Keats's Last Letter
"I always made an awkward bow."
After reading two poems and a letter, what do you think of John Keats? Why? Provide evidence from his work to support your reasoning.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
First, what are your reactions to Coleridge's poems Frost at Midnight & Kubla Khan ? What reactions do they invoke in you? Next, what is different about the poems? If you had to do a side by side comparison or make a Venn diagram of them, what would you include in it? After posting your initial thoughts, return to the blog to respond to your classmates.
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ReplyDeleteKeats's story is one of extreme disappointment. From an early age, he had witnessed the treaturosity of death, having taken both of his parents, and only to have it ravage upon himself as well. He was full of talent, but it was stipend with his death; however, the way he handled the situation, to me, is the most important aspect. He harnessed his pain into wonderful works of art that would later be applauded, even when death was on his doorstep. Furthermore, in his letter, he states that he hadn't written to Reynolds because he wished to wait until he was in good health to give him good news. He also asks Brown to write to his siblings and friends to inform them on how his health his in Brown's eyes; to me, indicating that he didn't want to be the bearer of bad news. He had pretty much accepted the fact that he was going to die, and he wouldn't be able to marry his love or prove his literary genius, but that didn't stop him from doing what he enjoyed. He looked with longing eyes, such as in Ode to a Nightingale, but he still showed the world his talents.
DeleteI agree with everything you said. Having death linger over him his whole life had a huge impact on his, as it would anyone. It most definitely had an affect on his writing and the way you explained this was great. Such a tragic story :(
DeleteThe life of John Keats can only be described as tragic. He had such potential and he saw it within himself but he didn't have enough time to achieve what he thought was success. To know that your life will be cut short would be a feeling of great despair. He wanted to write great literature and fall in love and marry, but he knew he didn't have enough time for any of it. Though he ended up writing beautiful poems that we study today, he wasn't alive long enough to see the legacy he left behind. His poems speak for the emotions he was feeling right before his death. Disappointed about his fate, he wrote some of the most impactful poems and the devastation shines through the words. Sad is an understatement for the way Keats's life ended, however, he did achieve what he always wanted to. He was a successful writer and his work will always live on just the way he wanted it to.
ReplyDeleteI feel horrible for Keats. I agree with you; while he may not have seen his success first hand, he still lives on through his awe-inspiring work.
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DeleteI feel so bad for John Keats. His life was taken from him so early and in such a miserable way too. In his last letter, he mentions that "it [ran in his head] that we shall all die young" and it absolutely broke my heart to read him coming to terms with the inevitable. In his times of suffering, he wrote beautiful poetry as some form of a coping mechanism. I could feel his suffering in his writing. It seems as if he often was the narrator himself, as he truly poured all he had left in him into his literature. He used his pain to create amazing things and it's rather inspiring. His fate still makes my heart ache, though.
ReplyDeleteI agree and feel like the poor guy deserved more in life. I can't even begin to imagine the pain he felt. It's an awful thing to be that young with your whole life ahead of you, but you are unable to live it :/
DeleteWith everything we have read so far, I enjoy his work. It's hard to believe someone his age could have experienced so much grief at the time, and I feel bad for him. In his last letter, he wrote that he was "afraid to look" over Brown's letter again to address what was written. This was due to him being unable to "bear the sight of any handwriting of a friend [he] love[d] so much." I can't imagine how hard and painful it was to go through all of this knowing he was going to die. I am glad that he was able to accomplish and share what he could with the world because he was definitely a talented writer.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is hard to believe he went through so much grief. His work is so mature for being written at what would be considered an early point in one's life.
DeleteThat line about the handwriting broke my heart too! It’s horrible to think that he was having to say goodbye to everyone he cared for so early on in his life. Lines like that showed just how deep that devotion and love went in Keats’ heart.
DeleteI like the stuff Keats has written, and I can appreciate it even more knowing that it is being written in the final years of his life. If I was him, there would be no way I could have the motivation to do anything as profound as Keats. It is certainly tragic how Keats died so young, yet I think he knew what was coming since he says in his letter that "it runs" in his "head" that he "shall... die young." Some of his family members died when he was young so it is like a bad prophecy. Tragically, I think he came to terms with the inevitable because in his "Ode to a Nightingale" he writes that he has been "half in love with easeful Death" also while considering the fact that the poem opens up with a rather sad and defeated mood.
ReplyDeleteI also like what Keats has written, and I agree that it seems like Keats knew that he would die young and was able to come to terms with it.
DeleteKeats lived a life full of death, having to deal with his parents' death, his brother's death, and then his own impending death. I think that all of this led to him developing appreciation for all of the things that he could experience in his life. Plus, it caused him to view things in new, interesting ways. Ode to a Nightingale shows him appreciating nature in a way that other people hadn't, using synesthesia to describe the imagery in the poem, and Ode on a Grecian Urn shows him appreciating art on an urn. These odes show Keats fully appreciating the beauty that he saw in life. These also seemed to show Keats coming to terms with his approaching death. In Ode to a Nightingale he expresses the desire to fly with the Nightingale, as well as his desire for an "easeful Death" (Keats 833).Additionally, in contrast with his mortality, he describes the things in his poems as immortal, calling the Nightingale "immortal Bird" (833) and describing how the urn and its art will last "for ever" (836). In his last letter, it seems that he has mostly come to terms with his death, but he seems to struggle with the idea of leaving behind the people that he loves since he can't write to his siblings to break the bad news to them. Although he had a lot of experience with death in his life, it caused him to appreciate the beauty in the world and allowed him to describe it beautifully in his poetry.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your description of Keats. I agree that he had a true appreciation for everything that he still had in life. Rather than giving up and being miserable, Keats took the time to admire and comment on the beauty that still surrounded him.
DeleteKeats’ life was unfairly cut short after a lifetime of tragedy and misfortune. His poetry is gorgeously contemplative and intensely emotional. Of the poems we read, my favorite was When I Have Fears, due to its illustration of the change in perspective that allows one to let go of fear of failure. I thought the line “I have a habitual feeling of my real life having passed, and that I am leading a posthumous existence” was especially relatable, as life after trauma can feel like a life where you are constantly out of place. It sounds like he was dealing with a significant amount of survivor’s guilt, which is often seen in those who survive natural disasters. I also think it is very telling that in his last letter, he describes having delayed writing to a friend because he was “anxious to send him a good account of [his] health.” This breaks my heart— the poor man only wanted to bring good news, even as he was dying.
ReplyDeleteThe sentence regarding a posthumous existence really stood out to me as well, and it made me feel even worse for Keats. It really was a grim reminder of everything that he endured in his short life, he deserved better.
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ReplyDeleteI like Keats and feel very bad for him. Not only did he watch disease take the life of many members of his family, but he also grew up knowing that he would one day be in their position. It is especially painful to have read his last letter and know that he “could not bear the sight” of a dear friend’s handwriting. The dread that must come with leaving so many loved ones sounds haunting. I have no doubt that death lurking over his head is just part of what made his writing so fantastical. With a burden as large as death, his mind had to always be stirring. I really like that he considered not only the human condition, but also the world around him. He found inspiration and new life in things as small as a nightingale and an urn, and then found a way to make those simple things so beautiful in writing. Keats carries an eloquence and perspective that I very much appreciate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the dread of dying influenced his thoughts and probably made his poetry more imaginative and eloquent. It must have been truly difficult for him to write when it not only pained him to open a book but also the fear of giving bad news or communicating with close friends caused him to isolate himself.
DeleteI think Keats drew an unlucky lot in life. He watched his close family members succumb to tuberculosis and knew that he was going to die from it also, adding mental anguish to his already debilitating condition. According to his letter, he was really struggling at the end of his life, so its really remarkable that he produced such great poems. In them, he grapples with the fact that he will die soon. He called both the urn and the bird, which represented nature, immortal, and he wanted to fly away with the bird and escape the fact that he was destined to die. Additionally, the line where he states he was "half in love with easeful death" seems quite realistic considering how he described his condition in the letter. I thought it was cool he slipped this thought that does not seem to have any exaggeration or poetic spin on it, in a poem mostly about a bird and his imagination.
ReplyDeleteKeats' entire existence just seems tragic. He was clearly a very thoughtful person and used his writing to mourn his lack of a life well lived. I honestly enjoyed all of the poems, although I had to read an analysis for the "Ode to a Grecian Urn" in order to truly understand his thoughtfulness. Keats was extremely intelligent for someone so young and inexperienced in life. I agree with everyone that his last letter was enlightening. The fear that "we shall all die young," while heartbreaking, drove Keats to create absolutely incredible poetry. Keats' poems were full of wisdom, but his last letter reminds us just how young he was. He told Brown that he "summoned up more puns... in a week" than any other time in his life; the sense of humor that Keats maintained kept him young.
ReplyDeleteKeats seems like the archetype of the lonely artist. Except instead of making mediocre paintings, he crafted brilliant poems and bent words and their meanings to create beautiful works of poetry. I actually really liked the poems that we were assigned. The Ode On a Grecian Urn was my favorite work of Keats that we read because of its perfectly detailed imagery. Although Keats had such a relatively short life, his ability to describe images and scenes seemed to be almost beyond what someone could write without experience.
ReplyDeleteCoupled with the fact that Keats was constantly surrounded by death, it is easy to see how he is not repulsed by the idea of a gentle passing. He is antiquated with the idea and the process of death so his relationship with the concept is much different than the average persons. This unique relationship is likely where Keats' ideas on death and time originate.