Hi, AP kiddies!
This blog post is based on your personal connections (not online) in making sense of "When I Have Fears" and "Mezzo Cammin." Study these two poems and discuss your response to the prompt, reflecting on the similar concerns of the poems, considering comparing and contrasting elements, and identifying poetic techniques that are used by Keats and Longfellow. Be sure to be thorough and thoughtful, and you are welcome to respond to your classmates. I'll be grading you on your specificity and detail with your discussion; I'm not looking for a "correct" answser. However, you will use this discussion to prepare you for further work with these two poems. Happy blogging. :) This is due Tuesday, 1/24, at 7:25
Hi everybody!! When I first read these poems i didn't really such much difference, both poems were about death and the regrets that people have before death. I took it as people having their mid life crisis in these poems. After reading both poems a few more times the differences realy began to jump out at me. First of all, "When I Have Fears" gave me the impression of being less hopeful than "Mezzo Cammin". The first poem was about dying and missing someone that you had in your life. In the end of the poem the line "Never have relish in the faery power" really jumped out to me. I took that section as the author of the poem saying that he did not realize how much his love and significant other in the poem really meant to him until the end where he could no longer see the person or have their love. "Of the wide world i stand alone, and think Till love and fame to nothingness do sink" I interpreted this line as tha author realizing that he would be alone so long that love and fame would no longer mean anything to him. The first poem overall was very depressing and left no hope for the end of life for the author. The second poem, however, was encouraging and hopeful at the end. The first part of the poem talked about how half of his life was over, and I interpreted this as his desire to complete unfilled dreams or aspirations. Through the next few lines of the poem, I realized that the author was talking about focusing on other things in his life rather than on his dreams. Near the end of the poem, the lines become almost hopeful. The author seems to be content with what he has done in life, but he is still afraid of death. "The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights." was a line that really stood out to me. I felt that he was saying that death was still far away and that there was still time to complete the dreams and goals that he originally had. Although these poems had many differences, they were ultimately both about the reality of death and looking back on your life. They both held the message of regrets and past hopes. I really enjoyed both poems :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with those who are saying that these to poems are mainly speaking about death. Both poems present heavy details in word choice and tone that it is a rather sad occasion. In both, "When I Have Fears" and "Mezzo Cammin" the authors are reflecting on their previously "lived" lives, and are contemplating choices and actions that they have seemed to let slip out of their reach. Although similar in the motif of death, the two works have a somewhat different "feel" to them. "When I Have Fears" seems to have a much more dramatic and over all sense of doom to it as where "Mezzo Cammin" has a rather "it is what it is" feel to it; in my opinion. I find it interesting that two poems, written about the same topics can be displayed through word choice and tones to have relatively different meanings to them. In Keats' poem the lines "when I have fears that I may cease to be" the reader really sees the fear and worry in the authors thoughts. He is fearing the very thought that he has let his life slip away from him. And in Longfellow's poem the lines, "...Of restless passions that would not be settled" the reader sees that yes, the author is frightened he has not fulfilled his life, but there really isn't much that can be done now and he is forced to cope with it. Overall, while both poems having a similar motif of death, either author express his own outtake and representation on the situation.
DeleteI agree with Ashley and would like to expand on her idea. In the first poem "When I Have Fears" the speaker seems to be much more spiritless and dejected. I believe this comes from the absence of the possibility of a worthwhile future that the second poem "Mezzo Cammin" suggests. Both poems express regrets of the pasts. In "When I Have Fears" the speaker focuses more on the fears of not being able to express himself -"Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain," and of leaving his loved one -"That I shall never look upon thee more." These fears are reflected again at the end of the poem when the speaker remarks "Till love and fame to nothingness do sink" meaning the speaker wallows in these fears until he gives up on these ambitions. I also got the impression that the speaker believes that his death and everything else that happens to him is fate by using words such as "the magic hand of chance" and "faery power" as if these forces are mystical things and uncontrollable. Keats also uses much more decorated language when compared to the author of “Mezzo Cammin.” His use of many adjectives enhances the meaning to his words and gives them a greater importance. For example, “high-piled books” becomes a much greater disappointment in the view of the speaker than if it was just a few books that he didn’t fill.
ReplyDeleteThe second poem, however, starts off more positive than the first by saying “half” of the speaker’s life is over, and there is another half in which the speaker “may accomplish yet” his goals. The speaker in “Mezzo Cammin” also has positive things to say about his past in that his regrets do not come from his, “indolence,” “pleasure,” or “passions.” The speaker in this poem is most certainly more hopeful that he will turn his life around and complete what he wants to. The poet’s use of the word “autumnal” suggests that the speaker’s life is like that of the seasons. He is currently in autumn and is approaching death (what I assume to be the end of winter). However, his death is “far thundering from the heights” meaning it is still in the far distance. Longfellow uses simple words and metaphors in this poem compared to the fanciful language of the first. I believe this makes the second poem more relatable and easier to comprehend.
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ReplyDeleteIn the first poem, I saw the speaker as someone who is not ready to die because he still has to accomplish things and allow himself to be "ripen'd" and fully bloom into himself and who he wants to be. The "high-piled books" resemble everything that he wants to accomplish, yet, for now, those things have not been opened nor have been reached. Also, beginning at line 6, I believe that the speaker has never been able to experience love and wants to feel it before he dies but he is concerned that love may never happen for him. "And think that I may never live to trance" reveals that exact message from the speaker. "Trance" is obviously a description for the love-struck feeling someone gets when they are in love and that line reveals that he is insecure about finding someone. I also believe that the "unreflecting love" that the speaker describes shows that he is willing to love someone before he dies, but he has not met anyone who will return the favor. Therefore, he is convinced that he will "stand alone" in the world until he dies - where such things as "love" and "fame" disappear.
ReplyDeleteIn the second poem, just like the previous speaker, this speaker has also not accomplished everything that he has wanted to. However, he takes it in a different approach by not worrying about death approaching him. Instead, by saying that death is in the far future ("Death far thundering from the heights,") he recognizes that he still has time left in his life to accomplish these goals. So, instead of just sitting there and saying "I'll give up because I know I'll never meet my goals" he is more hopeful and realizes that there is a bright future and enough time to reach that future.
After reading the poems, I agree with Ashley and Nina that the second poem has a much more desperate light than that of the second poem. The second poem is still hopeful and somewhat light-hearted, while narrator of the first poem seems to have lost all hope in their life. ALthough both reflect on death and the desire for death, the second poem still says "half my life is gone." By stating this, the reader recognizes that the narrator still sees some hope for life. The poem is a reflective of the narrators past, all the mistakes the narrator has made. But, the poem suggests that he will keep living and try to correct his mistakes. "When I Have Fears" displays a kind of person that gives up all hope when things get hard. Saying "I stand alone" and "fame to nothingness do sink." These lines give the reader an almost emo vibe, and shows the hopelessness of the narrator. "Mezzo Cammin" reminds me of the surge of happiness a suicidal person feels right before they commit suicide. The moment when a person finally decides to end their life, studies show that one of the biggest giveaways is a short patch of unexplainable happiness. This poem is a referral to the desire to die, but it is not sad about it. The poems are alike because they both desire death, but "When I Have Fears" desires it because it is hopeless, and "Mezzo Cammin" accepts death with peace and comfort.
ReplyDeletethis is Kendall Mores by the way,I dont know why is wont display my name
DeleteSo I agree with everyone that they both talk about death, but that "Mezzo Cammin" is more hopeful than "When I have Fears." In "When I have Fears" the author is depressed that he lived such an unsatisfactory life and didn't accomplish everything he wwanted/had the capacity to. He uses the simile about the grain to express that. He also talks about love that he never got to experience. His use of imagery when he talks about the cloudy symbols and shadows helps explain that. At the end, he talks about being alone until "love and fame to nothingness do sink" meaning that not until he dies will his desire for love and fame diminish.
ReplyDelete"Mezzo Cammin" also talks about having an unsatisfactory life so far, but he is more optimistc about the future. He is upset that he didn't fufill his childhood dreams of building "some tower of a song with lofty parapet." There was something sad in his life, a "sorrow and a care that almost killed" that kept him from achieving his goals. However the figuarative language he uses when he described his past like a town gives it a positive connotation, mkaing it seem not as bad as it might have sounded. He also describes "the cataract of death far thundering from the heights" making it seem far off and not as soon as in the other poem.
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DeleteI agree with both Nina and Ashley. These two poems express fears for the future, and a longing for the past. For example, in Mezzo Cammin, Longfellow describes his past as a "city in the twilight [...] with smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights". This description gives a home-like and comforting feeling for the author's past. However, this past life has left the author unfulfilled and regretful. I don't necessarily agree that the Mezzo Cammin is completely about death, for when the author is talking about how life has left him unfulfilled he adds a "yet" and the end of the statement implying that there will be a future. The last line does mention the "cataract of Death far thundering from the heights," however, I did not interpret this as the author wanting death, it seems more like a reminder that Death is closer now that his life is half-over.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the second poem does have a much more morbid and depressing tone. The author of this poem fears the nothingness of death as seen in line 1, 7, 10, and mainly 14. He is saddened by the thought of his own death, for he fears that he will be no more, and that he will not accomplish all that he had intended ("before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain.") Around lines 9-12 it seems as though the author is dreading the thought of leaving a lover, his "fair creature of the hour." He directly addresses this "creature", and by doing so just adds more sadness and despair to the poem, for it makes it much more intimate.
Both poems are describing the missed chances in a person’s life to fulfill a dream that this person had during his/her youth. Each of the poems is reminiscing over these lost chances and view the past with a detached longing. For example, in the first poem, the author begins with the line “when I have fears that I may cease to be,” to describe the upcoming end to the speaker’s ability to fulfill these dreams. From then on, he muses upon the past with a romantic and regretful air over the missed opportunities, as when he laments that” [he will] never live to trace [the stars’] shadows.” Not only does he regret his missed opportunities, but he also regrets his upcoming inability to enjoy the pastimes that he partakes in, as when he regrets “that [he] shall never look upon [the fair creature any]more.”
ReplyDeleteThe second poem is in very much the same view as with the first poem. The author regrets his missed chances when he mentions his inability to fulfill the “aspiration of [his] youth.” Again, the author uses a very regretful and depressing tone to describe his missed chances, using words such as “sorrow,”’ “killed,” and the “cataract of Death.” A few differences do exist between the poems, though. Whereas in the first poem the author conveys a complete lack of hope at his inability to complete his dreams, in the second poem the author conveys his hope when he says “kept me from what I may accomplish yet,” implying that there is still a chance that he will still accomplish his dreams.
Both poems primarily use vivid descriptions to convey their purpose of missed chances in life to the reader. For example, the first poem uses very romantic language when he says the “huge cloudy symbols of a high romance” and “fair creature of an hour” to elicit nostalgia from the reader from the time of his/her childhood when the whole world was filled with fantasy and adventures. Also, the second poem is filled with vivid descriptions. The author uses these descriptions, such as “the aspiration of my youth, to build some tower of song with lofty parapet,” to again fill the reader with nostalgia about the reader’s own missed chances in life.
I agree with Danielle about the first poem. In "When I Have Fears" the speaker's tone is more on the desperate side, as if pleading for life because he was not ready to accept that his death was upon him. Saying things like "before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain" and "Before high piled books...hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain" suggest that he has much more to say and does not want to leave it unsaid and he has yet to do everything he wants to fulfill in his lifetime. Although it seems as though the speaker has not felt love, I think that at one point he had someone to love but only for a short time. When he says "I may never live to trace their shadows" it suggests that he will never be able to find another love like his last because he has run out of time. Unlike the first poem "Mezzo Cammin", the speaker realizes that the better part of his life is over and still has hope to achieve his goals and aspirations. Although he accepts that death is nearer than it was he realizes that focusing on what future he still has is better than focusing on his death and worrying about the time he has left. Both poems are for the most part similar except the second is more hopeful than the first.
ReplyDeleteI feel like both poems have a pretty negative outlook on death, however I feel like "When I Have Fears" isn't much less optimistic than "Mezzo Cammin." "Sorrow, a care that almost killed, kept me from what I may accomplish yet" means that he's just now realizing that this is his last chance at life, and he's been holding himself back. And yet, "Halfway up the hill I see the Past," means that even though he's moving forward in his life he can't stop looking back on things that he regrets in his life. He fears that he may not be able to move on and do the things he should with his life.
ReplyDelete"When I Have Fears" is less about death nearing and more about thinking about what he'll miss when he's gone. "Never have relish in the faery power of unreflecting love," etc. He may be in love and thinks that when he dies, he'll miss the person he loves and fears never being able to feel that love again.
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ReplyDeleteI took both poems the same way that Josh did. They both are reflecting on the poet's past and the missed opportunities they have had in their lives. "When I Have Fears" begins with the writer looking back on his early days in the classroom when he was still young in his earlier stages of life. He said "Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain, Before high-piled books..." letting the reader understand that he missed his opportunities at school. He then continues on saying that he missed his opportunities of love when he said, "And think that I may never live to trace [romance's] shadows, with the magic hand of chance." He never opened his hand to give a woman a chance into his life, and he regretted that. "Mezzo Cammin" begins with the writer reminiscing on his past times and the opportunities that he let pass by him, saying "Half of my life is gone, and I have let The years slip from me and have not fulfilled The aspiration of my youth." The writer knew he missed his chances when he was child. Both of these poems were told in a more serious and depressing tone, rather than a cheerful tone because they were despairing about their missed opportunities in the past. The second poem is a little more optimistic because it said, "Half of my life is gone" meaning that he still has the other half to live compared to the first poem.
ReplyDelete"When I Have Fears" and "Mezzo Cammin" are both poems about fear of the future and the inability to complete certain goals and also disappointing individuals. Both speakers have a fear that some projects will be left unfinished, or that they did not live their life to the fullest. In both situations, the speaker is worried that he will die early and not attain all of his youthful aspirations.
ReplyDeleteI think that the first poem focuses on a younger person that is worried they will pass away before they have reached adulthood, and they have experienced life. That they will miss out on many opportunities in life.
However, the second poem is centered around a man that has lived most of his life, and is ready to move on. He has let live rush past him and did not accomplish much in life. He is worried that he will not be able to complete his goals before his death, but knows that he will die eventually and will not be disappointed when it does come.
I totally agree with Raeanna. I thought that the first author represented missed chances, and the reality that not everyone chases their dreams as we like to think they do. The speaker from "When I Have Fears" talks about how he is afraid that "[He] may cease to be before [his] pen has glean'd [his] teeming brain," and "Before high-piled books, in charactery, hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain," meaning that he is scared to die before he is able to become famous from his poetry. He mourns the fact that he will never accomplish "unreflecting love," or unconditional love from people who don't have to inspect his works to know and idolize him, which would mean he would have to be very famous to receive that kind of love. However, instead of chasing his dream to be famous, he sits alone and sulks about how he will never become famous. Basically (literally! :)) the poem represents all the people with dreams who do not have the motivation to try to achieve them, in effect, bringing their fate upon themselves.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, "Mezzo Cammin" seems to reveal the hearts of the people who have moved on from poem #1's feelings. They realize that "half [their] life is gone" and that they "have not fulfilled the aspiration of [their] youth to build some tower of song with lofty parapet." This feeling is like that of the first poem, but the connotation seems to be lighter, foreshadowing the more joyful ending ahead. The speaker from "Mezzo Cammin" has moved on from his past and seeks to learn from his mistake, as shown in line 8: "[his past] kept me from what I may accomplish yet." He seems to have learned that although the past may affect your character, who you are is determined by the choices you can still make, not the choices you made in the past.
I pretty much agree with what everyone is saying. The poems are extremely similar because both speakers are looking back on their life and are reflecting on all the goals they have not completed that they wanted to complete in their life.
ReplyDelete"When I Have Fears" is indeed more depressing and more desperate. He seems to be afraid of dying before accomplishing his goals, such as expressing himself ("before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain") and loving someone ("huge cloudy symbols of a high romance"). It does sound as if he has been in love, and now that he fears he is dying, he is thinking about how he will never see his love again ("that I shall never look upon thee more"). Compared to the second poem, it sounds as if this speaker is closer to dying and much more afraid of it happening. The rhyme and imagery and figurative language used by Keats help show this depressing and lonely tone; such as the imagery of “cloudy symbols” and “shadows” and “shore of the wide world” and the simile comparing what he should have done to “like rich garners the full ripen’d grain”.
“Mezzo Cammin” is still talking about not completing goals. However, the speaker is more saying that he is only half-way through his life, and even though the first half of life has quickly gone by, the speaker has not nearly done everything he had hoped to do by this point (“I have let the years slip from me and have not fulfilled the aspiration of my youth”). He is a bit more optimistic, though, because he says that even though he could have done more, it was sorrow that hindered him (“sorrow…kept me from what I may accomplish yet”), and he is only “half-way up the hill” so that there is still time. For him, death is looming but is still “far thundering from the heights”. Longfellow also uses rhyme and figurative language, like metaphors (comparing his past to “a city in the twilight dim and vast”, which is saying that what he accomplished (the city) is small compared to what he could have (the vast twilight).
Overall, “Mezzo Cammin” is more a reflection of his past, while “When I Have Fears” is more his anxiety of dying without fulfillment.
Woopty-doo, two more poems talking about death! Not only death, but love as well. It seems as though almost every poem ever written is about one or the other, but both of these poets are overachievers and combined both elements into single poems. However, its not necessarily a bad thing. I guess those two subjects are what most people have the strongest feelings about, so they are often used in poems.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, both poems are about love and death, but both take different viewpoints on either subject. You see, Keats paints a picture of one thing, while Longfellow weaves a tapestry of another. In the beginning of the poem, Keats is afraid to "cease to be" before he has shared the many insightful thoughts going through his mind. He also says in the last sentence how he feels alone, and thinks of death as a sinking sensation. In contrast, Henry does not really see death as a bad thing, but just accepts it as an inevitability. He says that he is climbing the large mountain of life, and is looking back down on the past now that he is halfway up it. Just saying that it was a mountain implies that he thinks that life itself is a struggle and the ultimate goal is to reach the end, or top of the mountain, and look back on all past accomplishments. However, at the end he does describe death as a roaring waterfall, so he does not really seem to like the idea of death, yet he climbs towards it still.
As far as love goes, Henry barely touches on it. All he says about it is from lines 6 to 8, and he does not seem to care much for it. He thinks that he could have accomplished so much, but love acted as a restraint, keeping him from reaching his full potential so far. He does have hopes of accomplishing what he could have, though. Most of Keath's poem is about love, and not much is about death. He also has lost a love, but wishes that he had it back. Lines 6 through 8 in his poem tell of how he is sad that he will never get to experience love. He also mentions an "unreflecting love," which means that he once loved someone who he thinks never loved him back. In the end, both see love in a negative light, but for different reasons.
Aside from main topics, both authors come out in the beginnings of their poems and say that they feel unaccomplished in life. Keats is afraid to die before he can share his thoughts, while Henry sees himself as halfway through life not having done what he was capable of.
Although both poems are about death and the regret of not haing accomplished life's goals, for me, the speaker of "When I have Fears" was speaking from a much more hopeless and desolate place inside of him. He said that his will to experience to love and fame will never fade away until his death. It seems like the speaker does not anyone to support him in times of weakness and "stand[s] alone." The speaker talks of magic and "faery power" as if they are literal forces that can affect ones life. This, to me, means that the speaker is unable to take life by the reigns and change his fate himself, but rather finds it easier to blame higher powers for his lackluster life.
ReplyDeleteThe poem "Mezzo Camin" starts off with a more positive connotation. The speaker sis life states that only "half" their life is gone,and death is "far thundering from the heights" meaning that it is far away,and although the first half might have been less than successful, there is still hope to do better in the future. It seems like the speaker might have realized his life has been wasted up until now and wishes to learn from the past and accomplish his goals in the future. The overall feeling of hopefulness foreshadows to a positive end in my opinion.
I agree with the idea of the poems being about death and unfinished things in ones life. I also see how "Mezzo Cammin" appears more hopeful as opposed to "When I Have Fears" which seems like the speaker defeated. The line (Which Angel also pointed out) that states the speaker is alone as he is "on the shore of the whole wide world" adds to the whole deflated feeling. This is saying that, to the speaker, there is no one out there that could help him and that he must face this problem alone. The speaker also talks about events which he "may never live to trace" causing regret inside. The feeling of being alone by itself is enough to bring someone down, but add that to the the thought of impending death and a life full of regrets of things that were left undone? That would leave anyone feeling stranded. I would also like to note that this feeling of being stranded and alone is one of the last things stated in the poem. It just ends the whole thing on a sad note.
Delete"Mezzo Cammin", although still about death and things left undone, there are a few instances that leave a hopeful feeling behind. The speaker says that there are many things that he had dreams of his youth that he had never finished and sorrow of a life half over almost kept him from finishing them. Almost."But sorrow, and a care that almost killed, Kept me from what I may accomplish yet.." The word "yet" at the end of that line makes me think that there is a chance that in this last run that the speaker will accomplish the things he left behind. This speaker is stuck in the middle of his life rather than so focused on the end as in the first poem. He says he can see his past and hear the "cataract" of death, yet it is still far away.
I feel like both poems have a message about the future and what will happen, but they have a somewhat different outlook. "When I Have Fears" has a more negative outlook on the future, while "Mezzo Cammin" has a more positive outlook. I interpreted "When I Have Fears" to be about someone who has lost their loved one to death and is now realizing that they will live in loneliness for the rest of their life. I got that from the phrases "That I shall never look upon thee more, never have relish in the faery power" which is saying that someone has died and the speaker will never see them again, and "of wide world I stand alone" which is the speaker realizing what the rest of his/her life will be like. The speaker of this poem has lost someone they love and is not looking foreward to the rest of his/her life. The other poem, "Mezzo Cammin," has a more positive outlook on the future. The speaker of this poem is saying that half of their life is gone and and they haven't fulfilled their hopes and dreams, but the speaker finishes up the poem by looking back at what he/she has accomplished in life and is satisfyed with what they have done. This is shown in the lines "half of my life is gone...with lofty parapet" and "half-way up the hill...autumnal blast." The speaker also knows that death is coming ever closer, but he/she is still frightened of death. This is shown in the last line "the cateract of death far thundering from the heights."
ReplyDeleteAs I finisheed these two poems, I have come to the realization and also through the use of previous posts, that I agree with the notion that these two poems are refering to death and what has been accomplished up to that point. Yet, it is in my view that I believe the poem "Mezzo Cammin" has a more postive outlook on death as compared to "When I Have Fears". Offcourse, these poems carry a neagtive perspective of what has yet to come, but it seems as in "Mezzo Cammin" the speaker refers to a second half of life as a posotive thing which can lead to accomplishments. This half carries the possibility of success.
ReplyDeleteIn "Mezzo Cammin" the speaker refers to the first half of life as being the bottom half of the hill. the speaker says, "Half Way up the hill" meaning half way through life. The speaker describes the first half of life as being, "A city in the twilight dim and vast." This better explains the, in what I believe to be, the lack of success the speaker accomplished. Yet, the speaker carries with him/her dreams or "aspiration of my youth".The speaker has not accomplished these dreams, due to "sorrow" and "care that almost killed". This can be a refernce to the speakers fear to enlight others about success ideas he carries along with him, such as business ideas. Yet, he is scared of his dreams/ideas being shot down and killed. But the speaker desribes the second half of life, which has yet to come. The speaker describes it as a "autumnal balst". When I think of fall,I tend to think of the falling leaves. In this poem, the blast of fall would cause leaves to disperse amongst the fresh air. I see these leaves as oppotunites that the speaker has a chance to recieve. As for "The cataract of death far thundering from the heights" I believe that the cloudiness of death is far off from the "Heights" therefore, the speaker has plenty of time to create success and opppurtunity for himself and complete his dreams.
As for "When I Have Fears" I view this to be more negative. I belive the speaker is proclaiming no matter what he accomplishes before death, it will amount to little or nothing. When the speaker claims, "When I feel, fair creature of an hour, that I shall never look upon thee more" the speaker is saying that the creature, which I believe to be death, is upon him. He will not judge thee, or himself.He will accept death and feel nothing about what he/she has and has not accomplished. The speaker then goes onto say,"Then on the shore of the wide world I stand alone, and think till love and fame to nothingness do sink" Here I find that the speaker feels what he has done and has not done, will be forgotten. Especically with the use "stand alone" I believe this refers to him as being one being in the big picture of things or "wide world" Also the use of "nothingness do sink" refers to the speaker, that once he has passed on, he will be nothing and forgotten. That is why I think this poem contains a more negative view of death and life's oppiortunities that have not been accomplished.
I also agree with Nina that the speaker in the first poem speakers from a hopeless mindset, that the remainder of his life will also be filled with regret.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to me that the speaker feels there is no change of change and I wonder is it possibly because of the fact that no one has ever been with him to help him through rough times he's been froce to deal with.
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ReplyDeletewait this isnt the right blog im extremly sorry if its found inapproprite i just looked off of what other people posted so that it look like i read the poems but i guess this was the wrong class cause i jsut realized im not in ap
DeleteI have no clue who the above person is, but it sounds like they have some problems. Anyway, both "When I Have Fears" and "Mezzo Cammin" deal with what a person expects to happen to themselves in the future. "When I Have Fears" has a more dismal outlook on what's to come. This is seen through "I shall never look upon thee more", which I believe means the speaker has lost something/someone and is unable to ever see them again. There is also the fear of being alone without this person/object, which is shown through "Of the wide world I stand alone." A major fear when a person gets older is having to deal with the lonliness that will come from the deaths of the people close to him/herself. "Mezzo Cammin", on the other hand, is about a person looking forward to their future and to what they will accomplish. The speaker says that they have not accomplished everything that they have wanted to yet in their life, which is why they are holding death far from them. They consider life a hill in which a person is able to look back and reflect on their life. The speaker is able to do this, and sees the "city in twilight dim and vast, With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights." All of the descriptions of the city represent the accomplishments/misadventures that the person has gone through in their life. Overall, the speaker is happy with what they have accomplished, but wish to accomplish more before death. In simple terms, both poems look to the future, but the readers have different outlooks as to what will come for them as they progress further on into their life.
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DeleteIn both poems, the speaker is reflecting on things in his life that he hasn't accomplished yet. They both acknowledge that they will die, but they seem to think of death in two different ways. In "When I Have Fears," the speaker is afraid of dying young. He is afraid of being cut down in his prime like "full ripen'd grain." He is also afraid that he won't be able to reach his full potential "fame", or fall in love. In "Mezzo Cammin" however, the speaker is just coming to the realize that he is growing older and is already "half-way up the hill" of life and has not accomplished as much as he thought he would by this point, but he is hopeful that he "may accomplish [these things] yet." He is both reflecting on past events " a city in the twilight, dim and vast," and at his future which includes the "the cataract of Death."
ReplyDeleteBoth poems revolve around the fear of dying, though each have a different tone. The poems start out with pessimistic and negative views on life, but half way through "Mezzo Cammin" the speaker has a slightly more optimistic tone while "When I Have Fears" stays constisant with it's negative connotations. In the first poem, the speaker is such a Debby Downer and has no positive outlook on death. He says that he fears he will never see his love again and "never have relish in the faery power of unreflecting love", which is depressing already but adds on to this by saying that love is not really that important and unconditional when he states "and I think till love and fame to nothingness do sink".
ReplyDeleteIn "Mezzo Cammin", I'm actually inspired by the speaker. He starts out by saying that he regrets the past that he hasn't "fulfilled the aspiration of my youth". It's not regrets of things he did not do but possibly of what he did do since it is "not indolence, nor pleasure" but of "sorrow, and a care that almost killed". So he possibly could have done something he so deeply regrets that he almost took his own life "care that almost killed". Even after all this, the speaker is able to look at his past in a positive light. He sees the Past beneath him and his description of the city is not a nasty and polluted city but "a city in the twilight, with smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights". It gives the reader a homey and peaceful mental picture of the city. This means he sees his past in a positive way even though it may not of been the best. He alludes to death, but I get the feeling he is not too worried about it since the waterfall of death is "far thundering from the heights" and not anywhere near him at the moment.
So both poems are about death but each poet has a different outlook on it.
While both poems are about death and the loss of love, the two authors take a very different standpoint on letting go of life. Both of them have dreams and aspirations they have not filled. While Longfellow believes he can turn this around Keats is left alone and hopeless.
ReplyDelete“When I Have Fears,” by John Keats is a very depressing outlook on the end of a person’s life. I do not believe many people are satisfied with what they have accomplished by the end of their life because it is so easy to dream yet so hard to achieve. At this point in Keats life he has basically admitted defeat and given up. Line 8, “with the magic hand of chance;” shows just how difficult it is to make love work; it seems as though he has suffered through a failed relationship (“unreflecting love”) and was not loved back. He is now left alone to face the end of his life and his failed accomplishments. He is afraid to die while he still has so many things to say. He wants to achieve fame and love through his poetry however he realizes these aspirations will die with him and never be achieved. Imagery is the most prominent in the success of this poem. The image of the shadows, the stars in the night’s sky, the clouds, and the “shore of the wide world” really help to give the poem a dark, lonely feel.
“Mezzo Cammin” in contrast is optimistic from the get go. “Half of my life is gone,” is showing that Longfellow still has another half to complete some of his goals. He realizes that the years that he has missed out on his aspirations are not caused by laziness or a lack of motivation (“Not indolence”), but by a failed relationship (“But sorrow, and a care that almost killed”). It seems that Longfellow has come to the realization that he still has time to turn things around and to let his heartbreak go. This poem is kind of like his realization that his life is not over yet and he still has time to chase some of his dreams from his youth. He is not ready to give up and accepts that eventually death will come but is going to make the best of the time he has left. Longfellow uses rhyme to give his poem a steady meter and to keep it constantly flowing. The poem has no drag which helps give it more of a hopeful optimistic tone. He also uses metaphors like the hill of life, and the city of the past. This helps the readers connect with the progression of his life and greater understand his goals to continue on in his journey.
Although both poems reflect on similar concerns, John Keats and Henry Longfellow appear to be on different levels when confronting their concerns on death. Keats in "When I Have Fears" speaks as though he is at the end of life, "on the shore" and "standing alone" compared to the perspective taken in "Mezzo Cammin" where the speaker seems midway in his life, "half-way up the hill." Keats describes his fears of the nothingness of death, how even "love and fame" will no longer have meaning. Longfellow however seems somewhat more optimistic and while looking back, also hears the "death far thundering from the heights" showing that truly death is not near yet. Another interesting aspect of "Mezzo Cammin" is that it examines the speaker's past, the disappointment and "sorrow" of things not accomplished. Keat's "When I Have Fears" does not examine the past or what the speaker has accomplished in his life but rather what lies ahead, and all the unknowns of death. The similarities of these poems lie in the fact that both speakers seem to be searching "relishing" for something more. Keats speaks about the power of love and Longfellow the aspirations of his youth, both significant goals or accomplishments that enable a person to feel complete and whole, something neither speaker seems to have accomplished.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though these poems, though similar in the idea that they both are acknowledging death, I feel that they both have different feelings about it. I believe that John Keats is much more accepting of his death and does not hold all that much regret toward his life ending. Though, Keats is depressed that his pen has not, "glean'd [his] teeming brain," he is reflecting simply on how he has not been very successful as a poet throughout his life. Whereas Mr. Longfellow does reflect more on his entire life, and regrets a pretty significant amount of it. He has not yet reached the, "aspirations of his youth," he has not built that perfect poem. He has also let, "[his] years slip away from him." I believe that Longfellow regrets much more of his life than does Keats. Also, I believe that in Longfellow's poem, he is not really close to death, though. He says he hears the sound of death, "far thundering from the heights." This means that Longfellow may still have some time to accomplish his goal, though Keats has now been standing close to the shore, and if the water symbolizes death, then he is VERY close. He talks about love and fame sinking, which I took as regardless of if you love someone or are very famous, you still will die regardless. In a quick search, it says that Keats did not find himself Christian, which I feel is highly significant. Christians believe that when you die, you meet your significant other and the rest of the "good people" in heaven, but Keats makes it seem as though he feels regardless, everyone just "sinks" and dies without any sort of afterlife.
ReplyDeleteThough both Keats' and Longfellow's poems both revolve around death; they each take a different view point on the topic. In his poem, Longfellow reflects on what he has not done in his life, "the years slip from me and have not fulfilled". He regrets not taking chance and fears death may come too soon; before he can accomplish his dreams. Keats on the other hand really focuses on his lack of romance and fears he will be alone until death, "of unreflecting love;-then on the shore of the wide world I stand alone". In Longfellow's poem death is something that he fears but is not yet near, but for Keats it is a close reality. But, both poems reflect on what they have not yet experienced and the fear of dieing without knowing what the accomplishment of their dreams feel like. While one longs for passion and the other youthful aspirations; the two share the feelings of want and knowledge of accomplishing these things.
ReplyDeleteI agree that both poems are centered around the possibility of death coming soon. They are similar in the way that both authors are not ready to die because there are things they still have left to do. I do though notice a difference on how they are reflecting on their lives. Keats is speaking of what he still wishes to do or to accomplish before he dies. Meanwhile, Longfellow is bringing up his past, and what he has already done and regrets.
ReplyDeleteI can't say anything that hasn't already been said. Two poems, reflecting on unfulfilled hopes and dreams. However, while most people view the poems as laments over lost chances, I think that they are fears for the future. "When I have fears that I may cease to be/Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain" sounds like the author is worried that he'll die before his dreams are fulfilled, not that it's too late to fulfill them now. Also, "Mezzo Cammin" seems fearful, but also hopeful at the same time. "Sorrow" and "care" kept the author from his goals in the past, but he still has half of his life left to try to accomplish them. The two poems, rather than sad, seem more unsure and worried about the future... which, I suppose, is sad in itself.
ReplyDeleteWhen I had first read both of the poems I instantly thought about how the speaker was reflecting on the parts of their lives that they already lived. With the first poem, "When I have fears", I got the feeling that John Keats was not fully satisfied with the life he has lived so far. When he says “huge cloudy symbols of a high romance, and think that I may never live to trace their shadows,” it made me think that he was scared he was not going to leave a lasting impression on anyone in the world and he would be forgotten when he dies. I also feel at the end when he said “Of the wide world I stand alone, and think till love and fame to nothingness do stink,” was saying that he needed love and fame before he died or else he would be nothing.
ReplyDeleteIn the second poem, “Mezzo Cammin” we are shown in the first few lines that he is reflecting on his life. “Half of my life is gone, and I have let the years slip from me and have not fulfilled the aspiration of my youth” shows us that he is unhappy with how he lived his life and is scared that he will not be able to do anything accomplishing before his life is over. The last two lines where he says “And hear above me on the autumnal blast the cataract of Death far thundering from the heights” shows us that he is thinking about death and addressing it by name. He is fearful that he will die too young and that his death is near.
I basically agree with most of what is being said. Both of these poems revolve around the idea of death and whether the author is fulfilled with his life or not.
ReplyDeleteIn "Mezzo Cammin" I see the author's tone as pessimistic in the beginning. I see him having an attitude that the first half of his life is over with and there isnt anything he can do about it. That is a sorrowful feeling because he knows that there are many things that he could do if he had the chance to change it now. He says that there are "restless passions that would not be still". This also represents a fear in death because it shows that he fears that his entire life he will be worrying about what he hasn't done until he dies. This also is saying that his constant worrying may be the thing that drives him to his death.
The second half of this poem, unlike in "When I have Fears" is a little more optimistic about how the rest of his life will be. Saying that he sees "soft bells and gleaming lights" means that he sees hope that he can accomplish more than what he had originally planned when he was more pessimistic at the beginning of the poem. These two objects are most commonly seen as symbols for happy things. The next reason the second half of this poem contradicts the other poem is that in the end the author states that the "cataract of death (is) far thundering" meaning it is further away and he is not worrying about it as much. At this point the author knows that death is coming for him but he is ready for it because there is a lot he can still accomplish in the last half of his life.
The poem "When I have Fears" is a lot different overall even they are both basically talking about the same thing during each poem. In "When I have Fears" the author is actually in a way begging for death because he believes it will be the cure for all the unfulfillment in his life. In a way he is saying that he cant wait till he stands alone and doesnt have anything more to deal with, and he doesnt have to write any more to please anybody else. His fear of being stricken down when he is young is driving him to go crazy and maybe even want to die.
Overall, both poems focus on the idea of death and how it is inevitable and you never know when it will happen. The author of "Mezzo Cammin" sees death as more of a thing he will eventually have to deal with but for now he will do his best to accomplish a lot, while the author of the other poem is basically letting his fear of death ironically drive him into the grave.
I agree with the idea that Keats is a lot more depressing than Longfellow. Keats is constantly saying that he fears not being able to accomplish everything he wants to do before death. It is almost as if he is the living dead because he is so paralyzed by the fear of death and what will come of it. It is clear that Keats has given up all hope and is just "upon the shore" waiting for his life to end and have everything become "nothingness" and "sink". However, Longfellow is a bit more optimistic about death. The man is clearly halfway through his life, which is said in the title, and he also knows he has "let the years slip" by. But instead of letting the "cataract of death" make him be afraid and unhappy he looks back to "see the past" where he sees all of the good things that had happened to him, not the moments he let slip away. while both poems focused on lost dreams and the fear of death, Mezzo Cammin makes the poems a bit more cheerful by adding in the idea of seeing all of the happy parts of the past as well.
ReplyDeleteAfter I read the two poems a few times, I started to understand that they were not just about death. While both poems are about regrets they are slightly different. The first poem, "When I Have Fears" is more desperate, helpless, and negative the the other one. The speaker sees that,even with all the work he has done, he is not famous. He thinks that because he is not famous, he has not accomplished anything meaningful in his life. This can be seen in the poem when the speaker says, "And think that I may never live to trace." He realizes that he will die alone and he says,"Of the wide world I stand alone." He regrets that he never became famous.
ReplyDeleteThe second poem, "Mezzo Cammin" was much more positive. Although this one is still about death, the speaker sees it much differently. He says at the beginning, "Half of my life is gone, and I have let The years slip from me." This is not hopeless, but just slightly sad and it seems like he is longing to go back into the past to live life more fully. He also says "Though, half-way up the hill," meaning he is still looking forward to the rest of his life.
Oh, and this is Lindsey Krowiarz. I just wanted a cooler name!
I believe that both poems, "When I Have Fears" and "Mezzo Cammin" talk about regrets and fearful experiences in the authors' lives. However, "When I Have Fears" by John Keats, is more optimistic throughout the entire piece. The short, choppy phrasing within the poem makes the reader take the time to process the thought that Keats was saying. On the other hand, "Mezzo Cammin" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was slightly more pessimistic. Longfellow is mourning more for his losses and wallowing in self-pity. "I have let The years slip from me and have not fulfilled" (line 2). This statement seems like a cry out to people to feel bad for him, rather than him saying, "these are my mistakes but I take the blame for them." Also, "Mezzo Cammin" had a much smoother flow. It was an easier read but because of that, some details could have been slightly over-looked.
ReplyDelete"When I Have Fears" ended in a more somber tone then "Mezzo Commin." Longfellow ends his poem talking about the large waterfall of Death far thundering from the heights, this could relate to Heaven as waterfalls are normally a beautiful sight.
Both poems obviously revolve around the concepts of death and coming short of the expectations one had set for themselves at a younger age. The difference between the two poems, though, is how they look back at the life they lived. In Keats' poem, he is upset with the outcome of his life and having to end it "alone." He is so negative and only focuses on the most heart breaking event that happened in his life. The fact that Keats talks about being depressed, rather than some happy memory, may mean he had a rough life, and never meeting a soul mate is the exclamation point to end it. On the other hand, there is Longfellow's poem that is a little more cheerful. Even though he did not reach his goals in life and experienced "sorrow," he is not done living. He "may accomplish" his goals yet, because he is only "half-way" through. He does not just "stand ... and think," as Keats would do, but is still out doing. Then, when Longfellow does think, he does not just let one unpleasant concept occupy all his thoughts, but conjures up the happy times of the past. Even if Keats did have a depressing life, he needs to do something about it, like Longfellow, instead of having a pity party. In the end, death and not reaching one's goals are what both poems are about, but they also illuminate the two natural human emotions that follow people throughout life and determine how they look back at it: sorrow and joy.
ReplyDeleteBoth When I Have Fears and Mezzo Cammin are poems that effectively have the author appraising their life. I got the feeling that When I Have Fears has a more forward-looking mentality than Mezzo Cammin. For one, When I Have Fears uses such present and future words like "may cease to be." The author was worrying about whether or not he would leave some sort of dent in the universe to be remembered by, which is a dilemma that I myself have often contemplated. I can relate because I want to have a larger impact on the world than it has on me. The end of this poem is also very telling, because it seems to imply that even though the author feels and urgency to leave a dent in the world before he is gone, it appears that he fails and success("love and fame") sinks into nothingness and he fails to leave the dent in the world.
ReplyDeleteMezzo Cammin involves the poet looking back at and analyzing his life more than looking forward. The poem uses a hill as a metaphor for the treck through life, and the poet stops half way up this treck and looks back at what he has accomplished, and regrets not having at least attempted to do more with his life. The poem describes a fairly pleasant, albeit modest site when the narrator looks back at his life. Smoking lights, soft bells and gleaming lights don't really have that much of a negative connotation at all. The poem ends with the narrator continuing his trek towards the inevitability of death.
Just as everyone else I found both “When I Have Fears” and “Mezzo Cammin” to have this underlying theme of death and the individuals of the poem not being able to accomplish a goal before death arrives. Each author expressed fear for the future because of unfulfilled dreams. However in “When I Have Fears” Keats expresses the character as young child afraid to die “before [his] pen has glean'd my teeming brain” and before he experiences “symbols of a high romance”. Words such as “cloudy”, “shadows”, “nothingness”, and “unreflecting love” give the poem a gloomy tone just as the words “restless”, “sorrow”, “smoking”, and “thundering” did in “Mezzo Cammin”. Longfellow used much more imagery in order to paint a pict- just kidding:) in order to convey the stress felt by the individual on account of his diminishing time left on this planet. This character in “Mezzo Cammin” was made out to be much older considering “half [his] life is gone”. Despite the age difference both characters have this sense that they have lived/are going to live a life of disappointment and unfulfilled ambitions.
ReplyDeleteThe two poems, "When I Have Fears" and "Mezzo Cammin", have messages of anticipation and anxiety of the future and death. Similar to everyone's posts, I found "Mezzo Cammin" to have a much lighter tone, which made the poem easier to read and left the reader with a small sense of hope that the speaker would end satisfied with his/her life, even though he was timid about the idea. The sense of hope in Longfellow's poem was shown with the line "I see the Past Lying beneath me with its sounds and sights." The speaker associates his past with experiences that he did accomplish and go through. In "When I Have Fears" was much more dark and depressing. The setting or descriptions at the end of the poems were also interesting to me. The first poem continued its darker tone with the speaker alone on the shore in an isolated area, but in "Mezzo Cammin" the speaker was in a city with lights, sounds, and smells. A city, which is filled with people and interactions represents a more positive experience showing the speaker has connections and relationships in life and he is not alone in the world.
ReplyDeleteI definately believe that the common theme here is fear, uneasiness about death. In "Mezzo Cammin" the fear is more hopeful, (if fear CAN be hopeful I guess) than it is in "When I have Fear." In that, the speaker seemed to be depressed because of an unfufilling life. Things didnt seem to pan out exactly the way they wanted, they didnt get the love that they wanted to experience and didnt seem to go anywhere in life like expected as shown in the line "Hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain;" He also mentioned "Unreflecting love" and "standing alone" which implies that he has to love to reflect on, so that would mean that he never had love to begin with. Imagery wise, he mentions clouds which can hide things, but also cool things down from too much heat. So clouds might not actually be a bad thing, but there is definately too many in his life. The last line is pretty sad, "Till love and fame to nothingness do sink," because that basically just says that he wont end his unobtainable desires for love and success until the day he dies. "Mezzo Cammin" is a more optimistic poem from the very beginning. "Half my life is gone." This really just acts more as a statement of fact more than a "oh no Im a failure" type statement. The speaker is also upset that he didnt capture all of his dreams and goals and is complaining about a less than super life. Part of the reason could be because his goals were too advanced and maybe out of his league. "Some tower of song with lofty parapet. " I think that his goal was just unreachable because of something holding him back. As for the writing itself, the images of "With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights.--" are more positive than sad. He also describes his life in autumn, which is not the normal time for death, normally that would be winter, implying he has more time. "the cataract of death far thundering from the heights," would mean that death is definately around him, just as a storm can be heard around you, but it hasnt yet started raining so he has time left. I liked this poem a lot more than the first.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sam that the common theme throughout these two poems is fear, uneasiness about death. Although they sharer this common theme, they use it in different ways. Keats makes the reference that he is alone and and that his life is almost over. He talks of his fear of becoming degrated and living as he did before he went through school. It is almost asif he fears that he will not remember everything he has learned throughout his lifetime. On the other hand, Longfellow takes a completely different approach, and claims that his life is not over, in fact he claims, "half my life is gone." The speaker looks back on his childhood and longs for the things he wasn't able to accomplish, yet wanted to. Although "Mezzo Cammin" has a depressing tone to it, there is a hint of optimism. The speaker claims that he/she is still far from death and the inference is made that this fact will allow the speaker to accomplish what has currently been impossible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone who has said these poems have an anticipation for death. Even though they share this common theme, they both differ in the ways they feel about death. Keats is better able to accept death, but only wishing he was "full ripened grain." Keats also reflects on an absence of love in his lie "Till love and fame to nothingness do sink." Longfellow also wishes he had done more in his life, but sees that he has more of wasted his time than anything. He says "the years slip from me and have not fulfilled", showing he has let time pass without doing anything. Longfellow talks about "sorrow", wasting his time being sad father than happy. I definitely agree with whoever said Keats feels death is near, where Longfellow feels it is more in the future. Both poems deal with the topic of death, but have different ideas within them.
DeleteI agree with those whom have posted above that the overall tie between the two poems is an uneasiness, or even fear, of death. Though this theme is shared by the two poems, they both cover different concerns before their deaths. In "When I Have Fears," John Keats centers around an idea of "unreflecting love." Love the speaker talks about was probably one that never came to fruition and the speaker regrets that beyond everything else in their life. Furthermore, the idea about a man close to death reflecting on former loves, or even none at all, gives the mood a more sullen, depressed feel. This mood is also helped by key imagery words such as "cloudy" and "nothingness." Their goal was to embellish the poem in a way the reader could tell how depressed the speaker of the poem was. The most interesting aspect of the poem that really shows how despair-filled it is is the way John Keats rhymes the third to last line with the last line in the poem. Throughout the rest of the poem, Keats has rhymed every other line, yet with these two lines, he rhymes "shore" and "sink." These two words are the exact opposite of each other when it comes to term of happiness versus depression. They quite enhance the feel of despair brought about by the poem.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, "Mezzo Cammin" describes more of the battle within ones mind about not achieving past events. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow states that "the years slip from me and have not fulfilled the aspiration of my youth." He is reflecting the woes that many may come across when reaching the mid-way point of life. Although depressing like "When I Have Fears," Longfellow changes the poems tone in the last three lines to a more optimistic one. Imagery words such as "soft" and "gleaming" depict a happier second half of the speakers' life before their death. Even though they hear "the cataract of Death," it is still far off on the top of the "mountain" of life. With that, the speaker has a more positive look at the end of their life other than the speaker in John Keats poem.
I agree in Chris in that the poems both poems concern are the same, but they are on different levels, which also leads me to agree with Alli in that there are also looking toward the future. In "Mezzo Cammin" Longfellow he reflects on his life thus far. He expresses that he fells as though in the middle of his life he has lost the path he is supposed to be on. He says "Though, half-way up the hill, I see the Past" I see this as him reflecting on his childhood, but wondering where his future is going to take him, since he is only halfway up. "And hear above me on the autumnal blast The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights."leads the reader to believe that he fears for the future, and fears death, since he writes "Half my life is gone, and I have let The years slip from me and have not fulfilled" gives the reader the reason why he is afraid to die: because he is afraid he will die without for filling anything he has ever wanted to pursue.
ReplyDeleteIn "When I Have Fears" Keats does not write as forward an obvious as Longfellow does, and also writes about something more specific then just fearing his death. When reading the poem, its seems as though he speaks specifically of love, or having to die without loving or being loved. It reflects that he seemed to put things before love. "Till love and fame to nothingness do sink" seems as though he is saying he regrets putting other things before his love, and that the other things he did put before love, turned out not to be as important as he once thought. "Never have relish in the faery power Of unreflecting love;" makes the reader feel as though not only is he more to the end of his life then Longfellow, but also never bothered to reflect the importance of loving and being loved in return. Again, agreeing with Chris in that both have/had significant goals, but neither was able to accomplish them, and they are left to feel incomplete.
I agree with Rachel about "When I Have Fears" to an extent. At first, he is saying that he is afraid that his poetic intelligence will never be written and will remain in his brain, like grain that is never reaped. He then says he's going to regret never taking the chance of trying to love in cloudy weather, or bad circumstances. Then he says that he will never see his love as beautiful as she once was. He ends the poem by saying how alone the world makes him feel and he will feel repressed by love and fame until he dies.
ReplyDelete"Mezzo Cammin" is more opstimistic, but still dwells on the same idea of an unfulfilled life. He expresses regret at never realizing his childhood dreams of building a tower of song, which is just representing an artistic life. His passions that would not be stilled represent a love he let go to try to pursue his dreams, but never could. He relates his life to a hill, and looking down he still feels like he completed a good life, even if it wasn't all he wanted, and he still looks forward to the waterfall (adventure) of the remainder of his life.
In Keats' poem "when I have Fears" he focuses mainly on his life, looking back and going over the things he has not accomplished and wishing he had accomplished them, but realizing and understanding that he cannot get them back, much like "After Picking Apples". In Longfellow's poem, "Mezzo Cammin" is about the same general topic but instead of giving up going back and fixing the things he missed, he believes he can go back and pick back up the things he wants to not have missed in his life. I agree with Chris and Rachel because both poems are on the same page, just in different ways. As Chris said, they are on different levels.
ReplyDeleteIt's 7:25. Any posts after this are late. :(
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