A Thing of Beauty

Ø  Introduction to the poem:

 This poem in many ways signifies Keats’s firm belief in the immutability of beauty and of its claim to a legitimacy regarding its permanence, and its ability to invoke the truth. The poet’s aesthetic view of beauty as a source of pleasure and joy comes in the face of an understanding of the misfortunes of life, to which the “thing of beauty” offer their own mode of resistance. Unlike the commonplace objects of everyday reality, the objects of beauty are immune to the destruction of time, and indeed of mortality, which entangles the melancholic note characteristic to many of the poet’s odes with a classical and momentary form of beauty. Their power grows with time. They are the signifiers of a continuity that is mirrored as historical truth, of a saga that transcends the restrictions of individual perception, but includes and decides the collective flow. The sun, the moon, the flora and the fauna in Nature are defenders of an eternity that can never be equated with the temporariness and in contingency of human schemes.

The first verse-stanza ends on the note of death and the lofty structures of feeling or myth that we have devised to accord the dead with the reverence it deserves, or demands. Death is the sentient presence which drowns their immortalities, the great weight of the past and its remoteness, and in Keats’s poem, death serves as the omnipotent counterpart to the vitality and spontaneity of impulse so intrinsic to his romantic sensuousness and vividness. The mighty and dead who rose to positions of prominence in their own respective lifespans are expected to be met with greater rewards on Doomsday. But, such tales and fabrications fade in comparison to the tales that speak of Nature’s beauty, which the narrator compares to sprouts of heavenly fountain. When inspired by Nature, we partake of the immortal drink of the Gods from the endless fountain of heaven and attain Immortality. Natural beauty can serve as an endless source of inspirations for the world-weary, for the nerves worn by gloom and human degeneration. The bond between Nature and man, who tries to master the former, is more organic than what we might imagine, and acts as a moral teacher of sorts, guiding our principles and actions through the stormy current, enabling us to introspect on our wayward and evil ways. The daffodils are a welcomed sight among the green thickets, and small streams are settled in and around forests that flourish around them.

It is the perception of the viewing subject, of the critical mind which is responsible for his own well-being, and which should ideally aim at a balanced synthesis of his own egotistic inclinations with the bestowed borrowings and emotional sustenance of beauty. Endymion, the mythical character, represents such a desire for a romantic self-transcendence that aims at fusing his own self with the plethora of cosmic creations.

Ø  Message of the ‘A Thing of Beauty’

Keats, an ardent lover of nature, in his poem refers to the powers of nature. He urges mankind to realize these powers and make his life enjoyable and worth living. He tells us how a thing of beauty provides joy to us forever.

Ø  Poem in detail-

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

According to the poet, John Keats, a beautiful thing will give joy throughout one’s lifetime. One can return to the beautiful thing and never stop to find it a source of joy. Also, an object of beauty may fade but the beauty that is perceived and pleasure that is gained from the object of beauty can never fade away. A thing of beauty is a source of constant joy. Its beauty goes on increasing. It will never fade and pass into nothingness. A bower is a peaceful and pleasant place in the shade of a tree. It provides shelter or protection from the hot rays of the sun. A beautiful thing also gives us sound sleep, full of pleasant dreams, health and peaceful breathing. Beauty, hence does not lead to lethargy, but a constant battle to guard nature and earth.

a)  Name the poem and the poet.

Ans.

b)   How is a thing of beauty a joy forever?

Ans.

c)   What do you understand by a ‘bower’?

Ans.

d)    What kind of a sleep does it provide?

Ans.

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,

Therefore every morning (morrow) despite of the sadness and the feeling of depression we are adorning (wreathing) a flowery band (garland) to bind us to the beauties of the earth. We lack noble qualities (noble nature) and harbor unhealthy evil(o’er-darkened)ways. But still (in spite of all) this a beautiful thing helps to remove the cover of gloom or darkness from our lives. It makes us love life despite the things that make us sad and dampen our spirits.

a)What are we doing every day?

b)Which evil things do we possess and suffer from?

c)Explain ‘in spite of all’.

d)Find words from the passage which mean

i)Malice-

ii)Disappointment-

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:

The objects of beauty are countless. These include heavenly bodies like the sun, the moon, old and young trees. These are all sources of beauty and in turn sources of happiness for us removing the dark blanket (pall, covering) of sorrow from us. The trees sprout and spread their branches to bless the simple sheep with shelter within their green covering. And the daffodils too bloom within the green surroundings. The clear and small streams (rills) of water make a cooling shelter against the hot season. The thick mass of leaves looks splendid with their scented roses (musk-rose).

a)      What removes the pall from our dark spirits?

a)      What sprouts a shady boon for sheep and how?

b)     Find words from the passage that mean

                                i.            Covering-

                              ii.            Blessing-

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.

Poet says that even mighty dead whose achievements made them great and powerful inspire us through their tales of their noble works. Their legends and stories inspire us and we imagine their magnificence (grandeur). A beautiful thing gives us joy just as the lovely tales we have heard or read give us profound happiness. A fountain of immortality pours its sacred and immortal drink (perhaps it refers to hemlock) into the heart and soul of man. Just like this the objects of beauty are a never diminishing source of pleasure and delight, an endless fountain of joy that metaphorically an endless source of nectar that pours down to us from heaven eternal joy for the soul's greatness.

a)      How do ‘daffodils’ and ‘rills’ enrich the environment?

b)     What makes the mid forest brake rich?

c)      Find words in the passage which mean:

i)                    Small streams-

ii)                  Shelter of thickets-

d)     Cooling covert is a

i)Simile

ii)Metaphor

iii)Personification

iv)Alliteration

Question-answer:

v  According to Keats what is a thing of beauty?

Ans. According to the poet a thing of beauty is a joy forever. One can return to the beautiful thing and never stop to find it a source of joy. Also an object of beauty may fade but the beauty that is perceived and pleasure that is gained from the object of beauty can never fade away. A thing of beauty is a source of constant joy. Its beauty goes on increasing. It will never fade and pass into nothingness.

v  What image does the poet uses to describe abundance of the beautiful things on earth?

Ans. The poet draws out the image of ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink’ that pours joy on us from the brink of heaven. These are the beautiful things in nature or man-made objects that he calls ‘immortal drink’.

v  How does a thing of beauty provide us shelter and comfort?

Ans. John Keats is a great Romantic poet. He creates images that soothe our senses. Nature bestows us with things of rare beauty. It keeps the shade of trees ready for us to be comfortable and peaceful in it. Beautiful things also provide peace and security so that we can enjoy sound sleep. We are able to enjoy sweet dreams, good health because of them.

v  What spreads the pall of despondence over our dark spirits? How is it removed?

Ans. Man makes his life miserable and full of suffering because of his own actions. The pall of despondence is the sadness that is a result of one's own actions. A thing of beauty works wonders for man and removes the cover of gloom from his dulled spirits.

v   What is the message of the poem ‘A Thing of Beauty’?

Ans. Keats, an ardent lover of nature, in his poem refers to the powers of nature. He urges mankind to realize these powers and make his life enjoyable and worth living. He tells us how a thing of beauty provides perennial joy to us.

v  How do the ‘daffodils’ and ‘clear rills’ enrich our environment?

Ans. Daffodils are lovely white flowers that bloom in green surroundings. The ‘clear rills’ or clear streams of water create cooling comfort or passage for themselves as they pass through the thick bushes and ward away the heat of the sun.

v  What is the ‘grandeur of the dooms’ and ‘endless fountain of immortal drink’?

Ans. The ‘grandeur of the dooms’ is a reference to our mighty and dead ancestors who have created beautiful object for us. On the other hand, the ‘endless fountain’ is the everlasting.

v  What makes human beings love life in spite of all troubles and sufferings?

Ans. Human beings love life because nature is the best healer and brings beauty and joy to our life. The memory of beautiful experiences helps us to bear our sorrows.

v  What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth?

Ans. The poet draws out the image of ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink’ that pours on us joys from the brink of heaven. These are the beautiful things in nature or man-made objects that he calls ‘immortal drink’.

v  What is the cause of our ‘gloomy days’ and ‘dark spirits’?

 Ans. Our own acts of unkindness, cruelty and malice towards others, make our days sad and gloomy. We also get disappointed due to the lack of human values and nobility around us.

v  How does a thing of beauty provide us shelter and comfort?

Ans. John Keats is a great Romantic poet. He creates images that soothe our senses. Nature bestows us with things of rare beauty. It keeps the shade of trees ready for us to be comfortable and peaceful in it. Beautiful things also provide peace and security so that we are able to enjoy sound sleep. We are able to enjoy sweet dreams, good health because of them.

v  What spreads the pall of despondence over our dark spirits? How is it removed?

Ans. Man makes his own life miserable and full of suffering because of his own actions. The pall of despondence is the sadness that is a result of his actions. A thing of beauty works wonders for man and removes the cover of gloom from his dulled spirits.

EXTRA QUESTIONS

v  List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.

v  List the things the cause suffering and pain.

v  What does the line ‘Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth’ suggest?

v  What makes human beings love life in spite of all troubles?

v  Why is grandeur associated with the ‘mighty deed’?

v  Do we experience things of beauty only for a short time?

v  What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?

v  Keats feels that Nature binds us to the Earth. How does he justify this?

v  What is the cause of gloomy days?

v  What are the figures of speech used in the poem?