Funeral Blues - 1560 Words

In the poem â€Å"Funeral Blues,† W.H. Auden’s choice of diction allows the reader a greater understanding of the intensity and depth of feeling experienced upon the loss of a loved one. Likewise, the symbolism used by the poet pulls us into the actual world of the grief stricken as he searches for ways to mourn this passing. Auden’s choice of diction here was used to drawn the reader into the emotional disrepair felt by the afflicted. He shortens sentences and uses comparisons to the destruction left behind after the passing. â€Å"The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun.† He is using these types of phrases to show us just how significant the death was. By using such statements as, â€Å"Stop all the†¦show more content†¦To show the God-like significance his partner was in his life, he uses â€Å"He† with a capital; there is also emphasis on the three heavy monosyllables that creates a morose feel to the end of the line. The writer then expresses that all peace has now gone and is blemished and weighed down with death by referring to â€Å"crepe bows around the white necks of the public doves†. Auden continues to describe the inconsequentiality of the rest of the world as he pushes himself away from his life: â€Å"Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.† The third stanza of Our Love Now is different from the other two; instead of using metaphors related to everyday life he starts to explore his pain deeper by directly referring to how the loss of his partner will effect him, using metaphors of cosmic significance: â€Å"He was my North, my South, my East and West† To describe how life cannot go on without his beloved and how everything in his life is a reminder of pain, the writer expresses how every aspectof himself was associated with his partner: â€Å"My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song† The last line of the stanza ends in â€Å"I was wrong†, which, similarly to â€Å"He is dead†, gives a sense of finality to the flow of speech by the use of heavy monosyllables; this live also references to love not lasting forever, concurring with the idea that the poem is about an end to a relationship, not a genuine dea th. The final stanza depictsShow MoreRelatedFuneral Blues.1483 Words   |  6 Pagesatypical metaphor of a dog and a bone. To exemplify the way he feels his life has ended, he then uses metaphors associated with a funeral: Silence the pianos and with a muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. To show the end of happiness and the start of mourning, the writer includes the silencing of the pianos and then low thudding drums used at funeral to describe the phenomenal sadness he feels now the relationship is over. He includes the metaphor coffin to either represent hisRead More The Mood in Funeral Blues by W.H. Auden Essays992 Words   |  4 PagesThe Mood in Funeral Blues by W.H. Auden The poem, Funeral Blues, by W.H. Auden tells about a persons grief and is successful in creating a very sad and depressing mood. This is achieved by the poets use of language, word choice and sentence structure. The way in which the author describes his feeling - along with the use of rhythm and rhyme - was created in a very effective way which made it clear to the reader. In the first stanza the depressing mood is createdRead More Death in Auden’s Funeral Blues, Forche’s Memory of Elena, and Dickinson’s Last Night that She lived1678 Words   |  7 PagesDeath Reflected in Auden’s Funeral Blues, Forche’s Memory of Elena, and Dickinson’s Last Night that She lived Death is a natural and inevitable part of life. Everyone will experience death, whether it is of a loved one or oneself. In W.H. Auden’s poem â€Å"Funeral Blues† (1003), he describes such a catastrophic event and the drastic effect that it has on his life. It is interesting how people choose to accept this permanent and expected event, death. Similarly, Emily Dickinson has writtenRead More Funeral Blues by W.H. Auden Essay770 Words   |  4 Pages W.H. Auden wrote the poem, â€Å"Funeral Blues†. Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) was born in York, England, and later became and American citizen. Auden was the founder for a generation of English poets, such as C. Day Lewis, and Stephen Spender. Auden’s earlier works were composed of a Marxist outlook with a knowledge of Freudian Psychology. Later works consisted of professing Christianity, and what he considered â€Å"increasing conservatism†. In 1946 Auden emigrated and became an American citizen. WhileRead MoreAlliteration In W. H. Audens Funeral Blues736 Words   |  3 PagesNothing beautiful in this world brings light to his life now, ever since his brother’s spirit left the earth. Death is a tragic event in anyone’s life, and poet W.H Auden expresses his feelings of hopelessness in the poem, â€Å"Funeral Blues.† This poem expresses the feelings of misery and depression after a loved one dies, and promotes the idea to not get fooled by love because it never lasts- once it’s gone, nothing is meaningful anymore. Auden uses alliteration, imagery, and metaphors to express theRead MoreReflection Of Funeral Blues By W. H. Auden819 Words   |  4 PagesThe poem ‘Funeral Blues’ starts out with a somber tone by way of the speaker being devastated because of what seems to be the recent death of a loved one. The speaker is very distraught with the death and is going through the process of preparing for a funeral. Throughout this piece the narrator is going through what seems to be a grieving period and through the use of imagery and tone, W.H. Auden shows the devastating effects that the death of a loved one has on those left behind. In the firstRead MoreFuneral Blues And Mid-Term Break By W. H. Auden711 Words   |  3 Pagesbut both inevitable. Both Seamus Heaney in his poem Mid-Term Break and W.H. Auden in his poem Funeral Blues explore the theme of death and how they dealt with the grief after losing someone they love, but both delved into it in different ways. They talk about the anger, shock and the feeling of emptiness after losing someone. In the poem mid-term break the poet captures the atmosphere in a funeral in a subtle, sensitive and observatory manner. The title is misleading, it implies that the poemRead MoreGa Tribe in Ghana2279 Words   |  9 Pageshand in the creation of the coffins. The fantastic nature of these objects fit in with the traditions attached to Ga funerals. Although there is a sense of mystery surrounding the fantasy coffins, their role in Ga society and their funeral traditions cannot be ignored. The history of figurative objects and the carpenters attributed to them are extremely important to Ga funerals. The people of Ga are located in southeast Ghana. They are divided into six towns: Accura, Labadi, Nunga, Osu, TemaRead MoreHow Effectively Does the Poet Convey Aspects of Change in ‘Funeral Blues’?625 Words   |  3 PagesHow effectively does the poet convey aspects of change in ‘Funeral Blues’? ‘Funeral Blues’ by W. H. Auden is a poem is about death and grief. It was originally written as a satirical poem about the death of a politician, though was later edited to become solemn. The poet effectively conveys aspects of change, such as the human condition in relation to the experience of loss. This is conveyed through tone, metaphors, imagery and anaphora. The aspect of the human condition and our response toRead MoreChinese Views on Death and Dying Burial Techniques, Rituals and Beliefs of the Common Man2718 Words   |  11 Pagesthroughout Chinese history, including an ideogram that depicts a person kneeling in front of their ancestors bones 1. In Chinese culture, death rites are intricate and well thought out works on preparing one for the afterlife and rebirth. Chinese funeral rites have strict guidelines as to where the rites are to be performed, how the rites are performed (ritual bathing of the corpse), the dress of the attendees and the dead, the transfer of material goods on Earth to the dead, acknowledgement of the