John Keats Romantic Poet

"To Autumn" by John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.


From http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15565
Published in 1820

I don't have Microsoft Word so when I try to open the word document it says the file format is invalid, but I'm going to use different sources to find the characteristics of romantic poems. 

The romantic period 1770-1870 happened while many different revolutions were occurring such as the American and French Revolutions. There was lots of social, economic, and political changes occurring at this time, and the Industrial Revolution brought new technology as well as some new ideas. The main characteristics of this period in literature were imagination, symbolism, nature, and individualism. 
"To Autumn" obviously fulfills the requirement of containing nature. The title and virtually every line in the entire poem references an aspect of nature from seeds, to seasons, to animals. Overall it is describing the gradual change from summer to autumn. The meaning of the poem is quite simple; I believe is is simply an ode to autumn as the title says. It complains about the "clammy cells" of summer and describes autumn in a more positive light. There is not much symbolism that I can detect in the poem, but there is lots of imagination. Keats describes very specific occurrences of nature very specifically and has quite the imagination to do so. For example, "Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn/ Among the river sallows, borne aloft/Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies" (27-29). There are no specific references to individualism, but you can assume the point of view is that of 1 person. He enjoys the change from summer to autumn, and describes it as he sees it without any interruption from other people. I can picture the speaker sitting in the park by himself watching these natural things occur. He appreciates the fruit, songs, and flowers that autumn gives him.

Here is a beautiful picture of autumn from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn

Sources:
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/rom.html
http://www.odessa.edu/dept/english/dsmith/rom.lit.char.pdf

Arthur Symons

Arthur Symons was a British poet, critic, and magazine editor who was born in 1865 and died in 1945 and was a key member of the symbolist movement. Symbolists strove to create transcendence, they believed that art should be beautiful above all else and that reality was not it's true purpose. Symbolists use lots of imagery and symbolism to make their poems seem deeper and more imaginative.

A great example of this is Symon's "White Heliotrope", found at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/180846

White Heliotrope

BY ARTHUR SYMONS

The feverish room and that white bed,

The tumbled skirts upon a chair,   

The novel flung half-open, where

Hat, hair-pins, puffs, and paints are spread;

The mirror that has sucked your face

Into its secret deep of deeps,

And there mysteriously keeps

Forgotten memories of grace;

And you half dressed and half awake,

Your slant eyes strangely watching me,

And I, who watch you drowsily,

With eyes that, having slept not, ache;

This (need one dread? nay, dare one hope?)

Will rise, a ghost of memory, if

Ever again my handkerchief

Is scented with White Heliotrope.

 

Upon reading the poem, we see Symon's immediate personification of the room as "feverish", suggesting a sexual sin has occurred that is juxtaposed with the "white bed", which would often signify purity. We then see the imagery: "The tumbled skirts upon a chair, / The novel flung half-open, where / Hat, hair-pins, puffs, and paints are spread". This gives the audience a mental picture of the scene. Then personification again, as Symons describes the "mirror that has sucked in your face / Into its secret deep of deeps". This suggests that the mirror has taken the person's "memories of grace", or virtue, referencing back to the "feverish room". The overall motif of sexuality continues as the narrator discusses his or her own "eyes that, having slept not, ache".We then learn in the final stanza that the narrator has smelled the white heliotrope on his handkerchief, and has remembered this vivid scene. The previous stanzas, we realize, have only been a memory, drawn out by the strong scent of the heliotrope. We know see the juxtaposition of the pure, white flower with the sinful, sexual scene described. Symon's poem "White Heliotrope" uses the juxtaposition of the vivid sexual scene and the scent of the pure, white heliotrope to show that love, while seemingly pure, is not always as innocent as it seems.

America by Claude McKay

Claude McKay was a famous poet during the Harlem Renaissance Era, getting his inspiration from seeing the immense amount of racism in South Carolina. He moved up north to get away from this, and began poetry so he could freely express his talents like other black poets at the time. The poem America, reflects his opinions on the country at the time. He says he loves the country he is in, but with some bitterness. He hates what is happening now, but he looks ahead and see's greatness will come and segregation will be no more basically. And that everything will fade into history like timeless treasures in the sand.My favorite line is "she feeds me breads of bitterness" Like America gives him this opportunity, but there is a cost with it. Th poem is optimistic at the time I think. He recognizes that there is a problem in America, but he nows that it will surely end in the future.
Written probably in the 1920's.

America

Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!
Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,
Giving me strength erect against her hate.
Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.
Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state,
I stand within her walls with not a shred
Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.
Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,
And see her might and granite wonders there,
Beneath the touch of Time's unerring hand,
Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand. 

Claude McKay

The Red Wheelbarrow

 

 

XXII (The Red Wheelbarrow)

by William Carlos Williams

from Spring and All (1923)

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

The poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" was written by William Carlos Williams, who was part of the Modernist movement in poetry. Modernism originated in the 20th century and modernist poems tended to always question what came before them. They were willing to experiment with new forms and were much more daring than the Symoblists. In this sense, Modernists were more willing to push the boundaries of traditional boundaries in format and in theme.

Even from first glance, one can stop Williams' nontraditional format and attribute it to the Modernist movement. Williams constructed his poem in four stanzas, the first line of each containing three words each, and the second line of each stanza containing only one word. This form of pictorial representation of the poem allows the reader to focus on the words and place emphasis between each line break. By using this type of enjambment, Williams is not only exemplifying the Modernist style, he is also purposefully slowing the reader down whilst they read.

The poem itself is only one long sentence, broken up at varying intervals. Often it is interpreted that the poems form is closely linked to its meaning. As to the inspiration behind the poem, Williams has been quoted saying, "["The Red Wheelbarrow"] sprang from affection for an old Negro named Marshall. He had been a fisherman, caught porgies off Gloucester. He used to tell me how he had to work in the cold in freezing weather, standing ankle deep in cracked ice packing down the fish. He said he didn’t feel cold. He never felt cold in his life until just recently. I liked that man, and his son Milton almost as much. In his back yard I saw the red wheelbarrow surrounded by the white chickens. I suppose my affection for the old man somehow got into the writing." This serves to imply that the form of the poem is also its meaning. American political writer and newspaper reporter has been quoted saying, "Williams is saying that perception is necessary to life and that the poem itself can lead to a fuller understanding of one's experience." Thus, by capturing his (Williams') experience with Marshall in poetic form, he could express his affection for Marshall whilst also painting a picture for his audience.

It is true that "so much depends / upon" each line of the poem because at the end of the poem, it is as if Williams has vividly painted a picture the wheelbarrow for the reader and it is that image that actually becomes the poem. One of the outcomes of Modernist poetry was to reduce the human experience to fragments and Williams was able to do just that with his poem. And yet another characteristic of the movement was its tendency to efface individuality and focus on machines or other inanimate objects rather than humans or nature. Thus, the focus of Williams' poem is not Marshall, but instead the red wheelbarrow he saw in his back yard. It is because of these characteristics that William Carlos Williams can be classified as a Modernist poet.

Perseus and Medusa

Perseus is a son of Zeus but he lives on some random island with his mortal mother, Danae. The king sees Danae and decides he's gotta have her. Perseus is not okay with this whole idea so the king pretends to be into this other woman and requests that everyone sends him a horse (apparently this was a normal thing...). Well Perseus didn't have a horse, but not to be outdone, Perseus says he'll do anything for the king instead. The king at this point laughs manically at the opportunity to get rid of the stupid son that's ruining all his plans. Thus, the king asks for the head of a Gorgon - this monsters who are actually women with snake hair that turn men to stone if they look at them. Medusa is the only Gorgon who is mortal so with the help of Athena and Hermes, he slices off her head using the reflection in his shield to attack her. He bags the head and takes it back to the king, who conveniently has begun to seduce Danae. Perseus pulls out the head to show everyone and turns the king to stone, reclaiming his mother.

Basically, Medusa's hair is pretty badass. Having hair that turns people to stone would be super cool! ... but really inconvenient when it comes to making friends. People - like Dominik - have told me I have nice hair. And the only thing I have on Macy Early is that she thinks my bangs are awesome and hers are terrible (her words not mine). But that's not really the point. Long hair is a pain and snake hair sounds like it would be too. Maybe Medusa and I could bond on this over coffee since she only turns men to stone. Too bad she's dead. And so is my hair if you think about it... I don't really know where I'm going from here cause I don't actually know how to talk about hair. The End?

Gonzo, Kermit, and the golden touch

King Midas was a king in ancient Greece. One day his people found a satyr drunk and carried it to him. Midas recognized the satyr and was kind to it. After a while he took it back to Dionysus who in return granted Midas one wish. He wished that whatever he touched be turned to gold. Dionysus granted the wish and for a while all was well. But eventually Midas touched his wife who turned to gold and also realized he could never eat again as whatever he picked up also turned to gold. So Midas's life tragically ended in his starvation due to his blessing turned curse. 

This story was by the way retold by the muppets where Gonzo was the satyr, Kermit, the king and Miss Piggy, the queen. Which is why it is one of my favorites. 

As for money and earthly possessions that stuff doesn't tend to matter to me. I much more care for people and their happiness so that stuff falls to the back burner, which sometimes burns me because school goes with it. I tend to not be so school focused because other things matter more to me. Especially friends and making sure they are ok. 

Music

The story goes that Orpheus and Eurydice were deeply in love and decided to get married. Unfortunately, Eurydice gets bit by a snake the night they get married and tragically dies. Her soul is sent to the underworld. Orpheus journeys to the underworld in an attempt to bring Eurydice back to the upper world. He convinces Hades and Persephone to let Eurydice go under one condition: He is not allowed to look at Eurydice as she walks behind him during their rise to the upper world. Just as they are about to reach the upper world, Orpheus turns around and looks at Eurydice out of passion and she is immediately sent back to the underworld. Orpheus becomes distraught by this (even though it's completely his own fault). He goes around the world playing said songs and rejecting women because he is still devoted to his lost love. Eventually, and group of women that pursue him don't take the rejection so lightly. These women are the Maenads who worship the god Bacchus. They are all drunken and unruly and don't seem to be too happy when denied by Orpheus. They begin by throwing sticks and stones at him... then tear his body apart limb from limb and throw the body parts in the river. His head still screams Eurydice's name as it floats down the river.

The music I listen to is pretty diverse. I listen to just about everything except for gospel music and country music. I find country music to be intolerable. I really enjoy discovering new music and spending time to search out new music. One of my favorite things to do is go to music festivals like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Forecastle. Music festivals are a cost efficient way to see many bands that I already listen to and to discover some that I haven't heard of.