning of life
• authentic personal feelings
• sensual imagery evokes a sense of the sublime

Question 8

ANALYSIS

In the third stanza what does “full grown lambs” suggest?

Answer 8

• Ready to be slaughtered sense of tragedy and the end.

- End of summer.

Question 9

ANALYSIS
What does, in the last stanza, all the quotes suggesting the end or moving on imply about the poet? (2)
"full grown lambs"
"red breast whistles"
"gathering swallows"

Answer 9

• it suggests that he experienced the first signs of tuberculosis that would end his life 6 months after the poem.
• In the poem the medically-trained poet has understood that his life will soon end.

Question 10

STRUCTURE

“Where are the” songs of spring. What is the effect of the ubi sunt motif?

Answer 10

• The poem discusses ideas without a progression of the temporal scene
• The three stanzas emphasise theme by shifting the imagery from summer to early winter and also day turning into dusk.

Question 11

STRUCTURE

Who was the critic and what did he say about the structure?

Answer 11

Walter Jackson Bate
He points to the theme of each stanza including “its contrary” idea, here death implying, though only indirectly, the renewal of life.

Question 12

CONTEXT
Due to the revolution happening in the period of time Keats was alive what intuitive feelings does he and other writers have?

Answer 12

• ‘chosen’ to guide their readers through the tempestuous period of change. ( in his poem he describes about change in seasons)

Question 13

ANALYSIS

What does the personification “close bosom friend of the maturing sun” suggest?(3)

Answer 13

• image of friendship creates
• personal pantheistic warmth
• central theme of Romanticism is that God lives in nature.

Question 14

STRUCTURE

what does the Rhyme scheme of iambic pentameter imply throughout the poem?

Answer 14

• easy, predictable like the seasons, enjoyable

Question 15

ANALYSIS

“winnowing wind” What does the Soft alliterative, assonant phrase reminiscent of the autumn winds suggest? (2)

Answer 15

• autumn is presented as gentle, caressing the figure.

Assonance also serves to slow pace of poem down.

Question 16

ANALYSIS

“granary floor” what does the compression of time show?

Answer 16

• store already gathered, foregrounding coming winter.

Question 17

ANALYSIS

“where are the songs or spring?” what does the rhetorical question suggest? (3)

Answer 17

• reminder of cynical nature
• seasons create a sense of loss and melancholy
• sets the mood for the final stanza

Question 18

What is my starter sentence?

Answer 18

The poem To Autumn by John Keats signifies the deep emotion through the change of autumn to winter.