John Keats "Ode to a Nightingale"

Un. John Keats, the speaker and the author of this heart wrenching poem, seeks out the company of the Nightingale because it calms him. It creates some hope in the poor man’s soul and moves him in such a major way. This small bird brings an illuminating discovery of happiness within Keats which he probably has not felt for so long. Keats has a great epiphany because of this bird. If it were not for the singing creature, he may have chosen to “sleep” rather than to remain “awake.” The bird brought back comfort in his life for the first time in a while and most importantly, the bird saved him. So it is no wonder why Keats continued to seek out the presence of this bird.

He records his life changing experience in the form of an Ode because that way it means more, displays more emotion. It would not make sense to present Keats experience in a simple structured poem because that would not parallel his discovery in the words nor would it satisfy his grim feelings towards life. This beautiful Ode draws the reader in more effectively and creates a more real impression of what Keats was dealing with. No great aspect of a person’s life, especially not an epiphany like Keats’, should be displayed in a simple manner because life itself is never simple.

Deux. Clearly this is a romantic poem seeing as it holds so much emotion. This poem fits into the romantic era perfectly because much like the visual art movement, the work holds deeper meaning, expression and is nothing like a traditional or “normal” piece of art. Also, it is quite evident nature (a characteristic of romanticism) is very significant and holds great meaning in this poem. This is true poetry filled with deep metaphors, many of which I can not quite pick apart but still, I feel Keats and understand him more and more each time I read his work. Never could reading this poem become boring. In romantic art, you can always be looking for more clues, more meaning getting closer to understanding exactly how the author or artist was feeling.

Trois. Keats so effectively displays his sorrow and heart ache in the first stanza. He clearly states, “My heart aches” at the very beginning. He is blunt in saying that, using no rhetoric, but that in some sense is a very effective opening because it clearly displays his life situation and provides us with insight for the rest of the poem so we will be able to more clearly understand Keats and his deep, hidden meanings. Keats shows his audience how important the nightingale is to him through many carefully placed metaphors. For at least three stanzas, Keats speaks of “the Queen-Moon…on her throne,” whose “brain perplexes and retards” and through those metaphors, he proves the significance of the bird that has no worries or concerns which Keats admires. One method Keats uses to emphasis his epiphany at the end is alliteration. When read aloud, the last two stanzas flow so well because of phrases like, “perhaps the self-same song” and “still stream.” Funny enough, the phrase “still stream” contradicts itself in this epiphany because it moves the poem along. So the alliteration allows for the two stanzas to be read more quickly which makes the epiphany seem more exciting and real. Keats has created so much opportunity to look deeper into his poem through the use of rhetoric and that is why this poem is such a great example for the romantic era.