Wednesday, August 17, 2011

"When I Have Fears" and "Mezzo Cammin"

In the two poems, Keats and Longfellow reflect on similar concerns.  Read the poems carefully.  Then compare and contrast the two poems, analyzing the poetic techniques each writer uses to explore his particular situation.

34 comments:

  1. Kiara Walker
    Period 5

    "When I have Fears" by John Keats and "Mezzo Cammin" by Henry Longfellow have many similarities and differences in their poetic techniques and situations.

    The poems are similar in that both poems are sonnets that focus on the topic of death. Both speakers in the poems are afraid of both time and death. Both poems also have similarity in their shift patterns. Both patterns have the first two quatrains, and then a shift occurs. Another quatrain finishes, then yet another shift occurs before the final couplet. Both also use metaphors throughout their poems.

    The poems are different in terms of rhyme scheme and choice of literary devices. Keat's poem has a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. His poem uses metaphors, alliteration, paradox, pathetic fallacy, and understatement. In short terms, his poem uses much more complex diction and literary devices. In line 3, he uses a metaphor. He writes about his “high piled” books which represent his life accumulation of poetry. He fears that he will not succeed and be forgotten. In lines 3-5 he uses alliteration to emphasize his fear of failure in poetry. He uses repetition of “g,” choosing words such as: glean’d, grain, and garners. In line 5, he personifies the night sky, giving it a “starr’d face.” In line 6, the clouds are stated to be given “high romance.” These two examples of pathetic fallacy show that Keat truly is dedicated to poetry, as he sees it everywhere in his life. The poem then shifts at line 9, where the speaker begins to speak about his fear of not finding true love. He uses an understatement in line 9, calling love a “fair creature of an hour.” He actually does wish for love, but is afraid it won’t last long because his idea of life is so short. In line 11 he says he doesn’t wish to “have relish in the faery power.” This suggests that he thinks that love is fictional and too magical for him to ever see. At line 13 the poem shifts once again and he realizes that life should not be lived in fear and that fat will take us to our destiny. One thing I do not understand in general about poetry is the reason why beaches are common places for change, realization or death. Longfellow’s poem has a scheme of ABBAABBAFGFGFG and uses extended metaphors and symbolism. In line 4, the speaker mentions a large castle with walls. This castle is not literal but rather represents his aspirations and dreams as a child metaphorically. The second quatrain of his poem reveals that love kept him from making his dreams come true. It was the “restless passions” and “sorrow, and a care that almost killed.” In the third quatrain, his life is metaphorically compared to a hill, with his past below him and mocking him. The “twilight” mentioned in line 11 represents the unraveling of his youth into his middle adulthood. In the final couplet, autumn is mentioned. Autumn is symbolic for nearing the end of life. The main difference between both speakers psychologically is that Keat feels as if his aspirations are hopeless, he has a negative outlook towards the end of his life. Longfellow, however, sees a positive outlook on his future and realizes that if he would ever like to fulfill his aspirations, he must quickly before time runs out.

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  2. Olivia Pickens
    Period 3

    My comparison and contrast of the two poems “When I Have Fears” by John Keats, and “Mezzo Cammin” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is similar in many ways to the previous post. I agree that these two poems have many similarities, but I believe it is their differences that make each poem unique by revealing the emotional states and beliefs of the writers with regard to the subject of death.

    In Keats’ poem, he expresses his fear of dying before he is able to accomplish many things he would like to do in his life. In the first quatrain, he fears that he will die before he becomes a great poet. Before his life ends, he wants to write down in poetry all the thoughts that are in his head, and he wants to produce many volumes of completed written works. Keats uses figurative language in the form of a metaphor as a poetic technique in these lines when he says that he would like to have all his completed poetry be like ripened grain piled up in a grain storehouse. Here, Keats explains that his poetry comes from within him. In the next quatrain, Keats continues to fear dying before he becomes a great poet, and before he reaches his full creative potential. He says that when he looks up at all the stars at night he sees a universe full of ideas that inspire him to write poetry. Here, Keats explains that the inspiration for his poetry comes from outside of himself. He also uses metaphor in these lines when he refers to his poetic ideas as stars and constellations – huge cloudy symbols of high romance. He fears that he will not have enough time to copy all their beauty in poetry. In the third quatrain, Keats talks about love and his fear that he will not experience it fully. Keats uses personification as a poetic technique here when he calls love a “fair creature of an hour,” meaning that it is beautiful but short lived. Keats also says that love has “faery power,” or magic power, because it is unreflecting – you can see beyond yourself when you truly love another. Keats fears that by dying young, he will not experience this. In the last two lines of Keats’ poem, there is a shift. Keats distances himself from his feelings of fame and love and, on the shore of death, which is another metaphor, he stands alone until these feelings fade away into nothingness. Here, Keats seems to indicate that in death these things are unimportant.

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  3. Olivia Pickens

    In Longfellow’s poem, he is reflecting on his past, and is considering his future which is ultimately death. In the first eight lines, Longfellow explains that he is middle aged and he has not fulfilled his dreams to become a great poet. Longfellow uses simile as a poetic technique when he likens his aspiration to become a great poet like building a tower of song (poetry) with large walls. He says that what kept him from his accomplishment was not anything he can really blame like laziness or passion, but a sorrow which almost killed him because he cared so much for whatever it was that made him sad, most likely the death of somebody that he loved. But at the end of line 8, there is a shift in his tone when he says that he still might accomplish his goals. He uses simile in the rest of the poem when he likens his life to a hill, which he is halfway up, and his past to a city. When he looks down the hill and sees the city, it is rather dim in the twilight because it is far away, but it is large and full of sights and sounds, indicating that maybe his past was not so empty. Then he hears a thunderous noise in the distance coming from the top of the hill. The noise is a large waterfall which is a metaphor for death. But, like the past, death is still far away too. He is in the autumn of his life, but not the winter yet.

    The two poems are similar in that both use the form of a sonnet, although Keats’ poem is an English sonnet (3 quatrains of alternating rhyme and a couplet) and Longfellow’s poem is an Italian sonnet (divided into two sections by two different rhyme groups). The poems are also similar in their writing styles because they were both written in the first half of the 19th century, and are written in first person. Both poems also use metaphors and similes to describe things like goals, love, and time. The biggest similarity, however, is the subject matter of death. Both writers explore their emotions by discussing the topic and how it relates personally to them in their lives at time they are writing their poems. Both writers also fear that they will not have time to accomplish their goals of becoming great poets. In both poems, death is inevitable.

    But the poems are also significantly different. The first major difference is in their tone. Although both poems are basically sad, in Keats’ poem, the writer fears death and there is a tone of giving in to the sorrow and almost welcoming death because he won’t have to think about human things like fame and love anymore. There is really nothing positive in his view. In Longfellow’s poem, at first there is a feeling of regret that he has not accomplished his goals, but this changes to a feeling of optimism because the writer feels that he still has time. In Keats’ poem, there is no indication of age, but the feeling of the poem is that death is close and there is nothing he can do, no action he can take, to accomplish his goals. In Longfellow’s poem, it is very clear that he is middle aged and that he still has half of his life to live. There is a sense in Longfellow’s poem that he can accomplish his goals if he changes his attitude and lets go of his sorrow.

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  4. Yvette Villalobos
    Period 3

    I agree with Kiara that both poems are similar in terms of both of them dealing with death I believe that in the poem, When I Have Fears the poet is scared of his life ending before he has a chance to leave his mark on the world which is shown in the quote “I have fears that I may cease to be Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain,” while on the other hand in the poem Mezzo Cammin the author is afraid of dying without having fulfilled his life dreams which is shown in the quote “… I have let the years slip from me and have not fulfilled the aspirations of my youth.” I also agree that he uses repetition of the letter “g” in lines two to four, I feel that Keats must have done that because they all refer in a way to harvest which you can infer shows his fear of death before he can harvest all of his beliefs together and his last thoughts. I also like how she showed that he personified the night sky by using “starr’d face” and how the clouds symbolize “high romance” to him I think he uses these pathetic fallacies to show how he connects things in his life to the genre of romance showing his dedication to poetry more clearly. I also believe that Keats longs for love but is scared that it will be scarce and it will only end with pain which is why he uses the understatement “Fair creature of an hour,” also I think that by the quote “That I shall never look upon thee more, never have relish in the farey power of unreflecting love,” he thinks that love is other worldly and he feels he cannot find it, he also expresses his fear that his love will be unreturned and he will never be able to love her or even look at her again after his death. I think this thought of love shows how insecure he is about love and how he is afraid to love for fear it will only pain him in the end. I believe he then uses the beach to represent the midway between the living and the dead and also the past and the future that is endless as well as, like the waves, unexpected I think this is why poets use it. I agree that Keats uses more literary devices and complex diction than Longfellow’s did and I feel he did that because the beginning of Keats poem is talking about how he wants to write as much poetry as possible before dying which would imply that he is knowledgeable about poetry and wants to do the best job possible with it, on the other hand ,Longfellow is speaking of all the things he wished he could have done and accomplished in his life and how now he feels it’s too late to accomplish some of his dreams. I feel that because Keats writes poetry as if it were sacred and priceless he would put more effort and time into making it as advanced as possible while Longfellow cares for it as well as an art and it is special to him for him I feel it is more of a passion than a lifestyle. I would like to hear someone else’s opinion on this topic though.

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  5. Yvette Villalobos
    Period 3
    Part 2

    In Longfellow’s Poem I agree that he uses a tower as a metaphor to show his childhood aspirations but I also think he uses it to show protection by the tower walls but also captivity because much like a princess stuck in a tower, his past aspirations are trapped, unreachable, and at times neglected. I also agree that by using the quote “Through, half-way up the hill, I see the past lying beneath me with its sounds and sights,” he is comparing his life to a hill and that his past is mocking him but I also think it’s in a way implying that he is trying to put the past behind him and trying to move forward but he can’t stop looking back. I also agree with her ideas of what Autumn symbolizes but I think it also represents change because fall is when everything changes, and I think he may be implying that it is a change for the worse because it is when everything goes from being green and alive to being red and falling apart. He may have seen his life as chaotic and falling apart as well.
    I think that both authors are afraid of death and aren’t prepared for it but I think that by the end of the poem Keats feels that if he doesn’t achieve all his goals he won’t be happy when he dies but if he lets go of those goals he will be able to “Stand alone, and think till love and fame to nothingness do sink,” so he feels that then a world of opportunities will be opened to him. On the other hand by the end of his poem Longfellow continues to be frightened of death throughout the entire poem, he cannot seem to forget his past and it continues to haunt him and even though he knows he isn’t going to die yet he sees it coming and knows it is still close by which is shown in the quote, “The cataract of death far thundering from the heights.” I think both of these beliefs are supported by the author back round because at the time he wrote this poem Keats’s brother had just died of tuberculosis and he feared he would also die soon while Longfellow was thirty-five and was probably facing a mid-life crisis at the time and was trying to change his life but he continued to feel haunted by his past decisions and aspirations. I unlike them am not afraid of death but I was wondering how others felt about the main theme of the poem, which is death, and how they feel the world perceives death now of days.

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  6. I agree with the previous posts. I believe that both poem's are fearful of death and the time they have. The two poet's seem to have the same anger that death is coming closer yet they havent achieved all they wished in life. However, the poems contrast, for example, towards the ending of When I Have Fears, Keats almost has a sense of closure and is okay with the lack of things he hasnt done, he accepts it. Whereas towards the end of Mezzo Cammin, Longfellow in a sense, has hope and questions that maybe theres still time for him and his things he has to accomplish yet. Both poems also majorly contrast due to both poet's backgrounds. Keats, whose life was cut short at only 26 due to tuberculosis, didnt have the full oppurtunity to complete all the things he wished to do such as find love and fame. While on the other hand, Longfellow didnt get the chance to complete all his goals due to a long term state of depression due to the loss of his love- Longfellow had the chance to find love, and live a long life, yet Keats did not. In conclusion, i feel that although both poem's are afraid of death, they are ultimately more afraid of the way they've spent their time.

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  7. Jenna Colin Per. 5

    Both speakers share a belief that their amount of time to live is slowly being consumed by death. I agree with the previous speakers in the speakers being angered by not achieving their personal goals, such as finding their true love. I also agree with Taylor in the contrasting reactions to dealing with death. In the poem When I Have Fears, near the end of the poem the speaker’s attitude shifts from completely fearing death to accepting with a tone of hopelessness. The second poem, Mezzo Cammin, differs because the speaker maintains a strong fear of death coming too soon and develops a plan to try to avoid death’s powerful beckoning.


    The Open- Ended Question I came up with was: In the poem When I Have Fears, why does Keats relate the speaker’s location to a seashore on the planet?


    - My answer I came up with was, the connotation of a seashore is a divider between land and water, a separator of life and death. The life is found in the rich ground but when entering the ocean carelessly, rough tides can pull you out far and lead to drowning. The speaker is stuck on the shore awaiting the tide, or death, to finally sweep up and pull him out to sea.


    By switching the question to: In the poem, Mezzo Cammin, why does Longfellow relate the speaker’s location to halfway up a hill?


    - I pictured the hill in three different parts representing the stages of life. The inclining section of the hill is the childhood and maturing stage that takes the longest amount of time and effort because it is the foundation of how the speaker’s life will be set up. The peak of the hill is his middle-aged years and he is given the ability to look back on the past and also await the future. Finally the third section of the hill is the downward slope. As the speaker ages and rapidly deteriorates into an elderly person death awaits them. This section is known for coming soon because the downward path of a hill is faster than the upward motion.

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  8. Cody Castro
    Period 3

    I agree with the other responses that both poems, When I Have Fears and Mezzo Cammin, both authors describe the regret of not accomplish things they wanted to do before death but never accomplished. In the first poem I Have Fears I agree with Kiara in the use of imagery when Keats says "... upon the nights starr'd face..." and "Huge cloudy symbols of romance,.." I also agree with Olivia when she says that both poems talk of the regret of the things they have not accomplished in there lives. however in the second poem, Mezzo Cammin, there seems to be a shift from a negative tone to a more hopeful tone as if he knows there is still time to accomplish what he wants to in contrast, to the first poem he seems as if he is at he is at the end of life and there is no time left to accomplish his goals. You can see the shift in the second poem when Longfellow says "... Kept me from what I may accomplished yet ; Though half-way up the hill, I see the Past, Lying beneath me with sounds and sights,- A city with the twilight dim and vast,..." When he says a city with the twilight dim and vast I believe he means that seeing his past he realizes there is still time to accomplish his goals. I see this because when i think of twilight, I think of the sun not being set yet and there is still time. Other evidence is when Longfellow says "And hear above me on the autumnal blast, The cataract of Death far thundering from the hights." I interpret this as death not that close because he says autumnal which is the in between summer whick is usaully looked at as life and winter as death. Which means it is not quite time for death. Other evidence is when he says ".. cataract of Death far thundering from the heights." I interpret this as he is only half way through life because he was half way up the hill and then says he hears the waterfall from the top of the hill which means he still has time before he dies.

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  9. Jessica Martinez
    Period 3

    Both “When I Have Fears” and “Mezzo Cammin” have the same ideas of death, and in the poems both speakers describe their past experiences and how they don’t feel a sense of fulfillment. Both speakers hope to have done more in life of what they wanted, and be able to look back and reflect upon their accomplishments. At the end both speakers look back halfway through their life and are unhappy. Both speaker’s have a shift of attitude towards the end, although Keats’ has a more depressing view towards death and has given up, while Longfellow feels as if there is still time to accomplish some of his goals. Both towards accept death and wait for it to come. Both poems are written in Sonnet format but, “When I Have Fears” is an English sonnet, while “Mezzo Cammin” is an Italian sonnet. Both poems have similarities is the use of poetic techniques such as metaphors used to describe main key ideas such as love, time, and death, for both their coming death is inevitable.

    In Keats’ poem “When I Have Fears” he describes how he had many goals and aspiration such as writing numerous works of poetry before he came to his end and experiencing love. In line 4 he says “Hold the rich garners the full ripen’d grain,” this paradox symbolizes the speaker as being the harvester of his harvest (the full ripen’d grain) which represent his goals and aspiration. This also clues in that he is near death since grain is harvested in the autumn. Here he uses the repetition of “g” in lines 2 and 4 using words such as; glean’d, garners, and grain. In line 5 he uses personification, personifying the nigh sky as having a “starr’d face.” In line 6 he shows that he is unclear of his love “cloudy symbols of a high romance” here he uses pathetic fallacy. In line 9 he uses the understatement “fair creature of the hour,” he is scared to feel love, because it will hurt him in the end when he leaves. The speaker also says “I shall never look upon thee more, /Never have relish in the faery power/of unreflecting-love,” he feels that everyone can find love, but he cannot. He also fears that if he were to be in love, love would not be returned in the same way which leaves him with a great emptiness. He also uses the metaphor of being on a shore “then on the shore/of the wide world I stand alone, and think/Till love and fame and nothingness do sink.” He uses this metaphor symbolizing the threshold between life and death. He stands alone thinking to himself and reflecting upon what he has achieved and is not satisfied, he realizes that the fame he wanted meant nothing towards his end and hoped to focus on more important things. In the end nothing really matters, it all fades away.

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  10. Jessica Martinez
    Period 3

    In Longfellow’s poem “Mezzo Cammin” he speaks of what constraint him from achieving his goals and aspirations, although he realized he still had some time. He describes how life has past before him and does not feel accomplished and could have tried harder. In line 3-4 he says “The aspiration of my youth, to build/ some tower of song with lofty parapet,” this “tower” is a metaphor for a wall, such as a fort that is protecting all his goals and aspirations, it can also be an obstacles half-way through his life that he has to go over that “wall” and overcome it in order to accomplish what he desires. In lines 7-8 he uses words such as almost and may which clue in that there is still hope to accomplish some goals and aspirations “and a care that almost killed, / Kept me from what I may have accomplished yet.” The speaker also compares his life being a “hill” and he is half-way up, this means he has lived half-way and he is looking at his past, although now there is a shift and seems as if he does not much have regret. In line 11 he talks about the city being in the “twilight dim and vast,” this presents that the day is not fully gone (the death of the night and the birth of the day) and he describes the city as being vast meaning there was multiple opportunities he could have taken but never did. He looks down at the city and he describes what he sees and uses words that give it a calming connotation such as “smoking,” “soft,” and “gleaming,” all these make it seems as if he is not exactly happy with death, but now has a sense of acceptance. In lines 13-14 he says “And hear above me on the autumnal blast/ the cataract of Death far thundering from the heights,” here he sees death approaching him and getting close, but not quite there yet. Also, this means he is half-way through life as stated before in the poem, and he hears up ahead a waterfall that is loud and power (death that is inevitable), this also shows there is still and hope for him. There is a shift from having a negative tone to a more positive outlook and he is hopeful, as well as acceptance. This contrast from the poem “When I Have Fears” in that Keats has a more negative outlook at death and has surrendered, while “Mezzo Cammin” has a positive outlook and finds that he still has time and is accepting his death.

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  12. Audrey Vidamo
    Period 3

    Regarding the poems' theme, I agree with the previous posts that the authors similarly wrote to address the fear of death and regret over wasted time. I think that the diction in both poems are important poetic techniques that better emphasize not only the theme, but the aforementioned attitude shifts (from regretful to accepting, as Taylor said in "When I Have Fears," and from also regretful/disappointed to resisting death in "Mezzo Cammin").

    For example, the speaker in "When I Have Fears," has a "rich garner" (line 4) of ideas and goals to address, which he will not be able to. Neither will he "relish in the faery power of unreflecting love" (lines 11-12). Both are amazing things he expected to experience in life, and using words such as "rich" and "faery power" make them seem so much more valuable or magical. Describing those activities in that way emphasizes his regret. Towards the end of the poem, Keats uses the words "wide world" and "shore" (lines 12-13) giving the feel of complete solitude and almost peace, where he can reflect on his life. This does not connote fear or panic like in the beginning of the poem, instead acceptance and contemplation.

    In "Mezzo Cammin," Longfellow's word choice in using a "hill" (line 9) to symbolize his life is another noteworthy detail, as Yvette said. Climbing this hill/going through life, allows the speaker a better view to look back at the city of his past. "Soft bells" and "gleaming lights" are words that(line 12) make the city, his past, seem beautiful, full of opportunities, and now, unreachable to him. I think that these particular words makes the speaker become even more rueful, as he sees what a nice thing he has passed by. The attitude shift becomes more apparent at the end of the poem where "autumnal blast" (line 13) suggests ending, or dying. And the comparison of Death to a waterfall (line 14), makes it seem so much bigger, stronger, and unstoppable. Death is further emphasized and is louder and closer, which the speaker acknowledges. In contrast to the speaker in Keats' "When I Have Fears," the attitude of the speaker in "Mezzo Cammin" does not seem to come to terms or is at peace with his approaching death.

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  13. As the other posts took note on, both poems introduced speakers who were afraid of dying before being able to achieve their aspirations. In 'When I Have Fears', the speakers goal was to be able to write down every single idea he had for something he loved which was writing poetry in a sense of creating a legacy of his works to be passed down after him. Like many others before me said, the 'ripened grain' would represent the plentiful ideas or works, he had in him. In 'Mezzo Cammin', the speakers aspirations will also fall into the idea of building a legacy of her works, 'The aspiration of my youth, to build some tower of song with lofty parapet'. 'Song' meaning works. Back to 'When I Have Fears', I think the 'night's starr'd face' and 'huge cloudy symbols of a high romance' would represent legends who've managed to already achieve what he aspires for. He believes he wont be able to 'trace their shadows' revealing his loss of inspiration and faith towards his dreams. In 'Mezzo Cammin', from lines 5 and 6 touch up on the idea that he doesn't want to worry about having not accomplished what he set as a goal, 'Not indolence, nor pleasure, nor the fret of restless passions that would not be stilled'.
    One defining contrast of the two poems which I believe is similar to everyones interpretations, would be that the last two couplets of each sonnet introduced their reactions or thoughts towards the fear of dying. In 'When I Have Fears', The speaker ends off with a couplet basically explaining that he has succumbed to the idea of dying before being able to achieve any of his aspirations, ' Of the wide world i stand alone, Till love and fame to nothingness do sink'. Lastly, in 'Mezzo Cammin' as others touched up on, the speaker brings up an attitude of optimism when mentioning an 'autumnal blast' autumn in my opinion meaning change whether it's for better or for worse.

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  14. I agree with the idea of Longfellow, in his poem Mezzo Cammin, using the "hill" as a metaphor for his life. The hill allows him to look back at his life, which is painted as a pleasant and familiar city with "smoking roofs, soft bells and gleaming lights"(line 13). Longfellow also talks of a "lofty parapet" when describing his "aspirations of his youth" (line 4). A lofty parapet makes people think of a high tower of a castle, which gives it a fairy tale kind of feeling. This fairy tale feeling which is given off from Longfellow's diction is used to emphasize the idea of the goals he had when he was younger.

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  15. Oscar Eberle
    period: 5
    In relation to the previous posting by Audrey, I have similar perspective regarding the poem "When I Have Fear". At the end of the poem there was a shift when the Keasts the author came into realization and accepted death. However in "Mezzo Cammin" Longfellow portrays deaths with negative conotation when statiing "The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights". This quotation makes death seem sudden and tragic making life precious and valuable.

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  16. Oscar Eberle
    Period: 5
    While reading the two poems I relized the dates of publication at the bottom. In the poem "When I Have Fears" was writen three years before the authors death, and i belive the older in age a person gets the more fears and regrets are remembered from past life experiences. Such as a lost love (lines 6-7) or the fear of being unacomplished as a writer (line 14). But in "Mezzo Cammin" the author wrote this poem during his mid-life were he does relize some lost opportunities but still has multiple years to create a works legacy and has time to accept death later in his life. In Both poems both writers are having regrets about their life but in Keats poem death is finaly being accepted after a long and productive life but in Longfellows poem death is much more tragic and unwanted at the time because he is only thirty-five and has another half of life to live.

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  17. Lloyd Tisuela
    Period 5

    As cliche as this may sound, I would also have to say that I agree with the posts thus far. The general consensus seems to be that both poets have a sort of thanatophobia because it would lead to their fate of being unable to complete their ambitions.

    Also, like what's been already stated, the approaches and stances each poet has toward their fear of the inevitable contrast each other. I'd like to point out Keats' diction in which he incorporates a fantasy-esque connotation with words like "huge cloudy symbols (line 6)", "magic hand of chance (line 8)" and "faery power (line 11) that gives off a sense of whimsicality. While on the other hand, Longfellow in "Mezzo Cammin" illustrates a more regretful mood toward his unmet goals in his youth, though the title spells out that the speaker may just have the case of a midlife crisis. A slight irony that I'd like to point out is that the more demure and accepting Keats seems to die three years after the poem was published while Longfellow, who seems to have lost all hope in retribution, has lived forty more years whilst walloping in his depression. Similar to what Oscar was saying about Longfellow expressing a more disgusted feeling about death as he is only thirty-five years old with much life still in him.

    However, in contrast to a lot of thoughts surrounding Longfellow's pessimistic views about death, I do think he may be trying to continue his life with more long term goals. "Kept me from what I may accomplish yet; (line 8)", the key word being may, shows that there is still possible retribution toward his life in contrast to Keats drowning in "nothingness". Meanwhile, there is also Longfellow saying he is "half-way up the hill (line 12) and the "city" lying beneath him gives me the thought that there is opportunities for him to catch. This thought seems to be conflicting with others, however. In the sense that Longfellow has given up in life altogether. Does anyone else think the same? Would they care to elaborate on my thought even though we only have two hours left this Wednesday?

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  19. Courtney Wersal
    Period 5
    My comparison between “When I Have Fears” and “Mezzo Cammin” is similar in many ways to the previous posts. I found that the similarities between the two poems are that both Keats and Longfellow feel as though their lives are slowly being consumed by death, as well as that both the speakers feel as though they have not accomplished anything they wanted to in their lives. However, I feel that they differ due to the difference of opinion on their approaching death.
    In “When I Have Fears”, Keats uses the phrase “When I have fears that I may cease to be / Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain,” stating how he fears his death will come before he has been able to write everything in his brain down. He voices his initial fear of death here. As the poem transitions, Keats goes on to state how he shall “Never have relish in the faery power.” Here Keats plainly describes how he will never be able to enjoy his accomplishments (because he has not amounted to any). Faery power gives off the feeling of magic, like something good that you have accomplished in your life. It can be seen here that Keats feels as though his death is right around the corner and also that he has not been able to accomplish anything in the time he has been on Earth. In “Mezzo Cammin”, Longfellow shares similar feelings that arose in “When I Have Fears”. For example, at the beginning, Longfellow plainly states how “The years slip from me and [I] have not fulfilled / The aspiration of my youth”. He is saying how the years have gone by quickly and he has yet to accomplish that of which he hoped to. Longfellow then goes on to reflect upon the things present in his life that caused this. He concludes with “And hear above me on the autumnal blast / The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights”. The analogy Longfellow uses as making the hill stand for his life shows how Longfellow feels as though he is on the high point of his life. He feels as though for the whole “climb up the hill” he wasted his efforts on things like love which he was never able to find. And now that he is at the top of the hill, he can see his past below dark and accomplishless, and he sees his future as a cataract or waterfall giving the image of quickly moving. Basically Longfellow feels as though his future is going to bring him toward death much quicker then desires. Overall, both Keats and Longfellow clearly convey their similarities to the reader.

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  20. The difference between the poems, like previously stated is that Keats and Longfellow both had a different opinion on their approaching death. For example, Keats states “Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance, / And think that I may never live to trace”. By writing this, it can be understood that Keats has high aspirations that he feels that he will not be able to reach and accomplish. As the poem continues, Keats sense of negativity and hopelessness is revealed when he states that he will “stand alone” giving the image of solidarity. At this point in the poem he has given up, he sees no point in trying in life when he has not and will not be able to fulfill his high aspirations of being a famed writer. And thus he will “stand alone” and let death sweep him up. On the other hand, Longfellow feels as though he has not amounted to anything for the first half of his life due to wasted effort on finding love. However, he notices that he is just “half-way up the hill.” He notices that although he has not been able to achieve his aspirations thus far up the hill, he still has the rest of the hill to achieve that of his “aspiration[s] of [his] youth.” He views his death as something that yes is coming quickly, but he merely does not sit down and let death take him. He realizes that he has potential that has yet to be fulfilled and is going to try to achieve this for the remainder of the climb until he reaches the cataract at the end. Overall, although both Keats and Longfellow focus on death and how their pasts have been unfulfilling to their dreams, they also view their impending death on very different terms, one feeling as though there is not time to amount to anything, and the other deciding to give it their all.

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  21. Sally Kang
    Period 3

    I agree with the previous posts about the two authors talking about their fears of death and their regrets of how they spent their life.

    Even though the two poems are based on the similar subjects, they have different meanings.
    The first poem, "When I Have Fears" by Keats is more depressing than the second poem, "Mezzo Cammin" by Longfellow.

    Longfellow started the poem with a depressing tone saying that, "Half of my life is gone ... have not fulfilled the aspiration of my youth". Meaning he already lived half of his life but couldn't accomplish enough to satisfy himself. However, he finished poem with a hopeful and cheerful tone by saying, "A city in the twilight dim and vast, /With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights". This describes a cozy city with lights and bells that shows the readers that he still has a happy life.

    Keats' poem started and ended with a depressing tone. In the beginning, he said, "Before high-piled books, in charactery, /Hold like rich garners the full ripn'd grain". This described a pile of books as wall that stopped him from achieving more goals. In the end he said, "Of the wide world I stand alone, and think/Till love and fame to nothingness do sink". This left the readers imagining a man in the beach standing alone and waiting for his death.

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  22. Like Courtney and many previous posts prior to my own, I agree in the statement that both Longfellow and Keats poems are similar in the following two ways. First off, both poems deal with the topic of death and the general fear that accompanies it. Secondly, it is evident in both poems that the speakers express fear in the inability to accomplish all that they aspired to achieve in life.

        In "When I have fears", by John Keats, the usage of metaphors, repetition, personification,  and distinct structure allow Keats to express the fear he has towards death. The speaker fears dying before he accomplishes all he wishes to fulfill in life, be it love, fame, or poetic achievement. In the first four lines, the speaker connotes his fear of not attaining his full poetic potential before death. The line "before high-piled books" seems to represent the idea of the speaker dying before the speaker can produce a multitude of poetic works. In the metaphor "like rich garners the full ripen'd grain", Keats is suggesting the great amount of works he envisions creating in his life span. Personification is the literary device of choice used to describe the moon in the line "upon the night's starr'd face", which allows he reader to also experience the dreamlike and mystical tone that Keats uses. This contrasts to Longfellows poem, in which he uses more of a Sorrowfull and somewhat regretful tone that helps to portray the idea of a life half gone, death imminent , with aspirations still not yet fulfilled. Also, Keats structure consists of shifts in what the speaker Is worried about missing out on in life's journey. The final lines of "When I have fears" serve to express the speakers realization that at the end of the road, all that one has worked for (fame, love, achievement ) will be gone, expressed in the line " till love and fame to nothingness do sink."

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  23.      "Mezzo Cammin" written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the speaker, as the speaker in the other poem, expresses the unfulliment of his dreams and the fear of the imminent death around the corner. The first line states "half of my life is gone", which early on already brings forth a depressed, somewhat  regretful feeling. As Lloyd points out, it seems as if Longsfellow has reached his midlife crisis. Longsfellow also uses a metaphor in the line " some tower of song ". The tower represents the wall, even barrier, the was inhibiting the speaker from achieving his dreams. Also, using imagery of a traveling up a hill, the speaker explains how the past is far gone, "lying beneath me with it's sounds and sights", and that death is right around the corner, "the cataract of death far thunding from the heights." It seems as if Longfellow has lost the ability to see the brighter side of only having lived half of his lifetime and is a perfect example of someone who believes "the glass is half empty."

         Both poems also differ  in the ways that the poets decide to analyze death. In each poem, either speaker has a different view on passing away. The speaker in "When I have fears" seems to have come to an acceptance that all that he worked for in life will disappear when comes death. In contrast , Longfellow seems to still be at unease with death "thundering from the heights." I say this because with the using of a word such as "thundering", a distressed feeling is still present. However, in reference to Kiara's response I do indeed agree also in the idea that there is a positive feeling that dreams can still be accomplished towards the end of "Mezzo Cammin"

    Overall, both poems usage of Literary techniques such as metaphors and unique imagery help the poets explore the ideas of love, death, and fear. And although very contrasting, both poems deal with the idea that with death comes fear, and that it is important for one to achieve all they aspire to before ultimately time runs out.

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  24. Ajay Khatawate
    Period 5

    When I Have Fears and Mezzo Cammin are related in the relationship between the fear of death. I agree with the previous posts in that both of them are scared of death and haven't completed there literary goals. From Oscar's and Lloyd's I got that Keat died at the age of 26 a very short life, Longfellow was 75 when he died however, he wrote the poem at 40, midway in his life. Knowing the ages of these authors we can see that there ages had an influence in their response to the fear of the death. I don not see much difference between the poems, they were negative and ended with death.However, the authors did respond differently to there fear of death. Keats responded in accepting death, knowing even if he completes his goal death will consume him. Longfellow responded by completely stopping due to his past and death awaiting his future.The author John Keats was an author obsessed with death and whose slowly disappearing family was plagued with disease. in Keats poem he uses an anaphora of the word "before," to represent the time he has before death consumes him. Keats says how he will "never live to trace/ Their shadows, with the magical hand of chance,"(7-8)only a chance could give him an opportunity to complete his goals. The last two lines represent the death that consumes him, he uses alliteration with the "wide world," to represent that he is independent at the edge of the world. "Till love and fame to nothingness do sink,"(13-14) he is saying that even if he accomplishes his dream death will still be there. In Mezzo Cammin which I interpreted as a mid-life crisis, Longfellow has a similarity with Keats in accomplishing there literary goals before death. In line 7 there is a shift which shows that he still has the rest of his life to accomplish his literary dreams. I agree with Jenna that the hill is a metaphor in the different stages of life. As he climbs the hill he is growing and maturing which requires a harder effort. When he is at the top of the hill, he looks back at his past and awaits his future, final is down hill which quickly leads to death. The final two lines represent the cycle of life he knows after all his discomfort and suffering now he must fall to his death.

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  25. I agree with those who stated the difference between "Mezzo Cammin" and "When I Have Fears" is the way in which the speakers, Longfellow and Keats, analyze death.

    The author of "Mezzo Cammin", Henry Longfellow, first begins the poem by reflecting back onto his youth. Seeming somewhat content, the speaker states "with smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights"(Longfellow 12, which gives the connotation of being overjoyed and happy because he is referring to Christmas time. However, the speakers attitude quickly shifts into one of fear and resistance. When he states "The cataract of Death far Thundering from the heights"(Longfellow 14), it suggests that the speaker is terrified of death, and wants to escape it as evidenced by the diction that is used.

    Keats speaks upon death in a different light when compared to Longfellow. In the beginning of "When I Have Fears", the speaker is afraid of not being able to accomplish his aspirations and dreams before he dies. He first speaks upon his goals as an artist and poet, then shifts to romance when Keats states "fair creature of an hour"(Keats 9). However, when the poem begins to come to an end, the speaker realizes that its his desire that hes afraid of, not death. "Till love and fame to nothingness do sink"(Keats 14), meaning that the speaker has finally come to terms with death, and accepts the fact that everyone will eventually pass away.

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  26. Oscar Eberle
    Period:5
    In relation to Amanda's comment about the use of literary techniques, both poets use metaphors to express their concerns about an upcomming death. In Keats poem the speaker demonstates that he is ready and to a point accepting death in line 4 when he is comparing himself to ripened grain. Longfellow also used a metaphor in line 14 when he compared death to a thundering waterfall, this quotation shows that the speaker is hesitant about death and is reflecting on his past were sorrow and being over cautious affected his accomplishments in life.

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  27. Ivan Sinclair
    period 5

    I agree with those previous comments on the belief that in the poems "when i have fears" and "mezzo cammin" the speakers differentiate in their views and fears death.

    the speaker in "When i have fears" although young as shown in the dates, fears early death before being recognized for all of his great works as he compares this situation when he writes "hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain." Even with this the speakers mindset towards death still differentiates from Longfellow's as Keats expresses his acceptance with it. this is shown when he writes "till love and fame to nothingness do sink" this quote explains how the speaker's desire for love and fame sinks away, the speaker shows that he is now able to take on death even though he will never be fully recognized.His future aspirations are now put aside as he comes to realization with the possibility of a nearing death.

    This contrasts with the speaker's thoughts of death in "mezzo cammin" as the speaker is disappointed with the outcome of his life because he did not fulfill the "aspiration of my youth" due to "sorrow, and a care that almost killed." Although both speakers would like to have a fulfilling life before death Longfellow expresses different feelings towards death. rather than acceptance of what is, the speaker in "mezzo Cammin" expresses an actual fear of upcoming death, especially after not accomplishing up to his full potential in the past, as expressed as "autumnal blast" which is followed by winter/death. Death is described as a waterfall of thundering heights, which can not be seen as pleasant and peaceful but loud, frightening and dangerous.

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  28. I agree with the previous posts comparing the poems "When I have fears" and "Mezzo Cammin". In both poems, the authors describe death and their views on dying. Keats begins with a dreadful tone when he states, "When I have fears that I may cease to be / Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain" the author is describing his fear of dying without being able to reach his full potential. However; he then shifts into a more accepting tone when he states, "Of unreflecting love;-then on the shore / Of the wide world I stand alone, and think / To love and fame to nothingness do sink" Keats shifts and accepts that he will have to die eventually. However; in the poem "Mezzo Cammin" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, he looks back at his past filled with regret. The author states "But sorrow, and a care that almost killed" meaning that he was overly cautious in his actions, did not take risks, which led him to regret his past and all the opportunities he could have taken but due to his fears he did not. The last line of the poem really caught my attention when it stated "The cataract of Death far thundering from heights," it compared death as a waterfall, a never ending, unstoppable thing, like death. I also noticed that the author capitalized the words "Past" and "Death" making me think that the author wanted to emphasize on those words which are reflected on throughout the poem. My thoughts on the poems are that they are extremely similar yet very different. They both have dreadful views on death but in the first poem the author accepts that he must die, and in the second poem, the author is scared of approaching death.

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  29. Lloyd Tisuela
    Period 5

    As much as I agree with everything that's been stated so far, I'd like to bring up the subject of introducing background information and the like as it would be beneficial toward our introductory paragraph as well as enforcing comprehension in both Keats and Longfellow's poetry.

    As we discussed in class (this may be different in other periods), I can recall that Domingo brought up Buddhism in Keats' work, also mentioning that there was an influx of Eastern philosophy in Europe at the time. Basically, what Ivan had talked about and the repressing desire for fame and love Keats was expressing. Keats had also brought up romance in the aspect of not only love, but also the era of romanticism in literature in Europe. It certainly intrigued on how Keats not only expresses what everyone has already stated (his views of accepting death) but also utilizes his everything in his surroundings. This really shows how literature in certain time frames can easily give a sense of how lifestyle was at that era as well as a sort of "peek" at history.

    This may seem slightly off topic, but I would like to bring up Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and her "Five Stages to approaching death" in which I learned from Psychology class. She characterizes each stage as: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I just saw a resemblance in the poetry where it seems Keats would exemplify the acceptance stage perfectly as he seems to die a few years after the poem was written. On the other hand, Longfellow seems to be around the denial stage as he is hesitant and frightened at the sound of his passing which would be fairly accurate as he has an entire half of his life to live before he actually passes at the time of the poem's publication.

    I was wondering if anyone else had any ideas in adding to other background information in regards to the poets or poems?

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  30. Jason Galang
    Per. 5

    As stated above, the two poems "When I Have Fears," by John Keats, and "Mezzo Cammin," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow show concurrence when the speakers express their fear of death. Both believe that passing away would interfere with them being successful with their goals whether it be achieving literary fame or finding true love. However, they exhibit distinctions on their views of their approaching death due to their unique situations, thus conclude each poem differently.

    I personally interpreted "When I Have Fears" as the speaker, having already experienced love, never had the opportunity to experience true or pure love. When the speaker says, "And when I feel, fair creature of an hour ,"(Keats 9), it was assumed that it meant he did not believe that love would last long as he was running out of time. The speaker in Longfellow's poem, however, conveyed a more depressing picture. It was as if his life was more filled with tragedies than happiness and love. "Of, restless passions that would not be stilled,/ But sorrow, and a care that almost killed,/ Kept me from what I may accomplish yet;"(Longfellow 6-8)

    The poems evidently conclude differently as the speakers in them come to dissimilar perspectives on the idea of death. Mr. Sinclair's comment above regarding the speaker of "When I Have Fears" proves to be valid in, "Till love and fame to nothingness do sink." Here, acceptance is shown as he acknowledges death even if he did not achieve love or fame. On the contrary, in "Mezzo Cammin," the speaker has a more hopeless tone and illustrates his fear of the future. This is apparent in his unpleasant statement, "The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights."(Longfellow 14).

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  31. Continuing on from my previous post about outside information without actually deciphering the poem (we all know that's been done quite consecutively), I can recall how John Keats also had a brother whom passed away from tuberculosis which could have lead to the overall motivation of "When I have Fears".

    However, the dichotomy in Longfellow's and Keats' views in their particular situation both really seem to be the subject in the current discussion. Both speakers seem to reference water at the conclusion of the poems, water being the symbol for change could lead a continuation of other things for the poets. Could I get some interpretations on what could be occurring after in each poem? I would really like to see a gist of what would happen.

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  32. I would like to add to Sarah's interpretation of the "tower of song with lofty parapet". I believe that this tower of song is something Longfellow would like to accomplish. The songs are some literature that he wants to build before he dies. The way he piles it into a tower shows a similar idea in John Keats's poem "When i Have Fears" where he describes a "High- piled books" this also has a relevance to creating as much literature as possible before death. These two poems represent piles of literary works that they would like to accomplish before they depart from this world. The way they described the "piling" of their work fascinated me. Would any of you guys like to add on to this?

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  33. Kassndra DelgadillO
    Period 5

    In addition to everyones iterpretations about the two poems, I agree as well that both speakers fear their upcoming death. However, the writters fear death in different ways, and have uniques attitudes towards it. In the peom "when I have fears" the speaker writes of how he is scared that he will not accomplish all his goals as a writter as well as not having someone love him back. As evidenced by the quote "unreflecting love" (Keats 12). While on the other hand, the peom "Mezzo Cammin describes a man who is halfway through his life and has not accomplished what he wishes to do. Both speakers ease personification into their writtings, for example In the poem "When I Have Fears" he uses personification in the quote "huge cloudy symbols of a high romance" (Keats 6). Meaning that he wants to create the example for romantic literature, and he wants someone to love him in return. And in the poem "Mezzo Cammin" the quote "I see the past lying beneath me" (Longfellow 9-10) is used to show that he is reminiscing about his past,that is now behind him. His past memories have a positive connotation when he says "with smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights(Longfellow 12). He uses that imagery to represent he had an enjoyable past. Then the peom suddenly shifts from a hopeful to a more apprehensive tone. As stated by the following quote "the autumnal blast" (Longfellow 13) which represents change. The writter then closes his thoughts by lastly saying "The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights" (Longfellow 14). Which means he is frightened of his upcoming death. However "When I have fears" concludes with a more peositive tone "Till love and fame to nothingness do sink" (Keats 14). Although the writter did not succeed in achieving everything he desired, he however had an understanding of death, and accepted it.

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  34. Logan Heaton
    P. 5

    Like the previous posts, I too believe that Keats' and Longfellow's poems both are similar in two ways. First, both poems are based on death and the general fears that come with it. Second, both speakers reflect on the possibility that they may not have enough time left in life to accomplished all the goals they had originally planned to.

    I also agree with Jian's interpretation of Longfellow's "tower of song with lofty parapet" as something the speaker would like to accomplish. However, I think that the said tower represents not only his aspirations, but a challenge in his life. I think he views it as proof of what he has failed to do.

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