CLASS- XII (FLAMINGO- POEM -4) -A Thing of Beauty by John Keats.
"A Thing of Beauty" by John Keats
About the poet
John Keats was born in London in the year 1795 and died in Rome in 1821 at the very young age of 25 due to illness. He is a romantic poet and his poetry is characterized by sensual imagery in his most popular work which is a series of odes, (a lyrical poem which is meant for a particular subject). Today, his poems are one of the most sought after creations in English literature. The above given poetry is an excerpt from his poem, -Endymion : A poetic Romance-(1818), considered to be an epic poem.
π§π About the Poet – John Keats
• Born: October 31, 1795
• Died: February 23, 1821 (at the young age of 25)
• Nationality: English
• Literary Movement: Romanticism
John Keats was one of the most famous Romantic poets of the 19th century. Despite his short life, he left a lasting legacy in English literature. His poetry is known for its:
• Vivid imagery
• Sensual language
• Love of nature
• Deep emotions
• Exploration of beauty and truth
π His Famous Works Include:
• “Ode to a Nightingale”
• “Ode on a Grecian Urn”
• “To Autumn”
• “Endymion” (the poem from which “A Thing of Beauty” is extracted)
π Relevance of “A Thing of Beauty”
• The poem is an excerpt from his longer poem “Endymion”.
• It reflects Keats’ belief that beauty is eternal and provides spiritual nourishment and inner peace, even in a world full of sorrow.
• It reflects the Romantic ideals of valuing nature, imagination, and emotion.
Summary
A Thing of Beauty is by the famous poet John Keats. Furthermore, the poet says that a beautiful thing can give us extreme happiness and delight. Moreover, a beautiful thing is eternal that never declines or fades. Also, a beautiful thing resembles a shady shelter which gives us a comfortable sleep comprising of sweet dreams and relaxation. This will ultimately lead to good health.
The author says that individuals have an attachment to the Earthly things. This attachment is such that it has the resemblance of a flowery wreath. Furthermore, there are traps that keep people connected to materialistic things. This connection with materialistic things distracts humans from eternal happiness. This is because the focus of such materialistic people will be on acquiring more and more resources rather than on attaining eternal happiness. The world has a lot of negativity, hatred, and greed. According to the poet, the cause of gloom and sadness is this negativity. Moreover, one can fade away these negative vibes away with the help of beautiful things that surround us. This is because these beautiful things bring nothing but positivity.
The poet informs us about some beautiful things that are all around us. Beauty is certainly in the eyes of the one who beholds. This means one can see the beauty in anything. Furthermore, the poet talks about the numerous creations of God which we should admire. One such creation is the Sun which provides energy. Moreover, the poet also talks about the beauty of the moon and the natural beauty of the trees.
There are various animals around that make our world lively. The pretty flowers like daffodils enhance the liveliness and greenery of the world. Moreover, the flowing streams of water provide a refreshment and cooling effect to us in the hot summer season. The forests have plenty of pretty musk rose flowers. Such flowers are a beautiful sight and eyes feel the delight due to them. All such things certainly are things of beauty. Also, one must not forget the beautiful and inspiring stories of the brave soldiers. These brave soldiers risked and sacrificed their lives in order to protect others.
These beautiful things have a resemblance to the fountain of immortality bestowed upon us by God as a gift and a blessing. Such beautiful things are an inspiration for all of us to continue living. They make life worth living. Also, they also help us in maintaining our faith in goodness. Life without these beautiful things would certainly become very hard.
Poem (Text) and Explanation
Rhyme Scheme of the Poem:- The poem is a single stanza with rhyming couplets in the rhyme scheme- aabbccddee...etcaa
This kind of rhyme scheme is usually seen in Heroic Couplet
Couplet-A couplet is a literary device featuring two consecutive lines of poetry that typically rhyme and have the same meter. A couplet can be part of a poem or a poem on its own. However, a couplet must consist of two lines of verse that follow each other and create a complete thought or idea
Heroic Couplet: A heroic couplet is a pair of rhyming lines that is present in a heroic poem or that relays themes of heroism within a larger poem
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Stanza-1
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness; but will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Word Meaning
Nothingness- The absence of life or existance
Bower: A shady place under the tree
Explanation- The first line of the poem is probably one of the most famous lines in English poetry. The phrase in the first line ' A thing of beauty is a joy forever ' is the main idea of the whole poem. The rest of the lines are an explanation of this phrase. The phrase is a complete sentence which has through repetition become almost a proverb. It shows a certain aesthetic sense. The poet says that a beautiful thing gives joy to the people who see it. The beauty increases with time without fading away. The joy given by a beautiful thing provides a shade where one can sleep and have sweet dreams, good health and relaxation.
Stanza-2
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.
Word Meaning
Morrow: The following day
Wreathing: surround, encircle
Despondence: depressed, a state of low sprits
Gloomy: sad
dearth- an insufficiant quantity or number,lack, scarcity
Pall- something that covers or hides i.e. blanket,veil
Explanation- in these lines the poet explains that every morning we create a connection with the earth through the bend of beauty. It's this very bond that helps us tide over and depressing days. And that in spite of all the gloom that covers the world, it is beauty in some way that helps to remove this cover and lifts the veil of depression from our spirits. in other words, the world is made more bearable because of the presence of beauty that nature provides.
Example 1. What does the line , ' Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth ' suggest to you ? [NCERT]
Ans. The poet suggests that every day, human beings create a bond with the earth because of beauty. Even though life can be tough and depressing, for the human being, it is the beauty of life on earth that keeps us here.
Stanza-3
Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake
Word Meaning
Boon: blessing pills: a small stream
Brake: a process to slow down, a dense group of bushes, shrubs or trees
rills- small water streams , brooks, creeks, streamlets
covert-hideaway,hideout, a place where apersons goes to hide or to avoid others.
Explanation- In these lines , the poet lists all the things in nature which are beautiful. He continues the thought from the previous lines that beauty is a source of great joy and consolation. He gives a detailed list of beautiful things in nature says how they provide joy. The list is headed by the things of the macrocosm like the sun and the moon and then moves onto the microcosm such as the trees , animals , the daffodils , the brooks and streams which provide a cool shelter in the summer , and the thicket in the forest with its heady musk - rose flowers all of which are a balm for the soul
Stanza-4
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms;
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink
Word Meaning
Grandeur: high rank or socially important, magnificent
Mighty: enormous
Immortal: never dying, lasting foreever
Brink: edge
Explanation- Along the same line as the beauty of nature , the poet considers the beauty of the great deeds done by heroes in the past which we have heard about or read , and which continue to inspire us . Finally, the poet ends this extract from " Endymion ' with a couplet which expounds that beauty on earth is of divine origin , and that is why it is of an immortal nature
Poetic Devices/Literary devices used in poem
1) Aliteration : A figure of speech in which consonants at the beginning of words or stressed syllables are repeated
Purpose: Creates rhythm and musical effect.
- Some shape of beauty moves away the pall -→ repetition of the ‘s’ sound
- Trees old and young , sprouting a shady boon → repetition of the ‘s’ sound
- For simple sheep ; and such are daffodils → repetition of the ‘s’ sound
-“Cool covert” → repetition of the ‘c’ sound
-“Noble natures” → repetition of ‘n’
2) Antithesis : It is the use of opposites terms used together to highlight the contrast.
-trees old and young , sprouting a shady boon
3) Assonance : A repetition of similar vowel sounds usually close together to achieve the effect of being pleasing to the ear is called assonance.
- Its loveliness increases , it will never
4) Enjambment : Running on of the meaning from one poetic line to the next without terminal punctuation is called enjambment or When a sentence or phrase runs beyond the end of a line or stanza.
Purpose: Maintains the flow of thought and natural rhythm.
Example:
“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness…”
→ The sentence continues across multiple lines without a pause.
- Its loveliness increases , it will never Pass into nothingness ;
5) Epigram : A short witty statement in verse or prose which may be complementary, satiric or aphoristic.
-A thing of beauty is a joy for ever
6) Heroic couplet- This is a traditional form of English poetry which consists of rhyming couplet in iambic Pentameter.
-All the lines of this poem are heroic couplets.
-An endless fountain of immortal drink
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink
7) Imagery : Visually descriptive or figurative language , especially in a literary work is called imagery
- ...are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the Earth
-Trees old , and young , sprouting a shady boon
-With the green world they live in; and clear rills
-That for themselves a cooling covert make
Gainst the hot season
-...such are daffodils
With the green world they live in
- And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
-An endless fountain of Immortal drink
8) Metaphor . A figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another . A comparison is implicit , whereas in simile it is explicit and compared with words -'like,as'. A direct comparison between two unrelated things without using “like” or “as”.
Ex- A bower quiet for us (the clam and quiet of the bower is equated with the claim offered by beauty)→ Beauty is compared to a bower (a peaceful shady shelter).
- ...are we wreathing.
A flowery band to bind us to the Earth (Beauty and beautiful things bind us to the earth)
“Some shape of beauty moves away the pall”
→ Beauty is metaphorically removing a ‘pall’, i.e., the sadness or gloom covering our spirits like a burial cloth.
• 9) Oxymoron : A figure of speech which combines incongruous and apparently contradictory words are meanings for a special effect
-We have imagined for the mighty dead
10) Repetition : A repetition of sounds , words , phrases or stanzas that create a certain effect. Repetition is of many types. Specifically, a repetition of initial words or phrases is called anaphora.
-Of noble natures, of the gloomy days
• “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”
→ The idea of joy and permanence is repeated in theme and tone.
11) Symbol and symbolism : A symbol is an object , animate or inanimate , which represents or stands to something else.Use of symbols to signify deeper meanings.
For simple sheep ( the sheep are human beings who follow Christ. the shepherd)
• “Mighty dead” → Symbolizes heroes or great souls from the past.
• “Pall” → Symbolizes gloom, sorrow, or spiritual death.
• “Bower” → Symbolizes peace, rest, and comfort from beauty
15) Transferred epithet: Also known as hypalloge, this is a figure of speech in which the epithet is transferred from the appropriate noun to modify another to which it does not really belong.
-of the gloomy days. Of all the unhealthy and o'er - darkn'd ways
( Neither the days nor ways are gloomy , unhealthy and over - darkened. these epithets qualify the person but have been transferred to other nouns )
16. Personification
Definition: Giving human qualities to non-human things.
Purpose: Helps readers relate emotionally to abstract ideas.
Example:
• “Some shape of beauty moves away the pall”
→ Beauty is given human power to “move away” sadness.
• “That for themselves a cooling covert make”
→ Rills (streams) are described as if they “make” shelter, like people.
MIND MAP-
Question Answers BASED ON POEM
Read the stanzas given below and answer the questions that follow each:
1.A thing of beauty is a joy forever Its loveliness increases, it will never Pass into nothingness; but will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Questions
(a)Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
(b)How is a thing of beauty a joy for ever ?
(c)What do you understand by a ‘bower’l
(d)What kind of sleep does it provide?
Answers:
(Π°)The poem is A Thing of Beauty. The poet is John Keats.
(b)A thing of beauty is the source of constant joy. Its beauty goes on increasing. It will never pass into nothingness.
(c)A bower is a pleasant place in the shade under a tree. It protects persons/animals from the hot rays of the sun.
(d)It provides us a sound sleep, full of sweet dreams, health and peaceful breathing.
2. Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Questions [All India 2014]
(a)Name the poem and the poet.
(b)Why are we despondent?
(c)What removes the pall from our dark spirits?
(d) What are we doing every day?
Answers:
(Π°)The poet is John Keats. The poem is A Thing of Beauty.
(b)We possess the evil qualities of malice and disappointment. We suffer from the lack of noble qualities. That is why we feel despondent.
(c) Some beautiful shapes or a thing of beauty removes the pall of sadness from our hearts or spirits.
(d) We are weaving a flowery wreath to bind us to the beauties of the earth.
3. Some shape of beauty moves away the pall From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills That for themselves a cooling covert make ‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms;
Questions
(Π°)What removes the pall from our dark spirits?
(b)What sprouts a shady boon for sheep and how?
(c) How do ‘daffodils’ and ‘rills’ enrich the environment?
(d) What makes the mid-forest brake rich?
Answers:
(a)Some beautiful shape or a thing of beauty removes the pall of sadness from our hearts or spirits.
(b)Old and young trees sprout to make a green covering. It proves a blessing for simple sheep as it serves them as a shelter.
(c)Daffodils bloom among the green surroundings. The rills or small streams of clear water make a cooling shelter for themselves against the hot season.
(d)The mid forest brake is made rich by the blooming of beautiful musk-roses.
(e)(i) pall, (ii) boon, (Hi) rills, (iv) covert.
4 And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
Ml lovely tales that we have heard or read;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink
Questions [Delhi 2014]
(a)Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
(b)Explain: ‘the grandeur of the dooms’.
(c)What is the thing of beauty mentioned in these lines’?
(d)What image does the poet use in these lines?
Answers:
(Π°)The poem is A Thing of Beauty. The poet is John Keats.
(b)The magnificence that we imagine for our mighty dead forefathers on the dooms day.
(c)The lovely tales of mighty men are mentioned in these lines.
(d)The poet uses the image of ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink’ to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth. The earth has bestowed us with sun, moon, flowers, rivers, greenery etc.
EXTRA QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED
Q4. Why is ‘grandeur’ associated with the ‘mighty dead’?
Ans: The mighty dead were very powerful and dominating persons during their own times. Their achievements made them ‘mighty’ and great. Their noble works dazzle our eyes. We imagine that such mighty dead forefathers will attain more grandeur on the doomsday. Hence ‘grandeur’ is associated with the ‘mighty dead’.
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