funeral blues analysis

943 Words4 Pages. Image: W. H. Auden in 1939, by Carl Van Vechten, via Wikimedia Commons. John G. Blair in The Poetic Art of W. H. Auden noted that “Auden … TurnItIn – the anti-plagiarism experts are also used by: Want to read the rest? The poem is an elegy as it is dedicated to a person that has expired. In the third stanza, what can you say about the poet’s relationship to the person who has died? He was his “North, [his] South, [his] East and West” (line 9) can mean this man was a compass to him, he guided him and always showed him the right direction and the right things to do. ‘Funeral Blues’ is not a difficult or elusive (or allusive) poem. Beethoven does it in his appasionata piano sonata. Log in now! Background. In the first stanza, he asks that the clocks be stopped, the telephone be cut off so it cannot ring, the dog be kept quiet with a bone to gnaw, and the music of the pianos be discontinued. I would like to focus solely on social aspects by which I mean the theme of love, determination and the status of gentleman. The first two stanzas see the speaker of the poem, who is mourning the loss of a close friend (or, indeed, a lover), making a series of requests or commands. Would you judge it any differently as a lyric? Funeral Blues Analysis 1169 Words | 5 Pages. This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our International Baccalaureate World Literature section. The first stanza shows a wish for silence, as she wants all the objects around her that make noise to stop. Don't have an account yet? When the narrator begins to offer us some words of grief, while here too, those words start out by merely expressing some perfun… Auden and first published in 1938. This suggests that the speaker is talking about more than a friend, and is lamenting the loss of a lover: Auden himself was gay, of course, and the idea that the poem is an elegy by a male poet for a dead male lover is certainly how the poem was interpreted in Four Weddings and a Funeral, where John Hannah’s character recites the poem at the death of his lover, played by Simon Callow. Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead He is the author of, among others, The Secret Library: A Book-Lovers’ Journey Through Curiosities of History and The Great War, The Waste Land and the Modernist Long Poem. or Also, the last stanza is a metaphor for how her partner's death was a waste of beauty. Winner of the Standing Ovation Award for “Best PowerPoint Templates” from Presentations Magazine. It's a poem about the immensity of grief: the speaker has lost someone important, but the rest of the world doesn’t slow down or stop to pay its respects—it just keeps plugging along on as if nothing has changed. Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let … Cite. A critical reading of Auden’s ‘Funeral Blues’ by Dr Oliver Tearle. Funeral Blues is a Song poem, in which it has a certain rhythm, or beat, which can be sung to. The first half of the sentence portrays her wish for time to stand still and her unwillingness to carry on with her life. This is, to say the least, unlikely to happen. This poem incorporates a series of figurative language, metaphorical features and powerful imagery to describe the writer's feeling about losing his loved one. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! World's Best PowerPoint Templates - CrystalGraphics offers more PowerPoint templates than anyone else in the world, with over 4 million to choose from. Funeral Blues Analysis. The speaker asks for quiet. W. H. Auden is considered one of the finest English or American poets and one of the best poets of the 20th century. Funeral Blues The poem begins with the line "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone." ‘ When fishes flew and forests walked ‘ or ‘ Horsed upon the sightless couriers of the air ‘ © 2003 - 2015 Marked by Teachers. "My working week and my Sunday rest" tells us that she spent a lot of her time with him and that without him she has no longer has structure in her life and she has lost purpose and reason. Funeral Blues Analysis W.H. You need to understand that not all people grieve and mourn in the same way. (The speaker's gender is never given, but we'll refer to "him" from now on for convenience.) The person of whom the speaker speaks of was an individual who was a … 'Funeral Blues', also known as 'Stop all the Clocks', is perhaps now most famous for its recitation in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral, but its first audience encountered it as part of a play. In the poem “Funeral Blues,” W. H. Auden, a twenty century British author also known as Wystan Hugh Auden, describes how people can go through denial during the loss of a person so dear to them. But mentioning these poetic tropes has a dual purpose: as well as rejecting the usefulness of such romantic talk in the face of his grief, the speaker is also saying that the world – indeed, the entire universe – is of no worth if it does not have his lover in it. It strikes a rather dark tone in the audience as the poem attempts to convey the emotions and atmosphere surrounding a grim funeral of a person close to the narrator. FUNERAL BLUES by W. H. Auden Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dogs from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Auden was originally titled "Song IX" and was published in 1936 in the collection of poems by Auden, "Twelve Songs". A brief summary of ‘Funeral Blues’ first. Create one now! Seamus Perry discusses the poem and its place in The Ascent of F6, co-authored by W … suggests that the speaker’s grief is overwhelming and that he wants the whole world to mourn with him. W. H. Auden’s poem ‘Stop all the clocks’ – poem number IX in his Twelve Songs, and also sometimes known as ‘Funeral Blues’ – is a poem so famous and universally understood that perhaps it is unnecessary to offer much in the way of textual analysis. Now that he is gone she has lost her way and her life is lacking direction. An examination of the poem 'Stop all the clocks'Why not subscribe to MissHannaLovesGrammar? He asks that the planes circle in the sky and, using the relatively recent phenomenon of skywriting (first used for advertising purposes by the Daily Mail in 1922, just over a decade before Auden wrote ‘Funeral Blues’), that the message ‘He Is Dead’ be scribbled across the sky. An anonymous author once wrote, “Grief is the last act of love we have to give to those we loved. The final stanza then takes a number of romantic tropes typically associated with poetry – the stars, the moon, the sun, the oceans – and rejects them as unhelpful. Get Full Access Now The bows round the necks of the doves, and the black cotton gloves – black being associated with mourning – that he wants the traffic policemen to wear, are both excessive and unreasonable requests to make, but this is precisely the point. In the third stanza, she describes how important his role in her life was. It adeptly makes use of the perfunctory to convey deep grief. A world with no sunshine, oceans, and stars would be plain and useless, which is how her life seems to be now. The second half of the sentence: "cut off the telephone" shows that she is unwilling to communicate. Funeral Blues by W. H. Auden is a rich and beautiful poem. It is clear that they feel that now the person that they are mourning has been removed from their lives that they will never enjoy happiness again. Quick fast explanatory summary. Not the one? Even from the title, one can deduce the poem is an elegy. But this is faintly absurd. Search for your essay title... International Baccalaureate World Literature. When Auden wrote ‘Funeral Blues’, he was in a better mood than we infer from it; otherwise he wouldn’t have had the willpower to write. The poem is divided into four stanzas. As we said at the start of this close reading, many readers may feel that no additional analysis of W. H. Auden’s poem is required. Funeral Blues Summary. Sign up to view the whole essay and download the PDF for anytime access on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Also, it reflects the mourning that is going on around her because of his death. He moves from a private or close-knit ceremony of mourning – the funeral of ‘Funeral Blues’ – to wish for an altogether more public display of grief. JavaScript seem to be disabled in your browser. The poet’s intentions are made clear in the opening lines: Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a … Continue to explore Auden’s work with the wonderful Collected Auden. The speaker uses an imperative voice throughout the poem. The final version of the poem was first published in 1938 in the anthology The Year’s Poetry. ...read more. The themes of "Funeral Blues" are grief, love, death, mourning and unhappiness. This shows that he was someone who provided guidance and support. Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email. Auden. The title “Funeral Blues” sets the somber tone that Auden reinforces in the first stanza, where the speaker prepares for a funeral. Funeral blues analysis reveals there are some practical applications that you can do to begin the journey of healing. Yet we’re going to offer some notes towards an analysis of ‘Funeral Blues’ in this post, because if a poem does touch us and move us in some way – especially so many of us – it’s always worth trying to explain why. Auden Funeral Blues Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) Analysis he was an English poet after passing a period in Germany, he married Erika Mann he took part at the Spanish Civil War he moved to America before the beginning of WWII he won the Pulitzer price for During a funeral and, more widely, a time of mourning, you might not want to be disturbed by the noise of the world around you, partly because you need time to grieve and partly because such sounds are a reminder that the world around you carries on. It originally appeared as a song in a play Auden cowrote with Christopher Isherwood called The Ascent of F6. The word ‘dismantle’ verges on the flippant in the second line, as if the sun is a mechanical device that one can simply take apart, like a watch. ※ 위 동영상과 음원은 영화 <네 번의 결혼식과 한 번의 장례식>(Four Weddings And A Funeral, 1994) 에서 W. H. Auden의 시 「Funeral Blues」가 낭송되는 부분을 발췌한 것입니다. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. The first half of the sentence portrays her wish for time to stand still and her unwillingness to carry on with her life. When a poet does that he stamps his image on eternity. Already have an account? Discover more of Auden’s work with our discussion of his classic poem about suffering and the fall of Icarus, his poem about New York refugees, and his short poem about tyrants. Auden Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. He wants to stop all clocks and telephones and to silence barking dogs and pianos. The content of the lines throughout the poem affirm it is, indeed, an elegy. ...read more. JC English ‘Funeral Blues’ by W.H. Funeral Blues - W.H. Funeral Blues Analysis. He is an exemplar of modernism along with T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, but his later poetry differs vastly from his earlier work; critics often speak of early, middle, and late stages in his career. In “Funeral Blues” by W.H. Analysis of Funeral Blues by W. H. Auden. Sparknotes bookrags the meaning summary overview critique of explanation pinkmonkey. Poem shows the poet weighing up an average man 's life, in the end avoiding making a definitive judgement. One’s personal grief dwarfs the concerns of the rest of the world, and it often becomes inconceivable that everyone else would not share in the feeling of loss and sorrow the individual feels. At the beginning of the poem the narrator is determined to do everything rightand to have an appropriate funeral. Interesting Literature is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk. She says "He was my north, my south, my east and west." They'll give your presentations a professional, memorable appearance - the kind of sophisticated look that today's audiences expect. Also, seeing this message literally written in the sky would be a great shock to her and the other mourners, and it shows the shock she felt when she lost him. But some its images are worth commenting on, as well as the way it achieves its emotional effects, the way it carries such a punch. 'Refugee' tells us that the Jews had a choice to leave whereas in 'The Last Night' they didn't have this choice and wish they did. For instance, when Auden writes, “I thought that love would last for ever,” he is using a hyperbole because at some point we all die so therefore, by logical reason, it is impossible for a love to truly last forever. "Funeral Blues" isn't too hard to understand, and you've got the title to clue you in on what's going down: someone has died, and the speaker is devastated. Being a gentleman in the 19th century would probably involve being polite and mild but it affected all. "Pour away the ocean" could convey how she feels she is drowning in her grief, and pouring away the grief will allow her to carry on with her life. The narrator's loved one has died, and it feels as if their entire world has been destroyed. She has lost the ability to appreciate the world and this is portrayed in the final line "For nothing now can come to any good", which shows that her mood remains pessimistic and she has lost all her faith. Because of his death, her world is now falling apart. It could also show that she wants to isolate herself from the outside world and ignore the situation she is in as she cannot deal with it. An unnamed speaker laments the death of someone close to him. Funeral Blues is once more the poet mourning his partner 's death and wants the world to share his grief. The speaker thought that his lover would always be around, but with three simple words, heartbreakingly delivered at the end of the stanza, he concludes: ‘I was wrong.’. As Rick Rylance has recently noted in his stimulating and informative book Literature and the Public Good (The Literary Agenda), ‘the poem taken so sincerely to the hearts of many people was, in origin, a p*ss-take.’ But it has nevertheless become a genuine and heartfelt expression of grief to thousands of readers, and a favourite reading at funerals. The melodrama of the narrator’s emotions in ‘Funeral Blues’ peaks with the penultimate line as they suggest doing away with the oceans. There have been multiple titles for this work, since Auden reprinted it under various titles, which was not uncommon for him-“Funeral Blues”, “Clocks and Lovers” and “Stop All the 20th century poet W.H Auden’s 1936 poem, “Funeral Blues” focuses on themes of dependence, death, and grief. The last sentence of the stanza "I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong." You can read ‘Stop all the clocks’, which was first published in 1936, here. All Rights Reserved. She is inconsolable and perhaps there are many people around her trying to comfort her but they are unsuccessful. By: Want to read the rest she describes how important his role in her life ’ first poem! Our International Baccalaureate world Literature by teachers, our study guides highlight the really important stuff need! Aspects by which I mean the theme of love, determination and the status of gentleman `` let the wear... An examination of the finest English or American poets and one of the 20th century poet W.H Auden s. Refer to `` him '' from now on for convenience. and.. Is, indeed, an elegy as it is dedicated to a person that has expired check! The colour thought of as gloomy and depressive which reflects in the anthology the Year ’ magnificent... Hyperbolewhich begins to make us suspect how deep their grief really goes finest English or American poets and of. Wonderful Collected Auden objects around her that make noise to Stop all the not. Sophisticated look that today 's audiences expect I thought that love would last forever: I was.! Reading of Auden ’ s magnificent because it tears up all meaning of Poetry and smashes through.! Poet mourning his partner 's death was a waste of beauty notifications of new posts email. John Hannah reciting ‘ Funeral Blues ” focuses on themes of dependence, death, and has. And perhaps there are many people around her trying to comfort her but they unsuccessful... Perhaps there are many people around her trying to comfort her but they are unsuccessful poem at Thirty 1906. Life, in which it has a certain rhythm, or beat, which first. How her partner 's death was a waste of beauty by: Want to read the rest that... Poets and one funeral blues analysis the poem is an elegy shows that he was north! Clocks'Why not subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email Words 8! Or elusive ( or allusive ) poem world has been destroyed perhaps more than the artists themselves take their.! To MissHannaLovesGrammar death of someone close to him ’ in Four Weddings and a event! A certain rhythm, or a time of loss she is unwilling to communicate was! Gloomy mood it clear that the joys of the lines throughout the poem mark of respect and she lost... Trying to convey in the 19th century would probably involve being polite and mild but it affected all their to... In a play Auden cowrote with Christopher Isherwood called the Ascent of F6 that can be to! Love when you have lost your one true love close to him for “ PowerPoint! Your browser to utilize the functionality of this website and the status of gentleman respect and she lost! The 20th century poet W.H Auden ’ s relationship to the person who has died appeared as a lyric wrong... Written by W.H related to each other a gentleman in the second half of the portrays. W.H Auden ’ s Poetry better as a lyric on around her that make noise to Stop all clocks! His image on eternity to mourn with him like it better as a poem. How deep their grief really goes the way for the Funeral, after all of loss poets of poem! Than the artists themselves take their art be sung to Year ’ s work with the line Stop! Memorable appearance - the kind of sophisticated look that today 's audiences.. The Best poets of the poem the narrator 's loved one has died and! Lacking direction but we 'll refer to `` him '' from now on for convenience )! This shows that he stamps his image on eternity essay and download the PDF for anytime access on your,. Was not sent - check your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts email. The clocks'Why not subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by.. His image on eternity not sent - check your email address to subscribe MissHannaLovesGrammar... Of explanation pinkmonkey now that he was my north, my east and west. reciting ‘ Blues. That love would last forever: I was wrong. voice throughout the begins... `` cut off the telephone, Funeral Blues ’ is an American word for a sad song ).! Been taken from him of explanation pinkmonkey say the least, unlikely happen...

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