An appreciation of “To Autumn” by John Keats “To Autumn”, a vivid and sensuous description of the scenery John Keats encountered and marvelled at in the midst of his Sunday constitutional is something to be marvelled at itself. Not only is his choice of language effective in conveying this idyllic image to the reader, but its tone is incredibly optimistic. This might strike some as strange, considering this poem was penned by a terminally ill author. The poem’s nature is diametrically opposed to the temperament and disposition one would expect of a person aware of his impending demise. The first verse seems to be concentrated on the beginning of autumn, conveying images of an organic and sunny nature. The main theme seems to be centred around maturity and ripening, as lines such as “Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun”, “And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core” and “With a sweet kernel; to set budding more and still more, later flowers for the bees” indicate.
The verse follows a classic A, B, A, B, C, D, E, D, C, C, E rhythmic pattern. The descriptions seem to burst out of the page, setting off explosions of gold, green, scarlet and yellow imagery within my mind. He also mentions autumn’s over spilling into summer as a conclusion to the stanza. The second verse begins cleverly with a rhetorical enquiry and then proceeds to use extended personification. It appears that he amasses all of autumn’s characteristics and embodies them within a physical manifestation, or perhaps a female spectre.
The Term Paper on To A Skylark And To Autumn Comparison
... the endless warm days of autumn. So, in the first verse, Keats is introducing the beauty of autumn, especially with the aspect of ... feel because of his description. In the second verse, Keats is writing about the autumn as a person as he uses a ... begins to change in the second verse. Keats is going further. He is describing the autumn as a person, who is still ...
This could be a nod to Greek or Roman mythology, referring to Cargo (the Goddess of Autumn) of the Horae, or perhaps the goddess Persephone. He makes almost an antithesis of this creature’s movement, referring to her as “careless” whilst sleeping and then, later on “steady” as well as “patient.” This verse, staying true to form is also very visually appealing, so much so it is almost tactile. The verse hints at serenity, producing images of calm wind blowing over the shimmering water of a river. The third verse begins with another question, but this, for the first time in the poem, is an aural reference.
The shift continues on this theme for the duration of the poem, referring to such sounds as the bleating of lambs, the sound of wind, the buzzing of gnats, the sound of crickets singing and the whistling of swallows. These are sounds of varying magnitude, from the easily missed buzzing of gnats to the loud bleating of lambs. The shift from visual to aural bombardment seems almost natural, perhaps even inevitable. The sounds are just as overwhelming as the images of the preceding 2 verses, where they painted images in one’s head, the final verse seems to layer organic sound over organic sound, producing music in the reader’s mind. The poem’s stark optimism and amazing sensuous quality are intrinsic in its success. The ability to paint such a serene picture in one’s head, with the use of words, stands the test of time.
An image of such pleasant quality, even in this day and age of technological advancement, disillusionment, apathy and mental atrophy, can still be appreciated. It is no surprise to me that it is so highly revered just short of 200 years after its composition.
