Analysis of 'Ode to a Nightingale': Meaning of he Bird Suffers as Does Man

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Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats

Romanticism as reflected in Nature

Nature and romanticism are inextricably linked in the romantic era because the romantic movement widely emphasized the grandeur and beauty of nature. Therefore, the power of the natural world was significantly highlighted. Many intellectuals of romanticism are of the opinion that certain artists of this period treated nature in a devout manner. Furthermore, the school of thought at the time was that the powerful link between nature and romanticism evolved largely due to the industrial revolution, additionally leading to a multitude of people leaving unsophisticated rural areas to live in urban areas, therefore inevitably separating them from the natural world. Another major reason for the inextricable link between nature and romanticism could be attributed to the counter-reaction against the scientific significance of the enlightenment gospel as well as the creative ideologies of that period. John Keats was without a doubt a poet of this era who idealized nature and in his poem Ode to a Nightingale, he illustrates how nature can have a paramount impact on one’s frame of mind.

The narrator’s intense emotional state is made abundantly clear with the application of highlighting the magnificence of nature which played a prominent role in the romantic era. The narrator in this poem employs juxtaposition of intentions as well as sounds to help contrast his somber feelings with that of the nightingale’s freedom. The narrator makes use of iambic pentameter as a poetic device to describe how weary and burdensome he is feeling. ‘My heart aches and a drowsy numbness pains’,(1. 1) Before the narrator hears the nightingale sing he describes himself as heartbroken and anguished but when he hears the nightingale he permeates a state of intoxication. ‘My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk’.(1. 2) In the book of Hosea in the Bible hemlock is described as a poisonous weed. Notwithstanding the fact that serious safety concerns exist regarding the use of hemlock, it is widely practiced for medicinal purposes. Hemlock is commonly associated with mania. As drugs are in many instances used as a form of escapism the narrator feels as if he has drunk hemlock as the sound of the nightingale moves him to a state of elation. The narrator envisions himself flying alongside the nightingale which temporarily allows him to forget his own problems. It has been proved that the effects of drugs last only for a while and then reality once again establishes itself and all one’s previous issues resurface, likewise, the effect of the nightingale’s song would only last for a limited period of time.

While there are instances in the poem where the nightingale and images of nature lift the mood of the narrator, it is clearly evident that as the narrator contrasts his own heavy mood with the beauty of nature it does elevate his sadness. ‘O for a beaker full of the warm South’. (2. 15) It is a widely recognized fact that warm weather is associated with sunshine which in turn is a major source of vitamin D. According to research vitamin D plays a vital role in regulating one’s mood and warding off depression. The narrator longs for a favorable mindset and believes that embracing warmer weather will assist him in attaining it. ‘That I might drink, and leave the world unseen, And with thee fade away into the forest dim:’ (2. 19-20)As far as I am concerned the sadness the narrator feels leaves him preoccupied with death. While the narrator sees the beauty nature has to offer he also sees it as a form of escape. Nature has a twofold effect on him, he relishes and adores nature and yet envies it. He wants to flee with the nightingale far away where he believes he will find peace. ‘Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget.’(3. 21) Coincidentally the beauty and tranquillity of nature constitute a sanctuary for many, including myself. It keeps me grounded and reminds me that there is a God and always gives me a renewed strength to continue with whatever life throws at me. However, the narrator in my opinion at stages uses nature as a form of escape and then reverts back to wanting to leave this world which just seems to be too much for him contrary to others like myself where nature provides that renewed energy and vigor. ‘Away, away for I will fly with thee.’(3. 21) The narrator embraces the literary genre of fantasy which includes talking to animals, nothing at all like the real world, by alluding to flying away from this world on the wings of the nightingale whilst remaining in a dreamlike state.

‘Where beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes.’ (3. 29)The narrator perceives that nothing of beauty can reign in the world. The narrator is also of the opinion that love is not eternal. However, the splendor of nature reigns supreme in this world and I firmly believe that the sadness that engulfs the narrator blinds him to this even though he reveres the beauty and mystery of the nightingale. ‘Thou wast not born for death, Immortal Bird!’(7. 61) The narrator expresses that the bird is carefree and does not have the stresses that mortals in the world experience. In essence, the nightingale need never experience the preoccupation with death that the narrator does. ‘Forlorn! the very word is like a bell.’(8. 71) This alludes to being rudely awoken from an exceedingly wonderful dream, and feeling extremely disillusioned. ‘To toll me back from thee to my sole self!’ (8. 72)The narrator realizes that reality awaits. I firmly believe that the narrator comes to his senses and realizes that nature can revive us and is available to us to be admired and serve a different purpose for each individual. He acknowledges that while we can use nature to escape it will last only for a while and we must return to reality and make the best of what is dealt to us. ‘Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades.’ ‘Fled is that music:-Do I wake or sleep?.(8. 72-80) A rudimentary paradox exists in this poem that implies that the nightingale’s song offers the narrator temporary relief from the struggles experienced in the real world whilst on the other hand the eternal nature of the nightingale’s song makes the speaker aware of human transience and how fragile his own life is. The narrator ultimately becomes aware of how art can elevate the beauty of nature.

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Analysis of ‘Ode to a Nightingale’: Meaning of he Bird Suffers as Does Man

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