The Melancholic Life - Essay Example

The “Ode on Melancholy” and “To Melancholy” Poem Analysis Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation The “Ode on Melancholy” and “To Melancholy” Poem Analysis Introduction Melancholy is defined as a sad, thoughtful state that helps to express one's feeling and emotions. It expresses the overlapping feelings of pleasure and emotions leading to solitude life. The “Ode on Melancholy” and “To Melancholy” poems relates in expressing figuratively on the life issues. The poems touch on the feelings and emotions and guiding on how one should embrace the melancholic situation. The explanation guides on how two edges in life situations must happen in every person’s life. Thesis In this essay, I will argue the connection between feeling and poetry as expressed in Ode on Melancholy and To Melancholy. Both poems, Ode on Melancholy and To Melancholy, help in addressing reality in life using feelings and emotional approach. The melancholic state is not permanent and hence they change depending on the situation, action and what people perceive. The emphasis is about embracing this life reality as emotional and feelings states changes from time to time. Therefore, my argument will revolve on the Ode on Melancholy and To Melancholy poems on real life applications using both figurative and literal meanings. The essay will focuse in determining the extreme edge in feelings and how one should embrace them in life reality. This essay would express the melancholic life relating to the personal feelings as the beauty of life. Supporting Evidence of “Ode on Melancholy” Poem The supporting evidence in Ode on Melancholy poem indicates progressive logical structure. In stanza I, the poem urges audience not to dare escape pain. Stanza II gives what audiences are supposed to do and instead and embrace the beauty and joy in human experience that consists of pain and death. Stanza III clearly indicates for one to experience joy, they must accept to experience sorrow whereby the beauty dies and later joy evaporates. Stanza I provide a list of suggestions of things that one should not do when feeling frustrated and depressed. “Make not your rosary of yew-berries” indicate that melancholy does not cause sorrow and suffering but it covers essential part of the human life. In making life perfect, it is important to consider enduring melancholy fully instead of seeking avenues to avoid it (Keats, 2009, p. 3). When caught by a fit of melancholy, the suggestion by poet shows that one is not supposed to go to Lethe nor even taking the poisonous juice. This statement is supported by, “No, no, go not to Lethe, neither twist; Wolf's-bane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine.”The poisonous juice indicated it’s from wolf’s bane and nightshade. Furthermore, the poet suggests that during melancholy, the depression and frustration, feeling accumulates and hence one should not think to get rid through committing suicide. Therefore, stanza I help audience to embrace melancholy, but not to undermine or deny the necessity and melancholy roles in life. The evidence from stanza II elaborates on what one should tackle and do when caught by melancholy. The poet suggests that melancholy plays a role in improving life through making it perfect and beautiful as indicated by, “And hides the green hill in an April shroud.” This is compared to cloud that weeps and its water helps in fostering flowers that in April shroud it hides the green hill (Ode on Melancholy, 2016). This helps in understanding that melancholy has two edges of its pain, but later one realizes the true meaning of life happiness. The emphasis of stanza III focus on the importance of experiencing melancholy in life. The poet suggests that one should seek melancholy from different sources as it helps in making life meaningful and beautiful. People should not put more effort into avoiding or expelling melancholy from their life as indicated in, “She dwells with Beauty—Beauty that must die;        And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips Bidding adieu; and aching Pleasure nigh” The poem gives a sense of the contradictions that exists between good and bad, mortal and immortal and between power and powerless description of melancholy. This relationship helps in expressing the nature of life in its beauty, happiness, joy and pleasure resulting from sadness and life challenges. The poem helps in enhancing people’s understanding of melancholic life and later expressing their happiness and joy (Muratori, 2006). This relates to the beauty of life. The poem uses concrete imagery that gives two edges of life that are incompatible or opposite. Melancholy and joy are two different issues from the opposite edge in life, but forms essential elements of beautiful and perfect life (Ode on Melancholy, 2016). This approach has helped in developing images that have dual sides but interconnected connotations. Statements such as “a weeping cloud being a source of joy to the drop-headed flowers,” relates joy with the weeping cloud. The end result is a green hill during the month of April showing the beauty of life. The contradictions in the poem’s statement are used to express the paradox of life. The nature of life is transient and on the other hand is good. The good elements in life that lead to happiness such as joy, beauty and sensual pleasure are always mixed with mortality and pain. The statement, “A morning rose has a fleeting beauty; the joy one derives from looking at the rainbow of the salt sand-wave is a momentary joy; the anger of a mistress is also equally short-lived,” helps in understanding the reality of life (Keats, 2009). The beauty of life and joy replaces melancholy and when they flee away, sadness and pain is experienced. Therefore, melancholy and joy the beauty of life are inseparable and hence closely associated with life. Sonnet XXXII “To Melancholy” According to Smith’s ‘To Melancholy’, poem, the supportive emphasis and highlights come of contrasting emotions and feeling that are associated with melancholy. This collection indicated by To Melancholy is called Elegiac Sonnets. The poem provides two opposite forms of elegy and sonnet. This creates a mixed form of sadness and pleasure that melancholy induces. The use of sonnet highlights brings out clearly the shift expressed in allowing changes in life (KEATS, 2016). The poem invites one to feel the melancholy through the natural scenery as it provides a place for reflection. The use of the backdrops that are obtained from nature and other landscape shows the traditional environments and solitude. Therefore, the poem shows that solitude cause and effect melancholy as indicated in Sonnet 32. “And hear his deep sighs swell the sadden'd wind! O Melancholy!--such thy magic power, ;That to the soul these dreams are often sweet, And sooth the pensive visionary mind!” The melancholic state in the poem is portrayed from the beginning. ‘WHEN latest autumn spreads her evening veil, and the gray mists from these dim waves arise’, shows the dreary image that provides the melancholic tone. The actual image that can be deducted helps in expressing comfort and maternal. The word autumn personifies the motherly figure that spread the comfort veil seeking to embrace. The gray mists and dim wave’s shows depressing life, but positive melancholy are created through calm and soothing image of peace and solitude as indicated by “And the grey mists from these dim waves arise, I love to listen to the hollow sighs, Through the half-leafless wood that breathes the gale: For at such hours the shadowy phantom, pale” The nature retreat act evokes a melancholic mood. In the ‘To Melancholy’ poem, line ‘Here, by his native stream, at such an hour,’ provides clear indication calmness. The speaker uses water and wind throughout in expressing Lessons from Poem: Includes the Themes That Will Connect the Feelings and Poetry Structure The sadness theme in the Ode on Melancholy poem plays a major role in expressing the bad mood. The poem does not provide a platform of expelling melancholy and how the evade bad mood, but on how to embrace both melancholy and depression and making the most out of it. The poet indicates that melancholy and sadness are natural and hence part of human emotions. As one is ready to experience joy, it is important to allow sorrow and sadness to take part in life. The poet in the last stanza indicates that “Beauty…. Must die”. This is not connected with drinking from Lether’s water with the aim of turning away from reality. The Ode on Melancholy poem seeks to express that one should realize the essence of life and embrace the reality. Seeking to escape from melancholy, it shows immaturity and life-denying. The poet puts it that people should learn to embrace the beauty of arts and nature. The art and nature are the source of the greatest joy, but they cannot contribute to total solution to problems in life. Therefore, it is important for people to seek appropriate approach in dealing and maintaining their feelings and emotions. The major cause of sadness, according to the poet is the impermanence of issues such as beauty and pleasure in life. The poem indicates that beauty fades and pleasure fleets and it must happen at sometime in life. The melancholy approach as transient, after pleasure turning into pain, one day it must reverse back. Therefore, life is to death, joy is to sorrow and pleasure is in pain and all these aspects of life are linked together as feelings and emotions of a person. Connection between Feelings and Poetry The melancholic feeling of the poem helps in expressing the reality of life and how one should embrace the situation. The state of life guides the emotional attachments and how one relates it to the contributing issue. The poem relates the natural expressions that are beyond the human capacity. The poet considers urging the audience to embrace these feelings and emotions through the principle of two edges in melancholic life. The two edges that are linked to emotions and feeling are joy and sorrow, a pleasure to pain and life to death. The poet relates these feelings to the natural in describing physical circumstances (KEATS, 2016). The figurative circumstances are used literally to express the emotions and feeling in the poem. The use of the imaginary approach such as clouds weeping helps in expressing a melancholic state. The beauty of life is expressed with the imaginary green hill during the month of April after the cloud weeps. The experiences of melancholy are indicated through the transitory changes in life. Nothing is permanent as it would change at a given time. The rainbow that is produced by the waves is beautiful, even though it is short lived. The waves keep on coming showing that the rainbow would reappear again and again. This connects to the feeling whereby the melancholic state would keep on changing depending on life situation. Therefore, the state of feeling is not permanent and hence one should embrace the feeling whether positive or negative. Examples of the Poems There are different examples deducted from the poem Ode on melancholy. In line 5 and seven explains on the figurative flower and beauty of life as indicated by; “Then glut thy sorrow on a morning rose,        Or on the rainbow of the salt sand-wave, Or on the wealth of globed peonies” This connects to the rains that are indicated as weeping cloud and turning hill green. The connote fertility, beauty, aliveness attributes in life that is renewed at a particular point in life. The opposite side of the green hill is expressed by barrenness and harshness hence showing the clear state of melancholy. In stanza one, the poet indicates that one should not seek avenues to run away from the reality of life. Drinking Lethe poisonous water helped in indicating suicide approach whereby one seeks shortcut in life from the negative feeling and emotions. “No, no, go not to Lethe, neither twist        Wolf's-bane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine.” The poems help in ensuring people embrace the challenges in life and being prepared in addressing the situation uprightly. In every negative feeling in life is associated with the positive feelings. Therefore, it is important to consider undertaking both sides as it portrays the beauty of life. In the third stanza line, 1 of Ode on Melancholy that beauty that must die shows the connection between the two edges of life. One is supposed to expect the beautiful life would come to an end at some point in life. It helps to understand that when one is on the extreme edge should expect the opposite result later in life. Sad feeling results to joy and pain to pleasure. The major objective is ensuring that one embraces the situation as they contribute to making life beautiful. Furthermore, setting the mindset to embrace the feeling and emotions into reality would help in understanding the nature of life. Conclusion In brief, The “Ode on Melancholy” and “To Melancholy” poems express the reality of life, covering the feelings and emotional situation. The connection between the two poems is the reality of life and how people should embrace all feeling and emotion. There are times when people experience positive feelings such as joy, happiness and beauty of life. On the contrary, negative feelings such as pain, sorrow and death are also part of life and hence should be embraced. The beauty of life consists experiencing both edges of life and seeking to endure to the end. The melancholy situation helps in providing reality, and hence showing the need to realize and embrace feelings irrespective of their state. References KEATS, J. (2016). Ode on Melancholy. Poetryfoundation.org. Retrieved 14 October 2016, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44478 Keats, J. (2009). Ode on Melancholy. Spectator (00386952). 310(9441), 3-3. Muratori, F. (2006). Exceptions and Melancholy: Poems 1986-2006. Library Journal.131 (15), 63-64. "Ode on Melancholy." (2016). Academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu. Retrieved 14 October 2016, from http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/melancholy.html Read More

This helps in understanding that melancholy has two edges of its pain, but later one realizes the true meaning of life happiness. The emphasis of stanza III focus on the importance of experiencing melancholy in life. The poet suggests that one should seek melancholy from different sources as it helps in making life meaningful and beautiful. People should not put more effort into avoiding or expelling melancholy from their life as indicated in, “She dwells with Beauty—Beauty that must die;        And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips Bidding adieu; and aching Pleasure nigh” The poem gives a sense of the contradictions that exists between good and bad, mortal and immortal and between power and powerless description of melancholy.

This relationship helps in expressing the nature of life in its beauty, happiness, joy and pleasure resulting from sadness and life challenges. The poem helps in enhancing people’s understanding of melancholic life and later expressing their happiness and joy (Muratori, 2006). This relates to the beauty of life. The poem uses concrete imagery that gives two edges of life that are incompatible or opposite. Melancholy and joy are two different issues from the opposite edge in life, but forms essential elements of beautiful and perfect life (Ode on Melancholy, 2016).

This approach has helped in developing images that have dual sides but interconnected connotations. Statements such as “a weeping cloud being a source of joy to the drop-headed flowers,” relates joy with the weeping cloud. The end result is a green hill during the month of April showing the beauty of life. The contradictions in the poem’s statement are used to express the paradox of life. The nature of life is transient and on the other hand is good. The good elements in life that lead to happiness such as joy, beauty and sensual pleasure are always mixed with mortality and pain.

The statement, “A morning rose has a fleeting beauty; the joy one derives from looking at the rainbow of the salt sand-wave is a momentary joy; the anger of a mistress is also equally short-lived,” helps in understanding the reality of life (Keats, 2009). The beauty of life and joy replaces melancholy and when they flee away, sadness and pain is experienced. Therefore, melancholy and joy the beauty of life are inseparable and hence closely associated with life. Sonnet XXXII “To Melancholy” According to Smith’s ‘To Melancholy’, poem, the supportive emphasis and highlights come of contrasting emotions and feeling that are associated with melancholy.

This collection indicated by To Melancholy is called Elegiac Sonnets. The poem provides two opposite forms of elegy and sonnet. This creates a mixed form of sadness and pleasure that melancholy induces. The use of sonnet highlights brings out clearly the shift expressed in allowing changes in life (KEATS, 2016). The poem invites one to feel the melancholy through the natural scenery as it provides a place for reflection. The use of the backdrops that are obtained from nature and other landscape shows the traditional environments and solitude.

Therefore, the poem shows that solitude cause and effect melancholy as indicated in Sonnet 32. “And hear his deep sighs swell the sadden'd wind! O Melancholy!--such thy magic power, ;That to the soul these dreams are often sweet, And sooth the pensive visionary mind!” The melancholic state in the poem is portrayed from the beginning. ‘WHEN latest autumn spreads her evening veil, and the gray mists from these dim waves arise’, shows the dreary image that provides the melancholic tone.

The actual image that can be deducted helps in expressing comfort and maternal. The word autumn personifies the motherly figure that spread the comfort veil seeking to embrace. The gray mists and dim wave’s shows depressing life, but positive melancholy are created through calm and soothing image of peace and solitude as indicated by “And the grey mists from these dim waves arise, I love to listen to the hollow sighs, Through the half-leafless wood that breathes the gale: For at such hours the shadowy phantom, pale” The nature retreat act evokes a melancholic mood.

Read More