Auden’s poetry conveys his major
themes of love, human suffering and loss. Select two
poems studied in class that clearly illustrate
this through
emotive language and
evocative imagery
.
Analyse the question by underlining the important words.
Select your poems
Plan your essay
Must be approximately 900 words
2 paragraphs per poem
Auden’s poetry conveys major themes of human suffering and loss. This is clearly illustrated
through emotive language and evocative imagery in both “Funeral Blues” and “Musee Des
Beaux Arts.”
In Auden’s ‘Funeral Blues,’ human suffering is depicted through the use of emotive language.
This helps to set the theme and mood of the poem, to evoke sadness and in the author’s
perspective, grief. His use of hyperbolic metaphors and imperative tone indicates the level of his
pain and sorrow.
“Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone”
suggests that time must not move
on; he is not ready to face the world again after what he had just experienced. The word “Stop,”
a word to begin the poem that simultaneously suggests an ending demonstrate that his friend was
his beginning and end. The adjective within that quote are staccato and is demanding. He does
not want music to be played as it sometimes associate with happiness,
“Silence the pianos and
with muffled drum bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.”
However a muffled drum refers
to the sound of sadness as it is a mournful sound. We are given the idea that he wants everything
to stop; no happiness, no music, he wants absolute silence. This is representative of his internal
state of mind. Also, it is imperative of him to say to let the funeral procession begin and that he
wants the world to mourn with him. No one, or anything must not make a sound in honour of the
death of his friend. Again, these are a series of commands that help convey the theme of human ...
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