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Example research essay topic: One Could Argue Ode To A Nightingale - 1,264 words

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Consider Ode to a Nightingale, Ode on a Grecian Urn, and Bright Star. Discuss the presentation of the mortal and immortal in these poems. In all three of these poems the ideals of mortality and immortality are compared and contrasted. As a human being Keats posses all the traits of humanity namely that which we call the human condition.

He is subject to change, to time, and is susceptible to those desires and impulses which both support and hinders us. Further more, like everyone else he is ultimately at the mercy of death and it is this concept of man s frail mortality which evokes the vulnerability which he feels. Keats knows that Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes and what makes Keats pain more poignant is that there are creatures and objects which are not affected by such transience. They are able, simply by being who or what they are, to remain aloof from all human suffering and more significantly, stay permanent despite the effects of time. This is the status Keats wishes to obtain, that he might be capable of becoming a transcendental being like the Nightingale, Urn or the bright Star and thus tease (himself) out of thought as doth eternity. For Keats mortality is painful since not only do we as human beings have physical and mental limitations which cannot be broken, but eventually we all succumb to these and die.

While the majority of people merely accept this, Keats is unable to do so and thus Ode to a Nightingale speaks of his quest to discover some way to escape this universal obligation. He considers both drink and (in contrast to When I have fears) suicide as potential routes which will allow him to leave this world unseen. However, such acts are futile since they would not give him the eternal status of the Nightingale and it is this immortal bird with its full throated ease of song, that the poet aspires to emulate. For Keats, its magnificence is so immense that the intensity of the moment pains (his) sense with a drowsy numbness. He refers to it as a light-winged Dryad, a stark contrast to man; further more, the Nightingale s constancy is maintained even in faery lands, the realms of fantasy. Its existence can cross linguistic, spirit and literal boarders, a feat which Keats can only wonder at.

In this respect, both the Grecian Urn and the Star are similar. Together they are symbols of permanence which like the Nightingale are not subject to change. The stories which are depicted on the urn speak of a potential earthly paradise that Keats refers to as Tempe or the dales of Arcady. Even though for us such places are not possible, the urn is able to surpass the bands of logic and create a place where both men and gods reside. This would be Keats utopia, a land where the distinction between the immortal and mortal is blurred and a transition between the two possible; where dreams are a reality and nature is abundant. The poet conjures up further images of man and god trying to unite in verse four (Who are these coming to the sacrifice?

To what green altar, O mysterious priest) and this sense of yearning is linked with Ode to a Nightingale where Keats states, Away! Away! For I will fly to thee. As Keats envies the Nightingale, so to he envies the bright Star for being steadfast and omniscience.

One could argue that the virtues it posses mirror that of the gods mentioned in Grecian Urn and thus the theme of immortality is continued. The figures on the Grecian Urn are immune to time but also suffer in a perpetual state of desire and thus will never be wholly satisfied. Keats highlights this by describing the desolation of the little town by the river which is emptied of this folk. Its inhabitants will never return since their place has been set on the Urn permanently and is thus unalterable.

It could be that Keats connects with such desolation that despite all his efforts, that part of him reserved exclusively for immortality s virtues will remain empty. Like the town, the component which is crucial for Keats continuing survival will never be achieved. This is also linked to the comparison the poet draws between himself and Ruth in Ode to a Nightingale. Like her, Keats feels as if he is living in a land which he is alien, exiled from his true home which he either considers or hopes to be the land of the gods. However, although it is ultimately a state of immortality which Keats aspires to, there are aspects of humanity which appeal to him despite his apparent rejection of the human condition.

Throughout Ode to a Nightingale the poet envelops us with a variety and intensity of senses he feels as a result of his experience of nature. He refers to the white hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine; fast fading violets cover d up in leaves the coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine, the murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves. Keats is therefore, caught between the joys of living and the mortality of man. Whereas he considers it rich to die in order to rid himself of the effects of time, this would prevent him from experiencing the power of emotions he feels in Bright Star. In this case, although the status of the Star is eternal, he also refers to it as sleepless Eremite; it is lonely since due to its nature, the Star can only watch and not participate in relationships which Keats subsequently describes: Pillow d upon my fair love s ripening breast.

Keats ideal existence would be still steadfast, still unchangeable; however, such a condition is an impossibility. One cannot be both mortal and immortal at any given time and Keats knows this. Whereas in Nightingale and Grecian Urn a compromise is unable to be reached, Keats is prepared in Bright Star to relinquish the possibility of the transcendental for love at this moment in time. Despite his desires to become immortal, the loss of humanity s finest attributes is too great a price, and since this poem was written after the other two, one could argue that this is perhaps a culmination of Keats desires. However, there is an implication that this rejection has been made in the knowledge that a comprise between the two states is a possibility. It is a common theme running through many of Keats poems that poetry has the ability to tease us out of thought.

It is able, rather like the rhythmic sound of the sea, to speak to your spirit and thus commune on an extra-linguistic level. It is in this state that one is able to temporarily transcend reality and go beyond thinking, to become like the Nightingale. There are flaws in this, namely that such a state can only be achieved for a limited period of time before one is brought back form thee to my sole self. Further more, this makes Keats more aware of his mortality as shown by the last verse of Grecian Urn: Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe than ours. However, we get the sense in Bright Star that despite this Keats is prepared to live in a sweet unrest like those figures on the urn, along side his true love. It is possible for him to achieve the status of the Nightingale and although this being temporary is not ideal, he would rather this than not at all.


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Research essay sample on One Could Argue Ode To A Nightingale

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