Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats and The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy - Coursework Example

Ode to a Nightingale (John Keats) and The Darkling Thrush (Thomas Hardy Ode to a Nightingale (John Keats) and The Darkling Thrush (Thomas Hardy) Introduction John Keats’ poem “Ode to a Nightingale” and Thomas Hardy’s “The Darkling Thrush,” explain the concepts of nature. Keats and Hardy explore the synergy between animals, human beings, and plants. Although Keats and Hardy present nature in different perspectives, the theme influences their attitudes, emotions, and way of thinking. They both use abilities of birds and environment to calm burden in life. The paper explores the contrast between the two poems in terms of attitude towards nature and style of writing. It is imperative that the two poets differ in their methods of representing nature. Expressing Nature In both the poems, vivid attitudes about environment, emotions, hope, and death exists. Life experiences influences the poets attitudes towards nature. It is imperative that attitudes of the poets’ changes based on natural influence such as soothing effects of nightingale and thrush songs as explained below. Both Hardy and Keats have a settled thinking and feeling about the symbolic significance of birds used in the poem. Both the poets employ use of birds in explaining their understanding about nature. Their perspective about nature remains inclined to the beautiful scenery of trees and animals. The birds used in the poems remains symbolic of joy and freedom. For instance, soothing songs of birds changes the sad moods of at the beginning of Keats poem to hopeful and joyful. It is imperative that both the speakers in all the poems find themselves in similar dreary state of changing tone of nature. Thomas Hardy in the darkling poem feels that animals such as birds have no place in the Animal planet and national concern. However, the poet feels that out-of –doors activities remains interesting than indoors. Hardy has a positive attitude towards the environment and believes that nature provides hope. Immature emotions and cold logic create a contrasts between the birds song in both Keats’ and Hardy’s poem. It is essential that birds have physical differences. Birds used by Hardy in the thrush remain old and weak. However, Keats description of the immortal bird depicts strength as the creature can pass through hunger conditions evidently from form its nice songs. It is vital to comprehend that the two poets wrote at different times. Keats wrote his poem at the beginning of 19th century while Hardy begun writing at the end of 19th century. Hardy’s poem traversed between 20th and 19th centuries. The time difference between the two poems also remains clear from the perceived age of the birds. Keats bird seems youthful but not as younger. The difference in time remains clear with the bleak pictures in the poem. Hardy’s paint that symbolizes joy contrasts the bleak and the desolate world represented in the 21st century (Hardy, 2014). The two poets also differ in their use of music. Speaker in Hardy’s poem questions the motives of thrush songs and responds to the latter through a logical approach. However, Keats accepts the song of the nightingale, which consequently soothes him. Keats perceives death as a way of avoiding life burdens. As he hears nightingale’s song in the darkness, Keats recalls various instances in his life when he had wished to die to help relieve him from painful experiences. Keats understands that death is painful and desires to undergo the process without struggling. He feels that nightingale ecstatic melody would soothe him to a painless death. Hardy’s poem, the darkling thrush explains the seasons relating to the gods inclusive of elements, which make cameo appearance. It is apparent that all the classical allusions within the poem depict death and decay. Death is viewed as act of gods that aims at pleasing audience. it is imperative that Hardy attitude about death is spiritual and he believes that god has the power to take an individual’s life. Keats believes that death depends on natural factors that result from life burdens. The darkling thrush uses bird to explain the theme of hope. The poem represents hope amid desolation. The frail old bird remains a harbinger of spring and its song represents an expression of joy at the onset of the poem. Hardy finds beauty and comfort in beauty of thrush’s song. Thrush in the poem stands as a vessel of hope that spring will return to the landscape. The bird’s song strikes a balance between howl of the wind and music. Bird’s song compensates for sadness expressed in the wintry scene. It is essential that the source of bird’s joy remains mysterious. The joy that instills hope seems to have originated from spiritual expression of a deeper element of nature. It is suggestive that the poets’ word remains suggestive of religious experience. Expressing Attitude In lines, 2 and 3 the Hardy capitalizes frost and winter which consequently portrays them as elements of nature. The poet has personified winter and Frost like normal human beings mainly to convince the realities of nature. Personification also contributed to the poem’s natural appearance. Line 31 also has capital letters, which remains suggestive of personification. Both Keats and Hardy personify the bird and trees. The birds symbolize joy and hope. Hardy and Keats personify thrush song and nightingale as having ability to restore individuals hope. Throughout the two poems, the diction outlined is musical. The poets employ musical tone in presenting their views and attracting attention of the reader. In Hardy’s poem for instance, song of thrush dominates throughout the poem. The song appears to change the mood of the poet and the reader from sorrowful to happiness. It is imperative that the howl of the wind domineered through the landscape and led to a funeral like mood. Therefore, Hardy’s poem indicates that a poem may be able to create both joyful and sad music. Diction remains essential in clarifying the rhythm and intent of the poets. Poems Movement At the beginning of Keats poem, there are vivid signs of painful experiences that fade as the poem approaches its last lines. Keats worries in the beginning ends when he acquires a happy mood evidently from the birds soothing songs on the tree. However, Hardy’s poem starts with intense pain and questioning about nature that does not decline throughout the poem. Hardy fails to comprehend the relevance of the bird’s songs, which makes the painful experience to persist. Poem’s movement assists in explaining the sequence of hope and despair. Rhyme Scheme by Kates John Keats applies iambic pentameter in presenting his poem. Iambic pentameter refers to a commonly used kind of metrical line employed in traditional poetry or verse drama. Iambic parameter describes the rhythm that words used by the poet establish in each line of the stanza. Keats poem the odes consist of eight different stanzas of which has ten lines. The meter of each line within the poem in every stanza has iambic parameter in exception of the eighth stanza. Keats has written the eight line of the poem in iambic trimester. The rhythmic pattern elucidated by iambic parameter assists in explaining the tone and attitude towards death, environment, and emotion (Keats, 2014). In normal English poems, iambic parameters have lines of long ten syllables with unaccented syllable immediately followed by an accented one. John Keats uses a rhyme scheme of ababcdecde within the poem. Keats also employs Anglo-Saxon derivates in creating a choppy rhythm. His use of starts and fits imitates the start of melancholy that translates top loss of desire and moodiness. In the second stanza of the poem, there is alliteration that finally speeds the rhythm of the poem depicting a wave of depression. Moreover, Keats employs use of punctuation, repetition, and run-offs top slow the rhythm of the poem. Hardy uses iambic tetrameter in presenting the rhythm of his poem. Iambic tetrameter normally refers to a meter in poetry. It comprises of a line of four iambic feet. Tetrameter in the poem depicts that there exists four feet within a given line. Therefore, iambic tetrameter consists of four iambs. Hardy uses iambic tetramer in writing his poem. The poem has a rhyme scheme of ababcdcd with four octets, stanzas, and eight lines. The lines seven, five, three, and one consist of four stressed syllables. However, the lines eight, six, four, and two consist of mainly three syllables. In Hardy’s poem, there are eight syllables within every line. Each line of the first syllable is unstressed while the second part remains stressed (Hardy, 2014). Thomas Hardy poem in Lines 7 and 8 have evocative imagery. Evocative imagery results from the manner in which the people in the poem are hunting. In lines 9 and 10, even non-alive things remain dead. Lines 15 and 16 represent nifty synecdoche and symbolism. In nifty synecdoche, people in the poem have the thoughts of having spirits within them while it is symbolism because the same people have remained nothing more than just spirits. Imagery assists Hardy in explaining his belief of the power of gods in influencing death, emotions, and nature of living. John Keats Imagery consist of images from nature to help the reader in realizing the reality and imagine nightingale world. In line 7, the poem introduces nightingale and Dryad of trees. The kind of imagery used by Keats place the moon higher in the sky. It describes night as warm, soft, and closer to human thinking. The vivid image that describes nightingale nature allows the reader of the poem to personally get attached to reality of life. Conclusion In conclusion, Hardy and Keats poems differ in tone, period of writing, use of the rhyme scheme, and poems movement. It is vital that the poets use similar imagery and diction in explaining the course of nature. They also embrace peace of nature by symbolically using birds as a source of joy. It is essential that both poems detail the inherent coexistence between animals and plants. References Hardy, T. (2014). The Darkling Thrush. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved October 13, 2014 from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173590 Keats, J. (2014). Ode to a Nightingale. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved October 13, 2014 from, http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173744 Read More

Keats bird seems youthful but not as younger. The difference in time remains clear with the bleak pictures in the poem. Hardy’s paint that symbolizes joy contrasts the bleak and the desolate world represented in the 21st century (Hardy, 2014). The two poets also differ in their use of music. Speaker in Hardy’s poem questions the motives of thrush songs and responds to the latter through a logical approach. However, Keats accepts the song of the nightingale, which consequently soothes him.

Keats perceives death as a way of avoiding life burdens. As he hears nightingale’s song in the darkness, Keats recalls various instances in his life when he had wished to die to help relieve him from painful experiences. Keats understands that death is painful and desires to undergo the process without struggling. He feels that nightingale ecstatic melody would soothe him to a painless death. Hardy’s poem, the darkling thrush explains the seasons relating to the gods inclusive of elements, which make cameo appearance.

It is apparent that all the classical allusions within the poem depict death and decay. Death is viewed as act of gods that aims at pleasing audience. it is imperative that Hardy attitude about death is spiritual and he believes that god has the power to take an individual’s life. Keats believes that death depends on natural factors that result from life burdens. The darkling thrush uses bird to explain the theme of hope. The poem represents hope amid desolation. The frail old bird remains a harbinger of spring and its song represents an expression of joy at the onset of the poem.

Hardy finds beauty and comfort in beauty of thrush’s song. Thrush in the poem stands as a vessel of hope that spring will return to the landscape. The bird’s song strikes a balance between howl of the wind and music. Bird’s song compensates for sadness expressed in the wintry scene. It is essential that the source of bird’s joy remains mysterious. The joy that instills hope seems to have originated from spiritual expression of a deeper element of nature. It is suggestive that the poets’ word remains suggestive of religious experience.

Expressing Attitude In lines, 2 and 3 the Hardy capitalizes frost and winter which consequently portrays them as elements of nature. The poet has personified winter and Frost like normal human beings mainly to convince the realities of nature. Personification also contributed to the poem’s natural appearance. Line 31 also has capital letters, which remains suggestive of personification. Both Keats and Hardy personify the bird and trees. The birds symbolize joy and hope. Hardy and Keats personify thrush song and nightingale as having ability to restore individuals hope.

Throughout the two poems, the diction outlined is musical. The poets employ musical tone in presenting their views and attracting attention of the reader. In Hardy’s poem for instance, song of thrush dominates throughout the poem. The song appears to change the mood of the poet and the reader from sorrowful to happiness. It is imperative that the howl of the wind domineered through the landscape and led to a funeral like mood. Therefore, Hardy’s poem indicates that a poem may be able to create both joyful and sad music.

Diction remains essential in clarifying the rhythm and intent of the poets. Poems Movement At the beginning of Keats poem, there are vivid signs of painful experiences that fade as the poem approaches its last lines. Keats worries in the beginning ends when he acquires a happy mood evidently from the birds soothing songs on the tree. However, Hardy’s poem starts with intense pain and questioning about nature that does not decline throughout the poem. Hardy fails to comprehend the relevance of the bird’s songs, which makes the painful experience to persist.

Poem’s movement assists in explaining the sequence of hope and despair. Rhyme Scheme by Kates John Keats applies iambic pentameter in presenting his poem.

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