I Am And Ode To Autumn Analysis

The poem I have chosen to discuss are, John Clare’s “I am” and “Ode to Autumn.” by John Keats. Both of these poems deal with the sublime and express the concern of self-consciousness that poetry addressed during the romantic period.

John Clare’s “I am” is a refection upon ones last minutes of breathing life, or rather a pondering of death. The poem is cleverly constructed through the structured use of complex poetic techniques in the phonics and sense appealing aspects of the poem. Clare writes to manipulate the reader, not to show them his grief and despair from his point of view, but instead, a point of view of which he would like them to see from. I chose this poem because the poem itself, almost becomes self-aware, as though the experiences

Autumn introduces herself as a neighbourly accomplice that works alongside the sun to perfect this beautiful scene depicted.

In the second stanza, the beauty doesn’t seem to be in autumn’s creation but in

“Autumn” herself, as she is personified and manifested into this Greek goddess style figure. The attention shifts from the aesthetic scene to its creator, which

Keats also depicts quite sensuously. This woman is depicted dosing off in poppy fields, or watching the cider press squeeze fresh apple juice, although they focus on her actions and not what her actions affect this time round. She sits on a granary floor with her hair, said to be “soft lifted.” This segment certainly deals with the problem of self-consciousness as the poet is very aware of what he likes and what he can find pleasure in. The poem opens with fruitful rich images, but also with an underlying threat of “Nothing lasts forever”. He personifies the season of harvest and makes her godly and divine. He marvels her actions but not the product of them and he finally begs her to listen to her own music, her birds and her insects and her babbling brook and all the fine ripeness