‘Like all of the great Romantic poets, John Keats’ exploration of the theme of nature is beautifully expressed in eloquent language and graphic imagery.’
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Write a response to this statement, supporting your points with reference to or quotation from the poetry of John Keats on your course.
SAMPLE PLAN Paragraph Poem
1
‘To one who has been long in city pent’
2
‘Ode to a Nightingale’
2
Theme of nature Eloquent language/ graphic imagery
„„Urban, human-made landscapes are unnatural – in nature we can find time for restoration and peace
„„Longs to be like the nightingale and celebrates its beautiful song
„„Lovely images of the sky: ‘open heaven’, ‘blue firmament’
„„Sensuous language: ‘wavy grass’, ‘notes of Philomel’
„„Evocative description of the bird in flight: ‘light-winged Dryad of the trees’
„„Sensuous depiction of the forest’s foliage and scent: ‘guess each sweet/ Wherewith the seasonable month endows’
3
‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’
„„Although the subject is a human-made object, the scenes depicted are pastoral and show nature’s inspiration to man through the millennia
4 ‘To Autumn’ „„ Evocative
celebration of the harvest season
5
‘Bright star, would I were as steadfast as thou art’
„„The description of the North Star and the Earth from a distance is exquisite
„„Alliterative images of leaves and trees: ‘leaf-fring’d legend’
„„Use of exclamation: ‘Cold Pastoral’
„„Alliteration: ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’
„„Personification: ‘Or on a half- reap’d furrow sound asleep’
„„Unique imagery: ‘in lone splendour hung aloft the night’, ‘the new soft-fallen mask/ Of snow upon the mountains and the moors’
