when i have fears i cease to be Flashcards
(8 cards)
context
the poem was written in january 18181 around the time of toms death.
letter to reyolds
“i cannot exist without poetry, eternal poetry”
summary of the poem
the speaker expresses his fears that he will die before he has the opportunity to accomplish his work. he has so much he wants and possibly little time to put his thoughts on paper. the thought that he might die young and not experience beauty or love makes him feel desolate contemplating the ‘nothingness’ the certainy of annihailation and with it the elimation of his fears
structure of poem
shakespearean sonnet-meter is fairly strict iambic pentometer. For the whole poem the rhyme schee would be ABABCDCDEFEFGG the choice of form tends itself for the melodramatic
“when i have fears that i may seem to be/ before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain/ before the high-piled books”
“cease” relates to death but also completely fading out of existence, relates to his fears of dying young and his fears of transcience. “pen” writing poetry, creativity “gleaned” gathering grain for harvest, “teeming” fertility” constructs metaphor of a ‘fertile’ imagination which is full of ideas, fears dearth will prevent him from making them into poetry. the extended meaphor of harvests, keats appears to be harvesting ideas but fears about preamture death
“huge cloudy symbols of high romance”
“high” elevated cestrial romance, unrealistic expectation for love and life not looking for love in the people around him but love in the heavens. escapes notions are presnet in the poem.
“never hae relish in the farey power/ of unreflecting love”
“feary power” magical and wonderfu;l genrally like fairies-supernatural-love doesnt really exist. “unreflecting love” the pain of unrequited love, thrown into “unreflecting” love relates to the idea of unfilling love reflects his ideas keats premature death
“then on the shore of the wide world i stand alone, and think till love and fame to nothingess do sink”
now he takes a step back and takes in the wide world-romantic move, speaker goes off to contemplate nature releaises his fears are petty and small escepcially in the scope of the outside world “think” “sink” rhymping couplet emphasies desperation and loneliness.
