A thing of beauty

A THING OF BEAUTY BY JOHN KEATS

1. A THING OF BEAUTY BY- JOHN KEATS

2. ABOUT THE POET John Keats was born in London in the year 1795 and died in Rome in 1821 at the young age of 25 due to illness (tuberculosis). He is a romantic poet and his poetry is characterized by sensual imagery in his most popular work which is a series of odes -(a lyrical poem which is meant for a particular subject). Today, his poems are one of the most sought after creations in English literature. The above given poetry is an excerpt from his poem, - Endymion : A poetic Romance-(1818), considered to be an epic poem.

3. BACKGROUND OF THE POEM ‘A THING OF BEAUTY’ Based on Greek mythology about a shepherd named Endymion , his quest for his love Diana and how in his quest, he falls in love with an Earthly maiden, who later turns out to be Diana herself.

4. A thing of beauty is a joy forever Its loveliness increases, it will never Pass into nothingness; but will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. Bower: A shady place under the tree

5. The poet says that beauty stays forever. It never fades away. It etches an indelible mark on the screen of our mind. Rather, it increases with the passing time and gives us the same happiness whenever it flashes as a memory. The perception of the poet regarding beauty is that it never goes off with the passing time, rather it beautifies more and more. For the poet, beauty is like a beautiful shady tree under whose shade all the creatures can sleep peacefully and enjoy good health.

6. LITERARY DEVICES: rhyme scheme: aabbc (forever, never, keep, sleep, breathing) Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of two words which are close in series (Sleep-Sweet) Metaphor: bower Quiet (calmness of the bower is compared to the calming effect of a beautiful thing)

7. Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing A flowery band to bind us to the earth, Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth Of noble natures, of the gloomy days, Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways Made for our searching:

8. yes, in spite of all, Some shape of beauty moves away the pall From our dark spirits. Morrow: The following day Wreathing: surround, encircle Despondence: depressed Gloomy: sad

9. The poet says that every day, it is the beauty which fills us with the spirit to live. It is the beauty which builds the desire in us to live though there are sad moments and cruel people around us. So here the poet wants to say that without beauty the earth will be full of cruel & selfish people, sad and gloomy moments. It is the beauty which is created by God which helps us to remove the sadness from our hearts. Made for our searching: The negativity is for exploring the darker side of the world and make a choice what we want to be and what we need to avoid.

10. LITERARY DEVICES: Anaphora: Use of same word in two consecutive lines (of noble natures- Of all the unhealthy) Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of two words which are close in series (‘b’ in Band Bind, ‘n’ in Noble nature, ‘s’ in some shape). Metaphor: wreathing a flowery band (the beautiful things of our life bind us to the earth) Imagery: creating a sensory effect of beautiful things lined up in a string ( A flowery band to bind us) inversion: normal order of words is reversed ( Are we wreathing a flowery band)

11. Such the sun, the moon, Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon For simple sheep; and such are daffodils With the green world they live in;

12. Boon: blessing Rills: a small stream Brake: a thick mass of ferns / process to slow down Covert : an area of thick low bushes and trees where animals can hide

13. and clear rills That for themselves a cooling covert make ‘ Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms;

14. Here the poet describes the beautiful things which are present on earth. These are the sun, moon, trees, flowers (daffodils) and the rivers. Poet says that all these things are like a blessing bestowed on all the creatures by earth. He further describes that the trees provide us with their shade, flowers with their beauty and rivers with their coolness during the hot summers. All of these are the beauties of nature which are like a boon for us.

15. Literary devices: Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of two words which are close in series (‘s’ in Sprouting Shady, Simple sheep, ‘c’ in cooling covert) Imagery: Trees giving shade (sprouting shady boon), growing process of daffodils (daffodils with the green world they live in), Clean river streams (Clear rills) Antithesis: opposite words placed together (old and young)

16. And such too is the grandeur of the dooms We have imagined for the mighty dead; All lovely tales that we have heard or read; An endless fountain of immortal drink, Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink

17. Grandeur: high rank or socially important Mighty: enormous Immortal: never dying Brink: edge fountain of immortal drink : source of inspiration

18. The poet further carries on with the description of the more beautiful things present on earth. such as the beautiful musk roses which have such a nice fragrance. Then he describes the tales of the mighty warriors who laid their lives for their countries or for humanity. He says that these beautiful things are the gifts from god for all of us. They are like a nectar given by god to us and these are those beauties which are immortal and give us a reason to live on this earth despite having so many sorrows in our life.

19. LITERARY DEVICES: Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of two words which are close in series (‘h’ in have heard) Metaphor: Immortal drinks ( beautiful objects of nature are forever like a never-ending portion of a drink) Rhyme: Rhyme scheme is used in every stanza of the poem (forever; never, keep; sleep, dead; read etc.) Imagery: Bushes full of musk roses (sprinkling of fair musk rose blooms), books describing valour of fighters (grandeur-..mighty dead), god providing us with best things (pouring from the heaven’s brink)

20. What does the line, "Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth suggest to you? It means that we get attached to the beautiful things around us and weave a pretty band which binds us with our life, it becomes the reason for us to live.

21. What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings? The eternal beauty of various things gives us happiness and relaxation. It makes us love life inspite of life's troubles and sufferings.

22. Why is grandeur associated with the - mighty dead? The noble deeds of the brave men who sacrificed their lives are an inspiration for us forever. The beautiful legacy of their bravery is the grandeur which is associated with the mighty dead.

23. Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting impression on us? According to the poet, a thing of beauty is a joy forever. Even if we see it for a few moments, it has a lasting impression on us and its beautiful memory stays with us forever. It inspires us to live, despite the ruthlessness of life.

24. What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth? The beautiful bounty of the earth is described by -endless fountain of immortal drink- which signifies that God bestows us with all his beautiful creations which help us live despite the sad, gloomy aspects of life.

25. THANK YOU