Sound/Rhythm
The alliteration, assonance, consonance, and rhyme in Wordsworth’s poems were not immediately noticeable, and thus were not important elements overall in their contribution to the speaker’s intended meaning. For example, these lines, “But oft, in lonely rooms, and ‘mid the din / Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,” (25-26), “Of unremembered pleasure; such, perhaps,” (31) had such subtle assonance it was found only with direct focus on searching for this element. However, the “i” sounds in Line 25 make this sentence seem disconnected with their short syllables, similar to the speaker’s feelings of city life. For rhyme, Wordsworth’s poem is characteristic of Romantic poets of the time, breaking from previous, rigid rules of poetry. He did not use a rhyme scheme for this poem, and rightly so, because in a poem about nature such as this, it should resemble the free, unbridled energy of the natural world. Though there were occasionally lines that rhymed, it seems to be a natural occurrence.
Keats’ usage of sounds was more effective than Wordsworth, even with a limited number of alliterations and assonances. In this line, “And feed deep, deep upon her peerless eyes” (20), the reader can easily spot this repetition of the “ee” sound. This sound forces the words to be drawn out a little longer than other words, especially when spoken. This exaggerated sound is appropriate for the words deep and peerless because it is made more emphatic, which is what the speaker wanted to draw attention towards. Keats also used a combination of alliteration and assonance with the “s” sound.
Veiled Melancholy has her sov’reign shrine,
Though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue
Can burst Joy’s grape against his palate fine;
His soul shall taste the sadness of her might, (26-29)
With “s” sounds used in such succession, the reader can feel the serious, hushed tones this stanza offers. This is where Keats wishes the reader to react the most, and it effectively leads into this last line, “And be among her cloudy trophies hung” (30). Melancholy is victorious within this line of the poem; it is the point at which she has successfully captured a victim. This stanza also illustrates that Keats, unlike Wordsworth, had a rhyme scheme throughout his poem of ABABCDECDE, which seemed to be forced at times. Though Wordsworth’s lack of rhyme seems to resemble the natural world more, Keats’ rhyme is appropriate because his use of nature symbolized the tools of Melancholy. In the poem, Melancholy is portrayed as an entity that locks onto a person once they have given themselves to her. Therefore, Keats’ rhyme scheme is rigidly and strictly used. Rhyme scheme adds structure and formality to his poem, because a subject such as this is generally not to be seen in a light otherwise.
Images (Sensory)Images in a poem serve to help the reader bring the words to reality, or recall memories based on the reader’s experiences. Again, in Wordsworth’s “Lines,” his images are subtle, yet it is indicative of the simple, unobtrusive ways of nature, and interestingly, he has images for each of the five senses. The sense in this line, “These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs / With a soft inland murmur” (3-4) refers to the sense of audition, or hearing. His careful choice of words shows his sensitivity of the feelings of the readers. “Rolling” and “soft murmur” immediately grants the reader the ability to hear the sound of the waters, which requires little analytical interpretation. For the image of taste, smell, and vision, this example fulfills these senses,
Which at this season, with their unripe fruitsMost people have some sort of experience with unripe fruits before, even if they were not aware of it, so it will be simple to imagine. The color “green” conjures up images of wooded or forested nature, and “smoke” can evoke senses of smell as well as sight. As for the somatosensory portion of our senses, which refers to our sense of touch, here is a sufficient example:
Are clad in one green hue,
and lose themselves
‘Mid groves and copses. (12-14)
Green to the very
door; and wreaths of smoke (17)
Is full of blessings. Therefore let the moonThe images in these four lines are highly sensory. “Shine” is something that one can feel on one’s skin, almost always a pleasant feeling. The alliteration and rhyme coupled with the feeling of the winds is a creative play with words and the expression of nature. By using such prevalent images throughout his poem, Wordsworth was able to make his nature “real” to his audience.
Shine on thee in thy solitary walk;
And let the misty mountain winds be free
To blow against thee (134-37)
On the other hand, Keats’ images were explicit but did not tune to our senses so much as Wordsworth’s technique. The images he used to depict nature did not have the peacefulness that Wordsworth intended; rather, they were used to inhibit humans from negative feelings. “Can burst Joy’s grape against his palate fine” (28) and “Nor suffer thy pale forehead to be kissed” (3) are examples of his sensory images. These dramatic scenes place readers into a fearful, ghastly mood, which serves his meaning well. The images seem to be purely decorative, but it does help to advance his meaning. The simpler it is to envision these images, the more Keats will be able to persuade his audience from entering darkness. Thus, the use of these images is necessary for his poem, and since his audience seems to be learned in the traditional symbols of death, they will understand the references. Without such description, his message will not be as strongly felt.
Figures of Speech
Metaphors, personification, and allusions, used wisely in a poem, can enhance the meaning of the poem. Metaphors are literary devices used to help the reader make connections between ideas in the poem and experiences the reader can relate to. A simile is similar, except that it adds the words “like” or “as” in its comparison statements. Personification is the act of bestowing humanistic characteristics on something that is usually inanimate. Allusions are references to popular symbols, myths, or stories. Examples of these can be found within Wordsworths’ and Keats’ poems.
Two particular lines in Wordsworth’s poem is an explicit metaphor. “Their colors and their forms, were then to me / An appetite; a feeling and a love” (79-80). Wordsworth compares the forms and colors of the mountains and the forests to an “appetite, a feeling, and a love.” Humans can conceptualize the meaning and the feeling of an appetite, even if it isn’t a direct, physical manifestation. It is something that our hunger satisfies, our driving force to look for food as a means of survival. Feelings are also a source of emotional expression, and so is the feeling of love. Love especially is a feeling that makes one happy, complete, peaceful, and confident, among many other emotions. Knowing this, one can see how important nature was to the speaker in his poem. Nature fed his energy to keep moving on in life. The metaphors he uses in his poems are not extended metaphors, though they separately contribute to the poem’s meaning by adding their own interpretations. Wordsworth uses some personification to bring nature to life and to emphasize its power. For example, lines 3-4 state, “These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs / With a soft inland murmur.” During this Romantic era, it was popular to personify nature in order to make it seem alive. Wordsworth stays true to this form of poetry. However, he broke from tradition by not including any allusions. Using references to stories that readers can relate would greatly help Wordsworth illustrate the peacefulness of nature, such as the Garden of Eden, which symbolizes paradise and freedom. This is one breach in Wordsworth’s poetic armor.
Keats has an advantage over Wordsworth in this respect, because in addition to metaphors and personification, he includes allusions. These are allusions to Greek mythology goddesses that represent Death, Sadness, and the Soul. He also alludes to popular symbols of death and tools of death, as in this line, “Make not your rosary of yew-berries, / Nor let the beetle, nor the death-moth be / Your mournful Psyche” (5-7). The most interesting idea to point out is that his entire poem is an extended metaphor and personification for Melancholy. “She dwells with Beauty – Beauty that must die” (21) is a line of metaphor combined with personification, which Keats was very successful at in this poem. Though the literal meaning of this phrase causes the reader to think of the person herself, one can see this in a different perspective. Another meaning for this line could be that the state of melancholy goes hand in hand with the idea of beauty, which must eventually disappear. Another line that demonstrates his clever technique, “Aye, in the very temple of Delight / Veiled Melancholy has her sov’reign shrine” (25-26) can be interpreted in the same way as the previous example. With happiness, comes the possibility of despair. Using allusions infers that his audience is knowledgeable about these references, and gives strength to interpretation of his meanings.
Though both poems use similar themes of nature and sadness to help convey their meanings, their different usages of poetic elements sets them apart, and because Keats directly incorporated more of these elements, he can be credited as being more successful in this endeavor. Wordsworth uses nature in forms of alliteration, lack of rhyme scheme, images, and personification to explain how it brings his sadness to a peaceful state, and how nature was most remarkable during his childhood. Daily life brought him much distress and chaos, but remembering nature helped his mind go into meditation, and in turn, discovering more truths about life. This seems almost an illusory solution to real problems, but this was his way of dealing with melancholy. Keats however, does not offer any major physical treatment of depression. The speaker talks about avoiding falling into its dark traps. It seems like he is saying that falling into these states is a further gloom that will ensue than if well enough was let alone. He does mention that once a person does allow melancholy to take control, he/she should let the simple beauties of nature dissolve the pains. He also says that Melancholy is to be expected in unexpected emotions, such as Beauty, Joy, Delight, and mostly Pleasure. He offers some hope, that unless “him whose strenuous tongue / Can burst Joy’s grape” (27-28), one can evade the grasps of this deadly goddess. In conclusion, his assonances, images, metaphors, and allusions combine to produce stronger reactions and interpretations by his audience, as outlined in the examples above.
Keats, John. "Ode on Melancholy." The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Ed. Margaret Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy. New York City, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. 937-38.
Wordsworth, William. "Lines." The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Ed. Margaret Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy. New York City, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. 765-68.
Status: Graded on September 29, 2007 12:06 AM (Proposal)
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Yes, you are on the right track - good luck.
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Done! Do I have the general idea of the paper correct? Your email was very clear, and it really helped to see others' ideas. Thanks! ~Kim
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Status: Graded on October 27, 2007 12:57 AM (Attempt #1)
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Excellent essay; I enjoyrd reading it.please se attached comments.
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