John Keats Bright Star Analysis

Humans naturally take that which is always there for granted. In both John Keats’s and Robert Frost’s poems about stars, they express adoration for the commitment of the stars that rise every night without fail. In John Keats’s 14 line poem, “Bright Star,” Keats uses the rigid structure of an Italian sonnet to convey how he covets the consistency of a star. Within the octet, Keats insinuates his own question within the first line asking to be steadfast as the stay. He anticipates that the reader would wonder why and offers explanations to their questions. His answers are interesting in that he does not wish to be a star for the expected reasons such as watching the earth endlessly. In the volta, “No-- yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,”

Both poems are similar in that they long for the steadfastness of a star. However, how that call is reached is distinct to each poem. Keats utilizes the structure of an Italian sonnet to pose a question and answer about the state of steadfastness. In contrast, Frost’s call to be steadfast is in the meter. The poem is in iambic tetrameter and when he questions the star, he uses spondees as if he’s screaming at the star for help. Additionally, ach poem uses apostrophe and passionately address the star in the first few words of the poem. By speaking directly to the star, each poem has a sense of attainability amidst an impossible conversation. However, the manner in which each poet chooses to address the stars have a different tone. While Keats expresses pure adoration and subtle jealousy for the steadfast star, Frost’s conversation with the star begs answers to his questions. This difference in tone reflects how the goal of each poem also dissimilar. The background of the writers offers insight into the differences between the goals and intended audiences of both poems. Whereas Keats is a British poet and nearing death he writes a romantic poem, Frost is an American writer who uses the steadfastness of the star to call to action of people to be a higher being. Both see the value in what can be learned from a star, but take a different approach to their end goal simply because their situations are different. As Keats is coming closer to the final stages of his life, he focuses his poem on his lover, and is speaking from a personal point of view. He wishes to stay with his loved one forever, just as a star can stay in the sky forever. However, Frost is an American writer who was writing at the turn of the 20th century. This time in American history shows an unprecedented level of growth and change. Frost's poem is responding to these changes and asks of the American people, “when