To Autumn Flashcards
What is it about
The richness and wonders of autumn are described- autumn is compared to a female goddess (as often depicted in European art) the poem is an ‘ode’- a poem addressed to an inanimate object something that cannot usually respond
Who is the poet
John Keats
What are the themes
Nature Life Death Conflict Decay Acceptance
What’s the structure
An ode in 3 stanzas. Each has a different focus. Lambic pentameter helps create a conversational tone. Enjambment
‘Close bosom friend of the maturing sun’
Suggests that autumn works with summer to produce wonderful things.
A season of calm and contentment, older.
Adjective used to describe the sun suggests time passing.
‘Later flowers for the bees’
More flowers grow- as if summer will continue.
‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’
Suggesting joy, addressing autumn. Adjective mellow suggests that autumn is calm and that the changes are not disruptive
‘Where are the songs of spring? At where are they?’
Don’t just think of spring- autumn has its own beauty. Implies nature needs to be reassured, that it is a season which should be admired. Due to the changed autumn has made, spring has been forgotten. This implies autumn is powerful
‘Gathering swallows Twitter in the skies’
Onomatopoeia, getting reading to move on to winter. Suggests Keats is ready for death and to move on like the swallows are
What language is used in the last stanza
Language associated with death such as ‘soft dying’, ‘wailful’ and ‘mourn’. This could imply that autumn is dying and Keats’s own life is coming to an end.
