To Autumn

• who wrote To Autumn?

  John Keats
• John Keats

  born in london in 1795

  both parents died
• what happened in 1818?

  Keats had to nurse his brother who was dying of tuberculosis
• what happened year after his brother died?

  Keats completed his final lyrical ode - To Autumn
• what happened a year after Keats published To Autumn?

  he died of tuberculosis at 25 years old
• Despite living in suffering , ther are many references to the beauty of life and death
• Keats was a keen romanticists and yet a critic to religion
• what was To Autumn inspired by?

  keats many walks through a stubble field
• Romanticism?

  place emphasis on the beauty and power of nature
• Summary?

  keats personifies Autumn as a godess who with the help of the sun blesses earth with abundance
• John Keats

  English poet born in London on 31st October 1795, died at age 25 but had a remarkable poetic career
• Poem "Ode to Autumn"


  • One of Keats's most sensual, image-laden poems
  • A sumptuous description of the season of autumn in a 3 stanza structure, each of 11 lines with an ABAB rhyme scheme
• Structure of "Ode to Autumn"

  1. First stanza deals primarily with the atmosphere of autumn

  2. Second stanza addresses autumn as a female goddess with a trace of the homemaker

  3. Third stanza goes back to the beauty of autumn, advising it not to mourn the loss of springtime
• First stanza of "Ode to Autumn"

  • Celebration of autumn using sensory imagery and a sense of abundance and energy
  • Conveys a peaceful atmosphere with an undercurrent of misery
  • Uses relaxed, simple language and clear-cut imagery
• Third stanza of "Ode to Autumn"

  • Keats addresses autumn physically, implying it is mourning the loss of spring
  • Keats shows autumn is just as beautiful as spring through vivid imagery
  • Melancholy tone with words like "soft dying" and "rosy" implying a bloody end
• Throughout the poem, Keats alludes to the pastoral tradition in poetry, a form of writing that celebrates the countryside and focuses on description of surroundings
• Although a simple and quiet poem in terms of plot, "Ode to Autumn" is one of Keats's most lauded works, showcasing the beauty of his language and mastery of poetic skill
• " seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness "
• imagery of pregnancy - abundance

  " load " , "bless " , "fill " , "pump "
• " close bosom friend "
• " And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue"
• " thou watched the last oozing hours by hours "
• "mists and mellow fruitfulness "


  onomatopoetic sibilance - sounds of satisfaction - exclamation of fruitfulness reminds reader of bounty of Autumn
• " load " ,"bless" , "fill" , "swell" , "plump"


  imagery of pregnancy - the personified sun blesses Autumn with fruits and more a gift to humans
• the use of present perfect verbs like "swell"


  abundance of verbs implies the swift ripening of the fruit , while also suggesting the action is complete and the fruit is ready to be harvested
• " conspiring with him "


  personify autumn as a mother , woman and a goddess . the sun and autumn work together to give life (collaborate)
• " fruit the vines "


  images may imply that man and nature have an almost symbiotic relationship
• Autumn


  giving / blessed + time where everyone should be grateful for the abundance of god
• " flowers for the bees " - " warm days will never cease "


  assonance in "bees" and "cease" sensory imagery - sounds of nature , elongated vowel sounds - a reminder of the innocence and simplicity of nature
• " who hath not seen the oft amid thy store ? "


  rhetorical question - suggest that autumn is an excellent helper during harvest
• " hair soft-lifted "


  almost suggest that autumn is feminine implying tranquility
• " thee sitting careless on a granary floor "


  images of rest and work combined have the effect of personifying Autumn as a fellow worker, and as someone who works themselves the exhaustion, Autumn works almost as hard as men during harvest
• " granary floor " , " sound asleep"


  nature is at ease taking a moment to reap the benefits of hard work - carefree
• " winnowing wind "


  soft alliterative consonant emulates the sound of the wind and evoke an image of natures effortless work when reaping the harvest
• " drowsd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook "


  " poppies" - intoxicated (opium) nature is being drugged by its own + "hook" Autumn is compared to the grim reaper , suggesting that death is never too far away from Autumn
• " where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they?"


  criticises spring as Autumn is better
• " thou hast thy music too "


  personifies Autumn as a musician suggest that Autumn is beautiful and brings happiness
• " soft dying day " , " mourn" ,"dies"


  lament tone implying the end of Autumn is something worth mourning over
• " red beast whistles"


  wintery imagery marking the imminent end to Autumn as the seasons transition
• first Stanza

  reflects the intimacy between Autumn and the sun , change , life and death