A Thing of Beauty
A Thing of Beauty
A Thing of Beauty
by John Keats
INTRODUCTION:
In the poem, ‘A Thing of Beauty’, the poet expresses the fact that
pleasure is received through beautiful things and these are worth
treasuring. He speaks about the permanent nature of beautiful things,
which have the ability of giving the same pleasure again and again and
take away all the sorrows that abound us.
A thing of beauty can be anything beautiful that you have seen; it may not
necessarily be a thing of nature, it can be a smiling face of a child, a
mother’s love, a flower, a sweet gesture of a friend, a painting or anything
that is captured in your mind and heart and you have the power to relive
that moment and bring a freshness and purpose once more.
It is an allegorical poem that talks of how the human soul is in search of
perennial beauty.
EXPLANATION:
A thing……. nothingness
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The poet says that a thing of beauty is an eternal source of happiness.
When we behold a thing of beauty it fills our heart with joy. Beauty is
timeless and everlasting, it never fades away. On the contrary its beauty
enhances/increases with the passage of time.
But will………breathing
Beauty acts like the soothing, relaxing shade of the trees.: METAPHOR.
Nature provides us objects of rare beauty. Its shady bower is a pleasant
quiet place. Mother nature in its own way develops a shady abode of relief
and consolation. Keats stresses the indestructible connection of man with
nature and the Earth. The loveliness of Earth captivates a man. The
pleasure that one gets is an escape from the reality of life which is full of
sorrow and sadness. A thing of beauty also provides peace and security
and we enjoy a sound sleep, full of pleasant dreams, good health and
peaceful breathing.
Therefore…….earth
The objects of beauty are like wreaths of beautiful flowers.(METAPHOR)
This flowery band that we weave each morning/everyday keeps us
attached to the beauties of nature. hip with nature.A true romantic poet,
Keats feels that man has a strong relations Man is intertwined to this
Earth, despite the gloom and misery. The band that ties man with nature
is not of iron chains but it is a delicate, fragile ‘flowery’ band. Thus beauty
keeps us happy and cheerful despite our ‘dark spirits’. It is eternal and
stays with a person to get him through hard times.
The poet says that despite the sense of hopelessness that surrounds us,
we continue to love life because beauty lifts our spirit and removes all the
darkness and sorrow. In spite of the moral degradation and shortage of
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good people, in spite of the dark and evil ways that cause us unhappiness,
some form of beauty moves in our midst and lifts our spirits. Beauty renews
our faith, rejuvenates us and takes away the darkness (moves away the
pall) from our spirits.(metaphor) The pall is a metaphor for any
negativity that exists in a person’s life.
Made for our searching : means due to our doings. SEARCHING refers
to DOINGS -- OUR DOINGS, our darkened and unhealthy ways come
in front of us.
Life is full of trials and tribulations; loss of faith,
hopelessness(despondency) and disappointments, some of this, may be a
result of our own making, and it is only beautiful things that sometimes
make life worthwhile, they lift the veil of gloom, making a room for hope and
optimism.
The action of musk rose that makes it beautiful: the musk rose grows and
blooms along the palm leaf. The humility of the great musk rose to grow
with the dull leaf makes it beautiful. It spreads its scent far away and makes
nature more beautiful and sweet.
In the above lines the romantic poet, John Keats feels that nature is the
highest form of beauty, nature is an enduring symbol of beauty, which
constantly gives us solace and comfort.
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According to the poet, there is beauty in noble men and women who
have lived since time immemorial. The greatness with which great people
die is the ‘grandeur of the dooms of the mighty dead’. The mighty dead
are the great people who have given their lives for the cause of humanity.
They are mighty for the reason that it is more difficult to die for others than
living for oneself. They are in the same way beautiful as the daffodils and
trees, they provided happiness to others like the clear rills and they burnt
for others like the sun.
The beauty of their grand lives immortalizes them. Even in their death, they
are remembered and are not doomed to oblivion. Their greatness inspires
us and fills our heart with an overwhelming joy, elation and pleasure.