Analysis of Poems by John Keats and Emily Bronte - Literature review Example

WHEN I HAVE FEARS THAT I MAY CEASE TO BE… (By John Keats---31 January, 1818) When I have fears that I may cease to be  Before my pen has gleand my teeming brain, Before high piled books, in charactry, Hold like rich garners the full-ripend grain; When I behold, upon the nights starrd face, Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance, And think that I may never live to trace Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance; And when I feel, fair creature of an hour, That I shall never look upon thee more, Never have relish in the faery power Of unreflecting love; -- then on the shore Of the wide world I stand alone, and think Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink. NO COWARD SOUL IS MINE (By Emily Jane Bronte-----25 January 1846) No coward soul is mine No trembler in the worlds storm-troubled sphere I see Heavens glories shine And Faith shines equal arming me from fear O God within my breast Almighty ever-present Deity Life, that in me hast rest As I Undying LIfe, have power in thee Vain are the thousand creeds That move mens hearts, unutterably vain, Worthless as withered weeds Or idlest froth amid the boundless main To waken doubt in one Holding so fast by thy infinity So surely anchored on The steadfast rock of Immortality With wide-embracing love Thy spirit animates eternal years Prevades and broods above, Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates and rears Though Earth and moon were gone And suns and universes ceased to be And thou wert left alone Every Existence would exist in thee There is not room for Death Nor atom that his might could render void Since thou art Being and Breath And what thou art may never be destroyed. BACKGROUND OF THE POEMS John Keats, one of the greatest of English poets, the inimitable admirer of beauty, the aficionado of the exquisiteness of nature and its objects, and the youngest of the Romantic Era is the author of the sonnet “When I have fears that I may cease to be”. The sonnet was written in 1818, some three years before the death of the author at a time when Keats was undergoing severe illness. Therefore, the poem presents a gloomy picture of dejection, disappointment and depression. The poem was first published in 1848, when twenty-seven years had gone the sweet poet had kicked the bucket. However, his marvellous popularity all over the globe is the sound proof of Keats’s wonderful diction, fascinating style and sublime imagination. Emily Bronte (1818-1848) is not only one of the most brilliant poets of Victorian age, but also she has won magnificent applause and unabated recognition as a distinguished novelist of her time. Her glorious works have earned remarkable name and fame for the poetess. She died at such a young age of thirty and can be resembled a flower in budding which has been plucked in the prime of youth leaving indelible imprints of her first and the last visit of this world of bitter reality. Her imagination, command over creating thought-provoking subjects and her deep insight make her verse elevated, evergreen and exultant for the readers. The poem “No coward soul is mine” was created during the period when the poetess was undergoing serious sickness and was fading day by day till she was caught in the cruel clutches of death! But the poetess refused to surrender before her illness and faced the death very courageously. THEME OF THE POEMS The poem “When I Have Fears…” has been written in a state of melancholy under the fears of death hanging on the very head of the poor fellow who was dying at such a young age of twenty-five leaving the world mourning over the loss of a mighty brain and dazzling soul! The poet “No Coward Soul is Mine” is thought to be one of the most illustrious poems written by Emily Bronte on January 25, 1846, two years before breathing her last. The poem is, according to Charlotte Bronte, the last of the verses produced by the talented Emily, and was published first time in 1850 two years after her kicking the bucket. FORM AND STYLE “When I Have Fears…” has been written in the form of a sonnet, though it does not observe the exact pattern of a Petrarchan type of sonnet. The poem depicts the characteristics of Shakespearean or Elizabethan Iambic Pentameter. It is on the foundation of the rhyme scheme of “abbaabba cde cde” and is compiled on iambs. The poem is an exemplary model to imitate for the beginners as it the perfect example of iambic pentameter. In this type, the line i.e. verse consists of two syllables, where the first one is unstressed and the last one is stressed. Sam e is the case with this poem e.g.: “When I behold, upon the nights starrd face, Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,….” Here the stress lies in the second syllable i.e. upon the night’s starr’d face. Secondly, the length and size of all lines are almost equal, which portrays the observance of the rule of sonnet sequence. Further, Keats compares his imagination and ideas to the ripen grains. He means to say that his brain contains ripe ideas as a garner stores ripen grains. He uses similes to explain his viewpoint. Also, he uses metaphor while describing his own fears with the thick clouds in the face of sky full of stars. He means to say that his life is clouded with the worries of illness and death is on the wake. Further, Keats often uses eye dialects especially writing the word, which is used in second form. He writes glean’d in place of “gleaned” etc. Alliteration is also one of the prominent features of the poem as: “Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain, Before high piled books, in charactry,..”. Similarly, the uses of the words starting from the same letter in a verse i.e. glean’d, garner and grain is the sublime blend of Alliteration, which makes poem melodious and rhythmic. Keats observes standard level of English and imitates Greek Mythology often in his poems. That is why he is stated to be Hellenic poet of Romantic age. . In the same way, Emily Bronte’s “No Coward Soul Is Mine" is the magnificent narration of the firm belief and steadfast trust in Almighty God. Though she produced these verses during undergoing severe illness, yet her faith never looks wavering at all. She acknowledges the fact that every human is mortal and has to taste death sooner or later. Her unconditional and unabated belief, her simple style, innocent thoughtfulness and contentment make it a pageant piece of writing. The rhyme sequences at the ends of some lines are both ocular and perceptible. For example the use of the words mine and shine in first and the third lines respectively are both visual and audible. Similarly, breast and rest and fear and sphere also present both ocular and perceptible rhythmic symphony. On the other hand, few verses lack visual rhythm, but certainly own audibility at any cost. For example, Deity and Thee and void and destroyed etc has been written. “O God within my breast Almighty ever-present Deity Life, that in me hast rest As I Undying LIfe, have power in thee….” The poem has been divided into seven stanzas of equal size and length. The use of iambic trimeter lines in the first and third lines, and iambic pentameter lines in the second and fourth lines is the feature of this beautiful and poem having captivating theme and innocent imagination. Emily Bronte is not very much familiar with the use of eye dialects or orthography, though very few incorrect of spellings can be traced out of the poem e.g. “wert” in place of “were” in 23rd line of the poem. Bronte poem witnesses Alliteration time and again. Her description makes a splendid paragon of literary art and aesthetic charms. As the verses reveal the very fact: “Worthless and withered weeds….” (Line 11). So surely anchored on….” (Line 15) Every Existence would exist in thee…” (Line 24) There is a flow of mysticism and spirituality in the poem. It appears that the poem is the outcome of some visionary experience or some divine blessing on the innocent poetess, who has got the explicit clue that she is going to die very soon. But in the same way she acknowledges the very reality that only her great Creator is immortal and will remain alive forever and ever, as it has been depicted in lines 21 to 24:   “Though earth and moon were gone,            And suns and universes ceased to be,                And Thou wert left alone,            Every existence would exist in Thee.” Being the simple and rhythmic poem containing the theme of spirituality and divine love makes it one of the masterpieces of the English Literature forever. Both the authors have named objects of nature in their poems. Bronte beautifully compares immortality of Almighty to the powerful things to mention the strength and perpetual supremacy of the Lord. The love and emotions expressed by Bronte enjoy the status of divine passion, while Keats’s lamentation is based on his devotion to live a long life. Keats’s poem is an expression of love and lust for not only long life, so that he can win more achievements during this course to perpetuate his name, but also he looks extremely reluctant on abandoning his beloved Fanny. SIMILARITIES DISSIMILARITIES Both the poems are the product of nearly same era and had been written in the first half of the 19th century in the same season i.e. in the last week of the month of January. The poem “When I have Fears…” belongs to Romantic Age. On the other hand “No Coward Soul is Mine” is the product of Victorian Era. Thus the poets came from different school of thought. Both the poems are posthumous and were published after the death of their authors. The poem “When I have Fears…” presents a sorry state of gloominess and grief, while “No Coward Soul is Mine” gives the message of courage and hope. The authors of both the works were died in the prime of their youth and obtained popularity and reputation after their death. John Keats deplores on not being able of producing more poetry out of his gifted talent, while Emily Bronte looks contented and satisfied and seems bowing her head before the will of the Almighty. Both the authors were suffering from the same disease while writing these verses and died of the same i.e. tuberculosis. Keats is afraid of losing fame, fiancée and fascinating world, while Bronte contains firm belief that only the Supreme Being is immortal and all creatures have to taste death one day or the other. Both the authors were aware of the fact that death is on the wake . The worldly charms and long life attract John Keats, while Emily Bronte is seeking blessings and peace in heavens in the world hereafter. Both the poems are rythmic and sound melody and symphony. Both poets put on stress, rather than the number of syllables in their respective poems John Keats creates art for art’s sake, while Bronte imitates the Puritan ethics and moral values while creating poesy. Frosts poems are virtual treasure of all those principles of versification while Emma Lazarus poems are ambitious Both the works have been writen in simple and straightforward language without creating any fuss or complexity. Thus, both poems are easy to read and simple to comprehend. The two poems sharply contrast in gist, diction and theme. They have neither similarity nor match in idea and imagination. Both the pieces of work start from the one single scheme and end in the one and only. They do not deviate from the single subject for even a single moment. The poem “When I have Fears…” is subjective, while “No Coward Soul is Mine” is objective and seeks inspiration from Classical school of thought. The connotation and sequence of both the poems are same. Both portray spontaneaty and fluency of thought-provoking imagination. Tone of the poem created by Keats is pathetic and woeful. On the other hand, the poem written by Bronte portrays sense of contentment, submission and thankfulness. Both the connoisseurs observe coherence, order and balance while producing the piece of art. Keats’s poem is systematic and contains equal length of lines. On the other hand, the lines of the poem belongs to Bronte lacked similarity of size. While discussing orthography, both the writers observe eye dialect to a great extent. However, Keats often uses comma in place of “e” the words that are put in second form i.e. he wrote “glean’d” in place of “gleaned” and ripen’d and starr’d etc. In the same way, Bronte seldom uses such commas, as well as rarely writes incorrect spellings. John Keats laments on seeing the end of his life span, while Emily Bronte pays her humble gratitude to the most Powerful on finding herself at the death-door. Both the authors belong to same region i.e England. They spent major part of life in the same atmosphere and environment, though Keats belonged to urban area and Bronte spent her life in rural region. Keats ’s poem has been written in the form of sonnet, as it contains fourteen lines and also fulfils the requirement of a sonnet. On the other hand, Bronte’s poem consists of seven quatrains of equal length. Tone of both the poems under study is reflective, and the poets have tried to display the personal experiences while writing the words Keats’s poem is full of despair, while Bronte wrote the poem with great passion of love for God. CONCLUSION Though both the remarkable pieces of poesy have won great applause all over the world and the future generations have admired their works in sonorous voice, yet they have variation in style, theme, diction, imagination as well as school of thought. Both the classical giants of literature have captured the attention of the coming generations of the globe by their works, which are source of constant and continuous inspiration and stimulation for both readers and the writers at large. John Keats grieves over his falling health, but his lamenting reflects universality of theme because he deplores on not only going to die soon, but also he mourns on getting deprived of the opportunity of producing more and more valuable works for the world. On the contrary, Bronte’s poem reflects her gallant, courage, foresightedness and will power. Her poem more resembles hymn than simple piece of writing, while Keats’s work sound complete subjectivity. The variation of language, style, subject matter and imagination make the two poems entirely different from one another. REFERENCES Daiches, David: 1970 A Critical History of English Literature. John Wiley & Sons Inc; 2nd edition http://www.eliteskills.com/analysis_poetry/No_Coward_Soul_Is_Mine_by_Emily_Bront_analysis.php http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1140.html http://oldpoetry.com/oauthor/show/John_Keats http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/223.html http://incompetech.com/authors/ebronte/works.html www.incompetech.com Read More

It is on the foundation of the rhyme scheme of “abbaabba cde cde” and is compiled on iambs. The poem is an exemplary model to imitate for the beginners as it the perfect example of iambic pentameter. In this type, the line i.e. verse consists of two syllables, where the first one is unstressed and the last one is stressed. Sam e is the case with this poem e.g.: “When I behold, upon the nights starrd face, Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,….” Here the stress lies in the second syllable i.e. upon the night’s starr’d face.

Secondly, the length and size of all lines are almost equal, which portrays the observance of the rule of sonnet sequence. Further, Keats compares his imagination and ideas to the ripen grains. He means to say that his brain contains ripe ideas as a garner stores ripen grains. He uses similes to explain his viewpoint. Also, he uses metaphor while describing his own fears with the thick clouds in the face of sky full of stars. He means to say that his life is clouded with the worries of illness and death is on the wake.

Further, Keats often uses eye dialects especially writing the word, which is used in second form. He writes glean’d in place of “gleaned” etc. Alliteration is also one of the prominent features of the poem as: “Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain, Before high piled books, in charactry,..”. Similarly, the uses of the words starting from the same letter in a verse i.e. glean’d, garner and grain is the sublime blend of Alliteration, which makes poem melodious and rhythmic.

Keats observes standard level of English and imitates Greek Mythology often in his poems. That is why he is stated to be Hellenic poet of Romantic age. . In the same way, Emily Bronte’s “No Coward Soul Is Mine" is the magnificent narration of the firm belief and steadfast trust in Almighty God. Though she produced these verses during undergoing severe illness, yet her faith never looks wavering at all. She acknowledges the fact that every human is mortal and has to taste death sooner or later.

Her unconditional and unabated belief, her simple style, innocent thoughtfulness and contentment make it a pageant piece of writing. The rhyme sequences at the ends of some lines are both ocular and perceptible. For example the use of the words mine and shine in first and the third lines respectively are both visual and audible. Similarly, breast and rest and fear and sphere also present both ocular and perceptible rhythmic symphony. On the other hand, few verses lack visual rhythm, but certainly own audibility at any cost.

For example, Deity and Thee and void and destroyed etc has been written. “O God within my breast Almighty ever-present Deity Life, that in me hast rest As I Undying LIfe, have power in thee….” The poem has been divided into seven stanzas of equal size and length. The use of iambic trimeter lines in the first and third lines, and iambic pentameter lines in the second and fourth lines is the feature of this beautiful and poem having captivating theme and innocent imagination. Emily Bronte is not very much familiar with the use of eye dialects or orthography, though very few incorrect of spellings can be traced out of the poem e.g. “wert” in place of “were” in 23rd line of the poem.

Bronte poem witnesses Alliteration time and again. Her description makes a splendid paragon of literary art and aesthetic charms. As the verses reveal the very fact: “Worthless and withered weeds….” (Line 11). So surely anchored on….” (Line 15) Every Existence would exist in thee…” (Line 24) There is a flow of mysticism and spirituality in the poem. It appears that the poem is the outcome of some visionary experience or some divine blessing on the innocent poetess, who has got the explicit clue that she is going to die very soon.

But in the same way she acknowledges the very reality that only her great Creator is immortal and will remain alive forever and ever, as it has been depicted in lines 21 to 24:   “Though earth and moon were gone,            And suns and universes ceased to be,                And Thou wert left alone,            Every existence would exist in Thee.

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