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1. Poem: On First Looking into Chapman's Homer Analysis : As a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet, "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" falls into two parts--an octet (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines). The octet describes Keats's reading experience before reading Chapman's translation and the sestet contrasts his experience of reading it. The octet stresses Keats's wide reading experience; for example he says "MUCH have I TRAVELED," meaning that he has read a great deal. What other words/phrases in the octet also indicate his extensive traveling (reading) experience? Note he has traveled both on land and sea. The Octet (lines 1-8) Much have I traveled in the realms of gold The phrase "realms of gold" functions in a number of ways. "Realms" starts the image cluster of locations--"states," "kingdoms" "demesnes." These words, as well as "in fealty," suggest political organization. The phrase also symbolizes the world of literature or, if you prefer, imagination. What is Keats saying about the value of this world., i.e., why describe it as realms of gold, rather than of lead or brass, for instance? Why does he use the plural "realmS," rather than the singular "realm"? Finally, "realms of gold" anticipates the references in the sestet to the Spanish Conquistadores in the New World, for whom the lust for gold was a primary motive. The repetition of "l" sounds in "travelled," "realms," and "gold" emphasizes the idea and ties the words together. And many goodly states and kingdoms seen; Round many western islands have I been Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold. The high, even holy function that poets fulfill is indicated by their being the servants of a god, Apollo, and having sworn to follow him (with the suggestion of their having consecrated their lives to him). "Fealty," in addition, indicates their dedication to Apollo and, by extension, to their calling, the writing of poetry. With the reference to poets, Keats moves from those who read (or who experience through poets' imaginations) to those who create poetry (or who express their own imaginations). Then the poem narrows to one particular poet who rules the realm of poetry, i.e., whose genius and inspired poetry raise him above even dedicated poets. Oft of one wide expanse had I been told To emphasize the extent of Homer's genius and his literary accomplishments, Keats modifies "expanse" (which means "extensive") with an adjective which also means "extensive," i.e., the adjective "wide." That deep-browed Homer ruled as his demesne; "Deep-browed" refers to Homer's intellect. (We use the adjective "deep" colloquially with a similar meaning today, in such phrases as "a deep thought" or "she's a deep thinker.") Yet did I never breathe its pure serene By breathing in the "pure serene," he makes it a part of himself; would the same effect be achieved if he walked or ran through Homer's demesne (his poetry)? What is Keats saying about the necessity of poetry (how important is breathing)? This line and the next line contrast Keats's knowledge of Homer's reputation and his experiencing the genius of Homer's poetry in Chapman's translation. What are your assocations with the words "pure" and "serene"-- positive, negative, neutral? Note that these words apply to both the poetry of Homer and the translation by Chapman. Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold; The Sestet (lines 9-14) Then felt I like some watcher of the skies "Then" moves the poem to a new idea, to the consequences or the results of reading Chapman's translation. At the same time, "then" connects the sestet to the octet and so provides a smooth transition from one section of the poem to the other. In this line and the next line, reading Chapman's translation has revealed a new dimension or world to Keats, which he expresses by extending the world to include the heavens. When a new planet swims into his ken; To get a sense of Keats' excitement and joy at the discovery of Homer via Chapman, imagine the moment of looking up into the sky and seeing a planet--which has been unknown till that moment. Also imagine the moment of struggling up a mountain, reaching the top and beholding--not land, as you expected--but an expanse of ocean, reaching to the horizon and beyond. What would that moment of discovery, that moment of revelation of a new world, that moment of enlarging the world you knew, feel like?

FNI Nipu Sir

nipu0007@gmail.com

01722963999

The planet "swims" into view. Though the astronomer is actively looking (as Keats actively read), yet the planet, which has always been there, comes into his view. The image of swimming is part of the water imagery, starting with the voyages of line 3 to the Pacific Ocean in the ending. Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes Since the discovery of the Pacific is a visual experience, Keats emphasizes Cortez's eyes. What kind of eyesight does an eagle have (is it different from that of an owl or a bat, for instance)? He stared at the Pacific--and all his men Why does Cortez "stare," rather than just look at or glance at the Pacific? Does Keats's error in identifying Cortez as discovering the ocean detract significantly from this poem? Look'd at each other with a wild surmise-What is the impact of this discovery on Cortez's men? Why are they silent? Why do they look at each other with "WILD surmise"? What does the adjective "wild" suggest about their feelings on seeing the Pacific, about the impact of that discovery on them? Silent, upon a peak in Darien. The image of Cortez and his men standing overwhelmed is sharply presented. Note the contrast of Chapman's "loud and bold voice" in the last line of the octet and the "silence" of Cortez and his men in the last line of the poem. Summary Keats has wide experience in the reading of poetry and is familiar with Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, but not until now has he had the special aesthetic enjoyment to be gained from reading Homer in the translation of George Chapman. For him, the discovery of Homer as translated by Chapman provides the same kind of overwhelming excitement felt by an astronomer who has discovered a new planet or by Cortez when he first saw the Pacific from a summit in Central America. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,, 2. Poem: London Summary The speaker wanders through the streets of London and comments on his observations. He sees despair in the faces of the people he meets and hears fear and repression in their voices. The woeful cry of the chimney-sweeper stands as a chastisement to the Church, and the blood of a soldier stains the outer walls of the monarchs residence. The nighttime holds nothing more promising: the cursing of prostitutes corrupts the newborn infant and sullies the Marriage hearse. Themes and Meanings Blakes purpose in creating the Songs of Innocence and of Experience was to level criticism at late eighteenth century English society. In these poems, Blake contrasts the unfallen innocence of children with the sordid, repressed attitudes of the adult worlda world ruled by the church, the monarchy, and English common law. Blake viewed himself as a prophet whose task it was to shake people out of their complacent acceptance of their fallen circumstances. In London, he turns his attack on the capital city, thus pointing out that the very heart of the English Empire is diseased and corrupt. By choosing syphilis as the symbol for all that is wrong with England, Blake is able to condemn institutions and emotions that are sacred to most people: love and marriage. He seems more antagonistic toward the civil and religious laws that sexually repress people than he does toward the husband who cheats on his wife by visiting a prostitute. Nor does he condemn the prostitute for her behavior. He sees the prostitutes as physically, emotionally, and morally imprisoned by a system that makes them depend on their wealthy customers for their income. He also makes it clear that such victimization works both ways: The venereal disease that the men pass on to and contract from these young women also poisons innocent wives at home and the unborn children of both wives and prostitutes. The poem concludes with the youthful Harlots curse: disease for the straying husband and his unsuspecting wife, syphilitic blindness for children of both women, and a condemnation of marriage as the institution that drives people to form loveless unions, that enslaves people instead of teaching them to loveemotionally and physically. There is angry irony in Blakes choice of words in the concluding line of the poem when he refers to the carriage carrying the young bride and groom from the church as the Marriage hearse. It is not only the church that draws Blakes anger in London: The monarchy is also blamed for the peoples woes. In part, the English government and the church are inseparable because the Church of England is the official state church. Of equal importance is the fact that, as the most powerful force in England, the government should protect rather than victimize its citizens. London shows that this is not the case. Soldiers who willingly lay down their lives to defend their ruler stand as testimony to their leaders greed. This was especially pertinent in light of the recent bloody American Revolution, which Blake saw as a reaction against the greedy tyranny of the British monarchy. In poems such as London, Blake hoped to shock his readers into demanding reform by pointing out the corruption and suffering that existed all around them.