Keats vs. Longfellow

In literature, themes shape and characterize an author’s writing making each work unique as different points of view are expressed within a writing’s words and sentences. This is the case, for example, of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” and Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death.” Both poems focus on the same theme of death, but while Poe’s poem reflects that death is an atrocious event because of the suffering and struggle that it provokes, Dickinson’s poem reflects that death is humane and that it should not be feared as it is inevitable. The two poems have both similarities and differences, and the themes and characteristics of each poem can be explained by the author’s influences and lives.

While both Keats and Longfellow often reflect on their own unfulfilled dreams and impending deaths, the poems however contrast on their own dispositions towards death and the future. Here, Keats expresses a fear of not having enough time to accomplish all that he believes he is capable of doing, but as he recognizes the enormity of the world and his own limitations of life, he realizes that his own mortal goals are meaningless in the long run of things. On the other hand, Longfellow speaks of a regret towards his inaction for allowing time to slip away from him in his past and is at a crossroads for the ominous future that looms ahead of him. Through the use of light and dark imagery, and personification, Keats and Longfellow similarly yet also differently, reflect on their own ideas for death and the futures that lay ahead of them.

Robert Frost and William Shakespeare have been celebrated by many people because of their ability to express themselves through the written word. Here we are years after their deaths analyzing these fascinating poems about life and death. It’s clear they had similar thoughts about this subject at the time of these writings, even though their characters could not have been more opposite. For both poets, life is too

Two literary pieces, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by, Dylan Thomas and “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by, Emily Dickinson are both poems that discuss the topic of death. While there are some similarities and comparisons between the two poems, when it comes to the themes, both poets writing styles are quite different from one another which makes each poem unique. Thomas and Dickinson both use identical figurative language devices and other literature symbolisms as they explain their main themes which contrasts the differences to the concept of death. These distinct variations between poems are apparent in both the form, and how the choice of words is used in the poems. Both of the authors have presented two very different ideas on death. The poems are well distinguished literature devices, they share minor similarities and differences between each other and how they present the meaning of death to a toll.

As people near the time of their deaths, they begin to reflect upon the history and events of their own lives. Both John Keats’ “When I have Fears” and Henry Longfellow’s “Mezzo Cammin” reflect upon the speakers’ fears and thoughts of death. However, the conclusions between these two poems end quite differently. Although both reflect upon Death’s grasp, Keats’ displays an appreciation and subtle satisfaction with the wonders of life, while Longfellow morbidly mourns his past inactions and fears what events the future may bring.

The similarities in the poem deal with similar topics expressed throughout the poem dealing with Keats’ and Longfellow’s fear of death. Differences between the two include the structure and the different images, metaphors and diction that they give off along with their different train of thoughts while writing the two poems. Their thoughts of the subject of death are able to relate to a variety of people because everyone is just human and cannot last forever. Just as these two poems show similar ideas can branch off into many different ideas and interpretations. The desire to continue to

The theme of Dylan Thomas and W.B Yeats poems are about death. In Do Not Go “Gentle Into The Good Night” the author is telling his father not to die and to stay strong. He does this by repeating ”Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” In ” When You Are Old “The narrator said” And pace upon the mountain overhead And his face amid a crowd of stars.” The narrator is looking down on her from when he passed away.

Keats introduces the summation of the poem early, in the second part of the last line in quatrain four. This choice reflects how great his impending death weighs on his mind. In the final couplet, Keats’s dark views of love leave him to “stand alone” and not experience the love mentioned in the previous quatrain. Of course, “alone” might not necessarily mean devoid of love; he could mean that he’s alone because of his hopeless thoughts on the subject. Or he could mean he is alone because he does not have the emblems “Love” and “Fame.” “Wide world” dwarfs him, making it even sadder that in spite of all the vast opportunities he has had with different cultures,

if you look at his poem. After the 1st half of the 3rd stanza, all the

For almost all people, death can be an unpleasant event and leave people mournful over a loss of a loved one. Two poems that Dylan Thomas and Alfred Tennyson wrote, both refer about the topic of death. However, “Crossing the Bar” by Lord Alfred Tennyson, is about not only the inevitability of death, but also about accepting it. The other poem, “Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, is written to the author’s father, asking him to resist death and live. “Crossing the Bar” by Lord Alfred Tennyson, is about not only the inevitability of death, but also about accepting it. Although these two poems have the same subject that is expressed by metaphors, the two differences, mood and imagery,

Longfellow’s main theme exists in that all people should not live always worrying about the future and that they should live life for today. In his poem “A Psalm of Life,” he writes, “Life is real¯ life is earnest¯ And the grave is not its goal” (672). This simply means that dwelling on death and what may come in the future will interfere with living a full and happy life. He believes as individuals, people should do what pleases them and not worry about what is to come in the future.

The poem “Because I could not stop for Death (479)” by Emily Dickinson describes author’s concept of the last seconds of a life as well as her concept of the death. The poem follows a comparatively simple “ABCB” rhyme scheme, which indicates that the poetess’s goal is not to exercise her writing skills, but to reflect her opinion. By this poem Emily Dickinson presents a new way of thinking about the death. The speaker of the poem, assumingly a female, does not expect her own death - her life is so active and busy that she does not have time to think about dying. However, the death is inevitable, thus when the time comes, her Death arrives. The death is personified as a man that takes the speaker for a ride across her life. As the speaker enters

In “To Autumn”, the season autumn is depicted as death, or as the Grim Reaper. Autumn is, however, an unusual reaper figure, in that they are not merciless, but patient and calm. Interestingly enough, the point of view Keats offers about death, is non-violent, not corporeal, and only implicit in the poem, through metaphors. Almost all human components are removed from the poem, and death is symbolized by nature only. It is put into a context where it occurs in the course of nature, and pictured as a consequence of riches, abundance, and fulfilment.

During the New Year people would often undertake a change in their lives by trying not to do everything they would prior to that milestone. Although this analogy is not as extreme as the ending of the enlightenment, this is what poets John Keats and William Wordsworth did to completely turn away from that period. Not only did they change their lifestyles, but these Romantic expressivists managed to erase the beliefs and religions of the enlightenment and create their own truths and orders. John Keats and William Wordsworth shows Romantic expressivism by seeking meaning through nonreligious attributes, like poetry, to define what used to be a unanimous belief by substituting their own faith with given faiths. In Wordsworth’s “Lines Composed

Keats was very aware of his own mortality and his poetry reflected the intensity and the passion of a man who didn't have very long to live. His poetry remains some of the densest prose ever penned because, like his brief existence, he had to condense so much life into so little space. The thought of impending death would be enough to make anyone fall into hopeless despair but Keats's incredible talents and commitment to live in the moment perhaps allowed him to three lifetimes.