FUTILITY by Wilfred Owen Summary This poem, written just before the end of WW I, reflects a soldier’s desperate hope that his comrade is not dead. He gives instructions for his fallen comrade to be moved into the sun, reasoning that the sun is associated with awakening and growth – life. Finally, in three questions, the speaker accepts the soldier’s death with despair and bitterness. As the title ‘Futility’ indicates, the action of putting the dead man in the sun is useless. Faced with the consequence of war, the speaker questions whether life itself is in fact ‘futile’. Why was life ever created, if it must end in such a death? Themes The value of life The futility of war Form A line-count reveals 14 lines – but there is no resemblance to a sonnet in any other way. It is almost as if Owen has set out to shake and bend the expected sonnet form, as a reflection of his own views and ideas being shaken. The scheme of half-rhyme that Owen often uses is present here; but it appears in every second line, rather than in couplets. For example : sun/ once ; once / France ; unsown / snow / know. With ‘snow now’ Owen uses eye-rhyme: the words look the same but don’t sound the same. All these effects create a rather uneasy unity – there is rhyme, but it is not obvious, and sometimes it isn’t there at all. This once more reflects the turmoil of emotions and ideas in which Owen finds himself. The rhyme scheme is also broken at line 8, halfway through the poem. However, the sense of the poem doesn’t change here – again, the poem is just as shaken as Owen
Transcript
FUTILITY by Wilfred Owen
Summary
This poem, written just before the end of WW I, reflects a soldier’s desperate hope that his comrade is not dead. He gives instructions for his fallen comrade to be moved into the sun, reasoning that the sun is associated with awakening and growth – life. Finally, in three questions, the speaker accepts the soldier’s death with despair and bitterness. As the title ‘Futility’ indicates, the action of putting the dead man in the sun is useless. Faced with the consequence of war, the speaker questions whether life itself is in fact ‘futile’. Why was life ever created, if it must end in such a death?
Themes
The value of life The futility of war
Form
A line-count reveals 14 lines – but there is no resemblance to a sonnet in any other way. It is almost as if Owen has set out to shake and bend the expected sonnet form, as a reflection of his own views and ideas being shaken.
The scheme of half-rhyme that Owen often uses is present here; but it appears in every second line, rather than in couplets. For example :sun/ once ; once / France ; unsown / snow / know.
With ‘snow now’ Owen uses eye-rhyme: the words look the same but don’t sound the same. All these effects create a rather uneasy unity – there is rhyme, but it is not obvious, and sometimes it isn’t there at all. This once more reflects the turmoil of emotions and ideas in which Owen finds himself.
The rhyme scheme is also broken at line 8, halfway through the poem. However, the sense of the poem doesn’t change here – again, the poem is just as shaken as Owen feels. This feeling is emphasised by the punctuation in lines 9 – 11, where the lines are broken and jerky.
Poetic techniques
Metaphor: ‘Was it for this the clay grew tall?’ (l.12) – clay is a metaphor for the stuff of which we are made – not literally, but figuratively so, connected to nature and the earth. Both ‘seeds’ (l.8) and the ‘cold star’ (l.9) are ‘woken’ and the ‘earth’s sleep’ is broken – inanimate things compared to something living.
Personification:The sun is personified throughout the poem in an extended metaphor. Its nature changes with the speaker’s mood, from ‘gentle’, ‘whispering’, ‘kind’ to ‘fatuous sunbeams’ (l.13) that is working with no purpose. Note that the sun is referred to as ‘he’ but simply given human qualities.
Assonance: ‘home ... unsown’(l.3) – the long vowel sound emphasises the loss, as the fields will remain unsown; ‘rouse him now’ (l.6) – the repetition of the long vowel sound reinforces the futility of their attempt (to save the comrade) ‘now’ – he can never be roused again.
Consonance: ‘Woke, once, the clays of a cold star’ (l.9) – the ‘o’ in ‘once’ soundslike ‘w’; ‘c’ in ‘once’ is an ‘s’ sound. The past tense is emphasised in the repeated sounds ‘Woke once’, while the words of the line are all joined together in the repetition of the k- and s- sounds.
Antithesis: The word ‘hard’ in l.11 means difficult. However, it could also mean ‘stiff’ or ‘cold’. The juxtaposition of ‘still warm’ with ‘too hard to stir’ (l. 11) is a poignant expression of the speaker’s realisation that nothing can help his dead comrade.
Symbolism: ‘fields unsown’ (l.3) are literally farm fields waiting for crops to be sown; figuratively, they symbolise the future – a future that this dead soldier cannot now experience.
Rhetorical questions: The speaker asks a series of questions. To the first, he must answer ‘yes’, acknowledging that his comrade is dead. This leads him to question the meaning of this man’s life: did he grow up only to die? If he must answer ‘yes’ to this, as he certainly must, he is led to the final, most despairing question of all: why was earth ever ‘woken’ to life ‘at all’?
Choice of words: Look carefully at all the endings (of each line) to find examples of Owen’s half-rhyme. For example: ‘seeds’ (l.8) are woken but ‘sides’ cannot be; the ‘cold star’ (l.9) came to life, but limbs are too hard to ‘stir’(l.11).
Tone: Initially, the tone is one of care and hope; as the speaker adds examples to try and convince himself that the sun might waken his comrade, the tone turns to desperation, Finally, with the realisation that he (comrade) is indeed dead, comes the bitter questioning of why his life, or any life, ever began in the first place.
Contextual questions
Easy
1. List the two places the soldier has been woken by the sun, in the past. (2)2. Match the word in Column A with the meaning in Column B. There is only one answer per letter.
3. Refer to line 12: “Was it for this the clay grew tall?” Explain the meanings - in their proper context- of the words in italics. (3)
4.1. What does it mean to “break” someone’s “sleep”? (1)
4.2. What figure of speech is Owen using here? (1)
4.3.Earth’s sleep was broken, but the ‘sleep’ of the soldier cannot be broken. Apart from ‘sleep’ what other connection is there between earth and the soldier? (2)
Challenging questions
5. Refer to lines 1 – 5 and quote : 5.1. two words which convey “hope”. (2) 5.2. a single word which introduces “doubt”. (1)
6. Do you think the speaker knows his comrade is dead at the start of thepoem? State your choice and support your answer by referring to the title and lines 1-5. (6)
7. Outline (what is) the speaker’s argument in lines 8 – 11? (4)
8. The mention of France, which was the site of many WW I battles, is the onlyreference to war in this poem. Discuss how the poet achieves his anti-warmessage without mentioning war itself. (4)
Essay Question
9. Carefully explain the full meaning of the title “Futility”. In an essay of 250 – 300 words refer to :
The action that opens the poem The poet’s subsequent view of the soldier’s life How this makes him question creation in general. (10)
Londonby William Blake
Summary
Blake’s poem on England’s capital city, London, written in 1792, at the time of the Industrial Revolution, paints an horrific picture of a society in which all Londoners were trapped by poverty, exploited by the government of William Pitt and infected by terrible diseases like smallpox. The wealth was in the hands of the rich minority and this left the poor of London dispossessed. The streets are ‘chartered’, meaning owned, even the river Thames is ‘chartered’, indicates that it too is owned by the rich. Here, political attitudes imprison and enslave the poor, keeping them in ‘mind-forged manacles’ (l.8). This is the London of enforced child labour, when chimney sweeps, mainly small children, were sent out to clean the chimneys of the richer people, which is s serious accusation against the churches who were meant to protect them. This is also the London of the child prostitute, whose cry makes a mockery of traditional church-sanctioned marriage. Soldiers die by the orders of monarchs and governments who do not care for them.
Themes
Human suffering is everywhere and is nowhere more pronounced than where the rich prey upon the poor.
The injustices of inequality is something that can stir the emotions of any thinking human being.
The young have always been victims in cruel systems that support unequal laws.
Form
The poem is written in four quatrains with alternate lines rhyming. It is a lyric poem. It is written in the first-person, from the perspective of a concerned observer. It is a protest poem. Repetition reinforces the rhythmic quality of the lines. The hopeless trudge of the London poor beats out a rhythmic tattoo,
measured in phrases like, ‘In every voice, in every ban ...’ (l.7)
Poetic techniques
Metaphor:‘mind-forged manacles’ (l.8) a terrifying comparison between handcuffs (manacles) and the sufferings/burdens that bind humans.
Alliteration: ‘hapless soldier’s sigh’ (l.11) Impossible to read fast, here Blake forces the line to be read slowly, carefully, thoughtfully ...
Oxymoron: ‘marriage-hearse’ (l.16) an ironic placing together of two words that are out of place. A marriage should be a time of celebration, but it is also a time of mourning because marriage is mocked / shamed by the existence of child prostitutes.
Hyperbole: ‘Blasts’ (l.15) a deliberate exaggeration highlighting the terrible injustice done to young women who are forced into prostitution.
Metonymy: ‘church’ (l.10) and ‘palace’ (l.12) refers to the responsibility of religion and the monarchy for the suffering of the London poor and sending soldiers off to war. ‘Marriage-hearse’ (l.16) the hearse carries the dead and so is associated with sadness and tragedy.
Choice of words: ‘chartered’ (l.2) means belonging to someone, an Englishman ie all Englishmen. Ironically is also means to limit or curtail, suggesting that the use of the streets and the Thames was limited or reserved for a select few. The word ‘ban’ (l.7) reinforces the idea of prohibition. The word choice suggest pain, suffering and death.
Repetition: ‘marks of weakness, marks of woe’ (l.4) repetition of ‘marks’ is emphatic (for emphasis); London’s poor are marked with the visible signs of disease and misery. The use of the word ‘marks’ has a biblical sense, reminding the reader of the Beast from Revelations or the mark of Cain.
Tone and Mood: The tone is angry. Blake attacks the political situation of the day with great passion. The mood however is deeply depressing with morbid images of suffering and death.
Contextual questions
Easy
1. Describe the London of William Blake. List FIVE points. (5)
2. Refer to line 4: ‘marks of weakness, marks of woe’ 2.1. Name the poetic device or technique used in this line. (1) 2.2. Comment on the effectiveness of the device. (2)
3. From the poem, pick out FIVE words associated with suffering. (5)
4. Explain why the soldier would be ‘hapless’. Hapless : unfortunate, unlucky, ill-fated, miserable etc (1)
5. Match the word in Column A with the meaning in Column B. There is only one answer per letter.
A. chartered (l.2) 1. dirties B. forged (l.8) 2. restriction C. blights (l. 16) 3. RestrictedD. ban (l. 7) 4. Created 5. Tearful (4)6. Refer to stanza 2 and say whether this statement is TRUE of FALSE. Give a reason for your answer.
‘The poet is a disinterested observer as he walks through the streets of London.’ (2)
Challenging questions
7. Give a full account (explanation) of the suffering of the poor of London. (5)
8. Refer to line 8: ‘mind-forged manacles I hear’ 8.1. Name the comparative figure of speech (poetic technique) used here. (1) 8.2. Comment on the effectiveness of this figure of speech. (2)
9. Explain the irony implicit (implied) why the chimney-sweeper’s cry wouldappal the blackening church. (1)
10. Comment on what is implied (indirectly stated) by ‘midnight streets’ (l.13). (2)
Essay Question
11. Write an essay of 250 – 300 words commenting on Blake’s tone and diction. (10)
In Detentionby Chris van Wyk
Summary
This poem, which exposes (and mocks) the behaviour of the South African Police in apartheid South Africa, is an example satire. It fits into the protest poetry category and ridicules the official reasons given for the deaths in detention, usually the opponents of the ruling party of the time. Commonly these deaths were blamed on suicide or natural causes. The title sets the scene, but does not clarify that the poem
is specifically about deaths in detention. The poem looks like a list of statements – causes of death in detention. The first three reasons are initially plausible, but in case the reader has missed the implications, they are repeated. Thereafter, their content is jumbled and the resultant combinations become increasingly absurd, so that the thinking reader must question the validity of what is stated. If one examines detailed records of deaths in detention, one finds that these first three reasons are actually stated officially as causes of death of certain political prisoners. However, one also discovers that the injuries were not always compatible with the given cause of death. By jumbling the causes of death and creating ridiculous statements, the speaker exposes the atrocities of police brutality in apartheid South Africa, and leads one eventually to wonder at the validity of any statements made by the authorities at the time.
Themes
Police brutality Attempts to blind people to reality Absurd human behaviour Human cruelty to fellow man.
Form
Poem is written in free verse: unrhymed lines; irregular line lengths It has a simple structure – a list of the causes of deaths, such as might appear
in official records The lack of punctuation reinforces the idea of a list Every line, although differing in length, has the same structure: ‘He fell ...’, ‘He
hanged ...’, ‘ He slipped ...’.
Poetic Technique
Satire:The whole poem is a vicious satire, attacking the regime of the day, using the absurd statements they made regarding events under their control, which they tried to pass off as the truth.
Climax: A climax of absurdity in the last line, as the juxtaposition of the different lines increases in absurdity. By the last line, one cannot be in any doubt as to the poet’s intent.
Choice of words: Very simple words are used so that the meaning is absolutely clear to everyone.
Repetition: Whole lines are repeated in the first six lines, but the order varies: line 1 becomes l.6, l.2 becomes l.4, l.3 becomes l.5. This is followed by further repetition, with variation of content. The content of the first three lines is jumbled to create absurdity.
Tone: Underlying an apparently simple list of facts is a tone of horror, disapproval, condemnation, and even disgust.
Contextual questions
Easy
1. Refer to the title of the poem. 1.1. Supply the missing words derived from the word ‘detention’.
People who were in detention were called ...1.1.(a)... and they were ...1.1.(b)... by the security police of the apartheid government. (2)
1.2. Learners at school may be given detention as a form of punishment. Where, do you think, does the meaning of the word ‘detention’ comefrom? (3)
2. The poem does not state why people were detained during apartheid. 2.1. What sort of people do you think were detained like this? (2) 2.2. What was the purpose of detaining them? (2) 2.3. Traditionally, what cultural group or race did the security policebelong to? (3)
3.1. Which causes of death in the poem do you find credible (believable)? (3)3.2. Which causes of death do you find the hardest to accept? Give a reason for your answer. (3)
4. Supply another word for ‘piece’ of soap. (1)
5. In lines 2, 4 and 7 the word ‘hanged’ is used and in lines 9, 12 and 14, ‘hung’ is used. 5.1. Which is grammatically the correct one? (1) 5.2.Use the other form in a sentence to show you know how to use it. (2) 5.3. What do you think the poet might have been trying to achieve byusing the one form incorrectly ? (2)
Challenging questions
6.1. Which stated cause of death is self-inflicted? (1)6.2. Supply one word which would describe this type of death. (1)6.3. Why would the authorities have been happy to label a death like this? (2)6.4. How might the security police have tried to excuse the other deaths? (2)
7. Explain why it can be said that this poem could be satirical. (5)
8. Would you say these prisoners were really criminals? Give a reasonfor your answer. (2)
9. Why do you think the poet chose not to make the title of the poem moreexplicit (clear)? (2)
Essay question
10. In diary form, create two entries written by a prisoner in detention in an apartheid-era prison. Your answer should 250 – 300 words. (10)
Rugby League gameby James Kirkup
Summary
In this 20-th century poem, the speaker expresses his views about the game of rugby. He is a spectator at a rugby match played by ageing players. It depresses him to see these overweight, balding, out-of –place men, with their traditional striped socks and blue shorts. He feels he should be watching younger men playing an heroic game, their bodies toned, their youthful spirits not yet tamed by marriage, raising children, doing the washing. He sees that what these older men do on weekends is to try to escape their humdrum lives and to recapture their youth.
Themes
Men try to find their lost youth by pursuing the same activities they excelled at in their youth.
It is somehow ridiculous, absurd and sad that older people go on doing the same things; much like mutton dressed a lamb.
All people yearn for a lost youth. Domestic obligations take over the lives of all people eventually.
Form
The poem is written in free verse, with four stanzas of six lines each. The poem is orderly in structure and has the feel of a monologue, the poet
seeming to be having an intimate conversation with the reader, or thinking aloud.
Poetic techniques
Allusion:‘Spartan freedom’ (l.8) is an allusion to the Spartans of Ancient Greece who lived their lives simply and by strict discipline. The allusion works well as schoolboys from all boys boarding schools of the past would be able to identify with the description.
Alliteration: ‘a gay/ and golden age ago’ (l. 21/22) gives the feeling of sentimental and nostalgic worship of the past. The words have an eloquent ring.
Paradox & Irony: There is a paradox implicit in the golden age when boys were men; then these men were really boys trying to be men; now they are men trying to be boys once more. This situation is also ironic.
Sarcasm: The poet’s attitude towards Rugby League is much the same as he feels about all sport: he thinks sport absurd.
Symbolism: The ‘pram’ and the ‘spin drier’ (l.17) represent, or are symbols of married life and domesticity.
Rhetorical question: ‘Is all this courage really necessary?’(l.8) – the question is asked tongue in cheek, almost sarcastically, of no one in particular.
Synecdoche: ‘the cap’ (l.12) is a part representing the whole: the cap represents the team; it is part of the insignia.
Choice of words: The choice of words like ‘noble’ to describe youth; ‘Edwardian’ to describe stockings (socks); ‘Spartan’ to describe freedom, is quite spare, summing up in broad strokes entire concepts or periods, but the allusions do challenge the reader. Kirkup’s poetry is for the thinking reader who is prepared to make an effort. The choice of words mocks the ‘old school tie’ mentality. Phrases like ‘good, clean fun’ (l.9), ‘back, back to the days’(l.19) suggest the bonhomie of boys having fun together,
Repetition: ‘back, back’ (l.19) is repeated, reinforcing the idea of the journey these old boys make to recapture their youth. The ‘back’ appears four times through the poem, making it quite clear what the old boys are trying to recapture.
Tone / mood: Ironic, sarcastic, disenchanted, disillusioned – from time to time, the speaker expresses disdain/disgust when talking about the ‘fat knees that ought to be heroes’ (l.6), suggesting that it would be far more appropriate to be watching strong, young men on the sports fields, than these old men.
Contextual questions
Easy
1. Describe the Saturdays that these men spend together. (5)
2. Refer to lines 15-16 : ‘Groping their blind way back/ to noble youth’ 2.1. What are the men trying to do? (1) 2.2. Explain the effectiveness of ‘blind’ and ‘groping’ in this line. (2)
3. Identify a rugby term in stanza 2. (1)
4. What words in stanza 3 identify these men as married men? (3)
5. Match the word in column A with one synonym in Column B
6. Refer to stanza 3 and say if this statement is TRUE or FALSE. Give a reason for your answer.
On Saturdays the wives go to watch the county teams play league games. (2)
Challenging questions
7. Comment on the physical attributes of the men that make them unsuitedfor the sport. (3)
8. Refer to lines 21-22: ‘a gay/ And golden age ago’. 8.1. What are the connotations of the words ‘gay’ and ‘golden’ in the contextof the poem? (2) 8.2. Identify the tone of these lines. (1)
9. Do you find the actions of the men silly, ridiculous or natural? Support your answer with a good reason. (2)
Essay question
10. Discuss the poet’s attitude to the Rugby League players. Write your answerin an essay 250 – 300 words. (10)
Old folks laugh by Maya Angelou
Summary
This 20-th century poem focuses on the unusual aspect of old people’s behaviour. We don’t usually associate loud, unrestricted laughter with older folks. However, spending a lifetime pleasing others, behaving in socially acceptable ways – ‘simpering’ (l.2); ‘holding their lips this/ and that way’ (ls.3-4) and having collected their share of frown lines (ls. 5-6) – they are now free to behave the way they choose. They no longer have to worry about their bellies, as most of us do, but can now allow them to ‘jiggle’ (l.7) as they laugh or move, almost to a rhythm, like a tambourine. Their laughter spills over, like a flood of water, and age offers them a privilege of being as loud as they like. Their unrestrained laughter allows us in turn to laugh with them (rather than worry about them). They know that there have been both good and bad times in their lives, but seemed to have developed a balanced outlook. Although now hampered by some of the problems of ageing, like ‘dribbling’ (ls 16-17), and their necks may be too feeble to support their heads (ls 18-19), they are rich in memories, all of which they treasure. They are able to choose which ones to share and which ones to keep to themselves. As a result, they are able to laugh heartily, accepting what life offers them and what must ultimately happen to them – death. We are given a different perspective on death. These folk are able to view it positively, a promised release from pain and suffering, and, as result, they are not bitter about any aspects of the lives they have lived.
Themes
Ageing Acceptance of circumstances Having a positive outlook on life Confidence and privilege of age to behave as one wishes
Form
The poem is written in free verse, with minimal punctuation. There is no division into stanzas. The lines are very short but there is some variation of length. There is no introduction – the subject is tackled immediately. The placement of words is significant : ‘their laps’, followed by a space (l.20),
allows you to imagine the memories they savour (enjoy).
Poetic techniques
Simile: ‘their bellies jiggle like slow/ tambourines’ (ls 7-8) – their bellies are being compared to tambourines, (which shake almost musically).
Metaphor: ‘their laps/ are filled with memories’ (ls 20-21) – as they might hold a child or pet on their laps, encircling them with their arms and protecting them from the threats of the outside world. This also suggests that they sit down a lot, as old people tend to do, as a lap is formed when one sits.
Personification: ‘the promise/ of dear painless death’ (ls 22-23) – death is almost seen as a friend who is valued by them, regarded as ‘dear’, and is able to promise them release from pain and suffering.
Alliteration: ‘slowly, slyly’ (l.13) – the repetition of the sl-sounds slows the pace and one can imagine them turning, slower now with age, as they remember privately things they might not want to share.
Onomatopoeia: ‘heads wobble/ on brittle necks’ (ls 18-19), gives one a sense of their shakiness and vulnerability. The line division also helps with this image.
Choice of words: The diction is simple, merely describing ordinary people. Enjambment: The frequent run-on lines are effective in suggesting the
continuation of life, continuous movement / action that is natural to people – see ls 3-6, 9-11, 13-15, 16-17, 18-21 and 22-25.
Mood: In the final lines, there is mood of acceptance of the inevitability of death.
Contextual questions
Easy
1. What typical human behaviour is portrayed in the first four lines? (2)
2. If their ‘bellies jiggle’ (l.7), what do you think they look like? (2)
3. Name TWO things old people feel free to do, as opposed to younger People. (2)
4.1. Give a not-so-polite colloquialism /synonym for saliva. (1) 4.2. Give a polite synonym / euphemism for saliva. (1)4.3. Explain why ‘saliva glistens in/ the corners of their mouths’ (ls16-17). (2)
5.1. Write down a synonym, from the first few lines, for exhausted or used up. (1) 5.2. What do you think these old folks have exhausted or used up? (1)5.3. What do you call ‘brows’? (1)
6. State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE. Give a reason for your choice.
The old folks in poem remember their lives in a positive light. (2)
Challenging questions
7. In what way do old folks ‘free the world’ when they laugh (l.12)? (1)
8. Refer to lines 9-10: ‘The hollers/ rise up and spill’ 8.1. What poetic technique (a sound device) is used here? (1) 8.2. Explain, as clearly as possible, the image created in these lines. (2) 8.3. Explain why the poet’s choice of the word ‘spill’ is effective. (2)
9. Give your opinion, supported by a good reason, of the following statement :
The poet depicts a totally positive image of old age. (2)
10. Find an indication in the poem that one’s body loses its strength as one grows older. (2)
Essay question
11. In an essay of 250 – 300 words, and using information from the poem, clarify the following:
Old folks’ behaviour that is conventional ie expected, fitting etc Old folks’ behaviour that is self-indulgent or disregards social
conventions. (10)
Sonnet 30 : When to the sessions of sweet silent thoughtBy William Shakespeare
Summary
This typical Shakespearean sonnet is dedicated to a high-ranking young man. We are still not sure who this young man was, but we do know that Shakespeare felt great affection for him and dedicated his first 126 sonnets to him. It has been speculated that he served as Shakespeare’s patron. In this sonnet, the speaker is meditating on past events, and often finds himself bemoaning lost opportunities. In addition, the regret he feels for past failures, makes him sad. He mourns friends who have died, loves he lost, and time he has spent grieving in the past. As he works through all the causes of grief in his life, he mourns them anew. He acknowledges, however, after wallowing in his past sorrows, that when he turns his thoughts to his beloved friend, to whom this sonnet is dedicated, and whom he addresses in the couplet, he is able to cancel out all past sadness and to end his mourning. Having taken into account of the losses in his life, he is able to recognise his assets – the affection of a good friend.
Themes The human tendency to dwell on past losses and miseries. The value of friendships. The power of friendship to overcome all woes. Meditating on and giving an account of events in one’s life. Regretting past errors. The effects of time on memory. The ability of memory to re-awaken old emotions. The negative effects of self-absorption. The beneficial effects of focusing on external factors.
Form It is a traditional Shakespearean (Elizabethan) sonnet : 3 quatrains plus a
rhyming couplet. The main argument, theme etc are presented in the three quatrains. The conclusion or resolution is presented in the couplet. The rhyme scheme is traditional : abab cdcd efef gg.
Poetic techniques Metaphor: “For precious friends hid in death’s dateless night” (line 6) – this
suggests that the friends are hiding as if in a game, but then the implication is that they will reappear.
Apostrophe: “But in the while I think of thee, dear friend ...” (line 13) – the friend is present only in his thoughts.
Alliteration: “death’s dateless night” (line6) – the repetition or emphasis on the d-sound slows down the pace and draws our attention to it. There are many other examples – see lines 1, 4 and 7, as well as repetition of certain words, see – “grieve at grievances” (line 9) and “from woe to woe” (line 10).
Assonance and Consonance: “from woe to woe tell o’er” (line10) – the repeated oe-sound and w-sound create the sense of weeping.
Antithesis: “with old woes new wail” (line 4) – past griefs are very much part of his present life, it still bring fresh, new tears.
Ambiguity: “ ... tell o’er” (line 10) – refers to either telling a story or to counting, both of which he is doing here. “The sad account ...” (line 11) – again refers to either relating a story or an account in bookkeeping terms, which reflects profit and loss, and on which he is reflecting on in his life.
Hyperbole: “Then can I drown an eye ...” (line 5) – suggests overwhelming grief, too much tears can drown an eye !
Euphemism: “death’s dateless night” (line 6) – death is seen as something temporary, like night passing ie not as something serious or permanent.
Climax: After recounting all his woes (griefs) the speaker starts to reflect on his beloved friend. The “but” (line 13) in the couplet marks this shift in his thinking and serves as a kind of climax.
Diction (choice of words): The speaker uses many accounting terms: “waste” (line 4), “cancelled” (line 7), “expense” (line 8), “tell” (line 10), “account” (line 11), “pay ... paid” (line 12), “losses” (line 14), all of which emphasise a sense of loss or waste. The speaker also uses legal terms: “I summon up ...”(line 12) – there is a sense of guilt about the waste of emotional energy spent on dwelling on past mistakes.
Mood (tone): In the first 12 lines (3 quatrains) the mood is pessimistic/gloomy as he recalls old griefs but this mood gives way to optimism/hope in the rhyming couplet.
Easy questions
1. In one sentence express the point of the sonnet. (2) 2. Mention two things which causes the speaker to sink into depression. (2) 3. Say if the following statement is true or false. Give a reason for your answer. The speaker tended to be a tearful type of person. (2) 4. Quote a line from the poem that shows that the speaker continues to suffer as a result of past or old events. (2) 5. Write down three words or expressions which deal with time. (3)
Challenging questions
6.1. Each of the three quatrains deals with a distinct thought/idea. Summarise in one sentence per quatrain, each of these thoughts. 3x2=(6) 6.2. Bearing in mind the speaker’s main concerns in the first three quatrains, explain why the couplet is such a powerful conclusion. (2) 6.3. What is the tone of the couplet? (1) 6.4. Explain why the word “But”, at the beginning of the couplet, is such a powerful start to the line. (2) 7. Identify the progression in the sonnet from the past to the present, by
selecting three conjunctions (joining words) which show this progression. (3) 8. What impression do you get from the sonnet about the speaker’s attitude to his constant grieving? Use evidence from the poem. (3) 9. Essay Question: Refer to line 6:” For precious friends ... dateless night” This line contains several figures of speech. In an essay of 250 – 300 words, give a definition of each of the figures of speech listed below and then explain how the line may be regarded as an example of:
Alliteration Metaphor Euphemism
In summary, explain how the speaker would obtain comfort from the thought expressed in line 6. (10)
When I have fears by John Keats
Summary
Keats was a talented young poet in the Romantic era who was consumed by the fear that he would die before he could fulfil his creative potential (poetry). In this Elizabethan sonnet, written when he was only 22, Keats expresses his distress that he may not achieve his three greatest desires.Firstly, he is afraid that he will die before he is able to write down his many ideas. Secondly, he dreads running out of time to experience the wondrous mystery of nature and gain spiritual inspiration from it. Thirdly, he is dismayed that he may never experience the magical power of passionate love that does not need to be constantly pondered or thought about. His final declaration is made when he contemplates the moment of death: he realises that in the face of death, he is utterly alone and that fame as a poet and earthly love ultimately mean nothing.Keats died of tuberculosis (TB) three years after he wrote this sonnet. So, he was correct in predicting that his life would be cut short far too soon.
Themes
Mortality Artistic creativity (writing poetry) Magic and mystery of nature Love
Form
The poem is an Elizabethan sonnet. The poem is actually one long sentence. Each quatrain begins with an
adverbial clause of time : “when I have fears ...”, “when I behold ...”, “when I feel...” and the main clause containing the explanation :”then ... I stand alone”, is at the end. This clever structure creates tension and suspense.
Each quatrain discusses one of Keats’ overwhelming fears. These three concerns are separated using semi-colons at the end of each line. The rhyming couplet contains his answer that qualifies all the “when” statements.
Keats breaks with convention by beginning his closing response half way through line 12 rather than at the beginning of line 13, creating a sense of his aspirations being cut short.
Poetic techniques
Simile :”high-piled books hold ... like rich garners” (l. 3) – the books he’d write are compared to filled grain stores (silos). In other words, his books would store all his thoughts.
Extended metaphor: The entire first quatrain makes use of a farming metaphor: “pen has gleaned”(l. 2) –his pen is the harvesting tool; “teeming brain”(l.2) – his mind is full of thought / ideas just as a field is full of grain; “full-ripened grain” (l. 4) - these are his countless ideas he’d like to express in his poetry. The use of the words “full-ripened” (l.4) also implies that he desires time for his ideas to grow and mature.
Personification: “night’s starred face...” (l. 5) – Keats compares the stars in the night sky to a beautiful, shining face. Typical of Romantic poets, Keats appreciated the beauty of nature and saw it as suggesting a hidden spiritual realm.
Alliteration: “wide world” (l. 13) – describes the moment of death. The long w-sounds of the alliteration emphasise the vastness of eternity and contrasts with the very short amount of time Keats senses he has left to live.
Diction (choice of words): The rhyming couplet has many long vowel sounds – “shore”, “wide”, “world”, “alone” – which slow down the pace of the poem and help to create a mood of desolation; the word “cloudy” (l. 6) suggests that nature hints at a hidden spiritual world that is mysterious and unclear; the word “magic” (l. 8) implies that there is something amazing and unexpected to be found in the experience of tracing the stars’ shadows, especially if this experience is one of “chance” (l. 8) rather than predetermined destiny. Many people believe that our “destiny” or “fate” has already been decided by the stars which were in the sky when we were born. It could be that Keats is challenging this belief.
Address: In the third quatrain, he directly addresses the lady he is infatuated with, telling this “fair creature” (l.9) that he feels despondent when he considers that death will stop him from delighting in the joys of intense love.
Tone: While the tone in the last two and a half lines may appear despairing, it can also be argued that he is actually celebrating the fact that worldly strivings are not as important as capturing the magic of the unseen realm suggested by nature. As a Romantic poet he believed that poets have a special gift for communing with nature and gaining inspiration from it. If this spiritual gift is eternal and does not sink to “nothingness” as “love and fame” (l. 14) do, then the tone of these lines could be seen to be hopeful, even triumphant !
Easier questions
1. State what Keats mean by “cease to be” (l. 1). (1)2. Keats is not afraid of death. What is it that he is really afraid of, according to quatrain 1? (2)3. Choose the correct answer from the options below. In lines 5-8, what does Keats fear he may not do: A. Never see these magical things. B. Never write about magical experiences. C. Name take chances with magical things. D. Never feel these magical things. (1)
4. Identify the figure of speech in line 5. (1)5. Refer to line 9: “fair creature of an hour” 5.1. Explain in your own words what Keats mean by these words. (2) 5.2. What is Keats afraid he will miss out on when he thinks about the “fair creature”? (2)6. Refer to line 10: “That I shall never look upon thee more”. What feeling or emotion (tone) does Keats express in this line? (1)7. What does the word “faery” (line 11 – fairy) suggest about the power of passionate love? (1)8. Refer to the couplet (last two lines) and say if this statement is true or false. Give a reason for your answer by quoting from the poem. Keats affirms that two of his desires are not as important as he first thought they were. 1+2=(3)
Challenging questions
9. Explain the significance of the title. (2)10. Refer to the first quatrain (lines 1-4) in which Keats uses a farming Metaphor. Match the description in column A with the word from the poem in column B which best explain this metaphor. (4)
11. Refer to line 3: “high-piled books in charactery” 11.1. What does the archaism (old English) “charactery” mean? (1) 11.2. Describe why you think “charactery” is such an effective word to use in the context of this quatrain. (2)12. Lines 7 and 9 start with: “And”. What effect does the repetition of this word create? (2)13. The word “chance” (l. 8) can have two meanings. Discuss how Keats uses both its meaning to add to the impact of this poem. (4) 14. What is the purpose of the dash in line 12? (1)15. What is the tone of the last two-and-a-half lines. Give a reason. (2)16. Essay : Comment on the effect of the use of the many adverbs (of time), for example :”when”, “before”, “never”, “then”. In your essay of 250 -300 words, consider the following points:
Keats’ fears How the use of these words add to the tone or mood. The cumulative (collective) effect of these words. (10)
In this poem, the speaker expresses sympathy for the members of the poorer classes in the London of his time. By close reference to the diction, imagery and tone used in this poem, discuss the above statement in an essay of 250–300 words (about ONE page).
Autumn by Roy Campbell
The Wild doves at Louis Trichardt y William Plomer
Sonnet 30 : When to the sessions of sweet silent thought by Shakespeare
November 2013:
When I have fears ... by John Keats
Lake morning in autumn by Douglas Livingstone
Futility by Wilfred Owen
March 2013
London by William Blake
Autumn by Roy Campbell
The wild doves at Louis Trichardt
When to the sessions of sweet silent thought by Shakespeare
November 2012:
In detention by Chris van Wyk
Old folks laugh by Maya Angelou
Autumn by Roy Campbell
March 2012:
Lake morning in autumn by Douglas Livingstone
Futility by Wilfred Owen
London by William Blake
November 2011
An abandoned bundle by M. Oswald Mtshali
The wild doves at Louis Trichardt by William Plomer
Rugby league game by James Kirkup
When to the sessions of sweet silent thought by Shakespeare
