POEM ANALYIS
John Keats, the surgical apprentice turned poet, released this poem in 1820. Throughout the first read, one might assume the rich, sensory imagery is purely used to celebrate the beauty and abundance of the autumn season. Still, in the context of when it was written, this poem holds a much heavier weight- being used to reflect on the passage of time, the cycle of life, and submission to the power of fate.
For example; The historical context of this literary work takes place in “a period of deep economic recession, with poor harvests and a bitter winter, long-standing unemployment, and widespread poverty across Europe.” So, when our author, at age 16, quit his role as a surgical apprentice to pursue the arts- especially during a time of high unemployment and widespread poverty- it was considerably the most condemning thing he could do financially. His choice to relinquish monetary control and turn over a new leaf was something that would equal a harder lifestyle. This acknowledgment of fate is mentioned in Stanza 3, line 3; “barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,” which foreshadows the difficulties, “cold winters” and hardships yet to come as he began following this passion of creation.
Winter in literature is often associated with death; hence why the poem’s focus on the season prior- Autumn, is so symbolic. This presents the season as a preparation, and acceptance of fate; used to reflect on the inevitability of time.
.As the poem is read, notice the poem’s structure- divided into three stanzas, each focusing on a different aspect of autumn. In the first, Keats personifies autumn as a goddess and goes on to detail the pleasantries of the season. By making the season a “god-like” ideal, he separates himself from nature’s power, furthering the notion of time’s control and influence of fate. The “fruits” in stanza one can be compared to the “fruits of labor” in terms of monetary gain- something he gave up. Stanza one also invokes the image of harvesting fields with the line “how to load” about the autumn fruits, contributing to that notion of preparation and eventual loss– again building foreshadowing while connecting to his personal “winters”. After losing his dad at the age of 9 and later his mother at 15, he was surrounded by loss for most of his life. Later, as he became an apprentice to a surgeon, he became further surrounded in the realm of grief and death. Shadowing the surgeons in their work, he looked to them as examples and role models with the possibility of considering them a “Close bosom-friend” as stated in Line 2. Being the jr. apprentice and assistant, he acted as the moon to “the maturing sun” (line 2), yet another acknowledgment of the passing of time. The apprentices tasked with the “grunt work” of the medical practitioner, often were compounding medications, cleaning up surgical sites, and preparing the bodies of those who moved on despite their efforts. So, being confronted with Time’s influence, watching loved ones and patients returning to nature, he decided to quit, allowing the flow of time and fate to lead him.
Time again works its way into the poem as it follows themes from the Romantic literature movement. As he writes the ode to autumn, themes such as sublime nature and submission to fate are evident in Stanza 2; “whoever seeks abroad” (line 2), “will be “sitting careless” (line 3), and “soft-lifted by the winnowing wind” (line 4)…
Winnowing is to separate the heavy from the light, so essentially, these lines suggest that by submission to nature’s and fate’s influence, one can be “lifted” away from the weight and dictation of social expectations. Just as the second stanza speaks to the historical context of the romantic period of writing, it also connects to his personal life once more: He turned away from the societal expectation of furthering his financial status as a professional surgeon and, instead, relinquished these distracting “fruits” to pass through life with a “patient look”.
The final stanza takes on a more meditative tone, acknowledging the inevitable decay and cold winters that follow autumn’s lushness- as seen in Stanza 3, line 1, asking; “Where are they?”. This Rhetorical convention is known as ubi sunt, often appearing in poems that meditate on the transitory nature of life and the inevitability of death. He speaks to autumn without despair. Instead, Keats embraces this natural cycle with line 2, “Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,” and in the last line of stanza three, “gathering swallows twitter in the skies”, describes the birds preparing to migrate. Just as the swallows move, directed by instinct, following the path fate has set for them– Keats weaves his advice into the depiction of a river, surrounded by “sallows” or willows in line 6. The weeping willow holds deep symbolic meaning for those experiencing grief. Its slumping branches and whispy long leaves are often compared to tears as they serve as a natural symbol. Following this mention of such a respected tree, line six completes Keat’s argument that submission to time and fate allows one to be “borne aloft”– This “patient”, “careless”, “winnowed” and transcended mindset is necessary to move through life unweighted down by life’s “winters” as death and decline are as necessary as they are unavoidable.
