Ode to a Nightingale
As one reads this poem of John Keats, the overwhelming feeling is the envy the poet feels toward the nightingale and his song. He compared the carefree life of the bird to the pain, suffering and mortality of men. He continually referred to Greek gods and mythology when speaking of the nightingale as somehow the Bird possessed magical powers.The speaker opened with the explanation "my heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains my sense" as he listened to the song of the nightingale. He compared his feelings to those of a person that had drunk "hemlock" or an "opiate" so that their senses had become dull, or as if drinking from "Lethe-wards," a river of the lower world, which produced forgetfulness of past life. Keats compared the bird to that of a "Dryad," or a female spirit, which was assigned a certain tree to watch over and whose life was so closely connected to the tree that if it were to die so would the Dryad. Or perhaps in some mysterious way the nightingale's song were "some melodious plot" to enchant his listener. He explained the reason for his envy as being "happy in thy happiness" or because the bird sang so beautifully with "full throated ease." Keats longs for the effects of liquor "
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Poesy Poesy, John Keats, Mount Helicon, Ruth Bible, ODE NIGHTINGALE, comparison nightingale, listened song nightingale, song bird, nightingale's song, song nightingale, listened song,
Approximate Word count = 997
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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