Vivid ideas - Death - John Keats/other writers

Welcome readers, let's have a look through the rather dark but light like concept, death. We must see how it affects the humanbeing, in what measure, and how according to this death is occurring psycologically, which is also described by some of the writers!

Evaluation by applying "Mathew Arnold's  theory of good poetry".

Introduction:

 John Keats is one of the second generation poets, who belongs to romanticism. He dates from 1795-1827. He wrote "six odes" in 1819, one of which I'm going to introduce in this blog called "ode to a nightingale". He became famous after his death, inspired many of the people of his age, specifically "Jorge Luis Borges" acclaimed that after encountering Keats's works, he knew about the literary significance in its precise way.

He died of "tuberculosis". A very idea of which I'm going to discuss in detail through the medium of vivid poems.

Abstract:As we know "death" has its own impact in our lives. Some percieve it as "Sigmund Freud" perceives in his study of "psycological perspectives on death" in annual reviews, where he has differently categorised how a death like concept is affecting "person's mentality", how those consider it to be, on what measure they sum it up, how some has its disguise only to have concern of others, while in respect of aged people it differs and also some who are suffering and their disease are incurable, for them one has "euthanasia device". Furthermore we would also have a glimpse of some of the "Mathew Arnold's ideas on criticism of life, disinterestedness and detachment". We are going to discuss here "Ode to nightingale" , "Death be not proud" and a fraction by a Japanese writer on death concept.

Keywords: Death, Sigmund Freud:Thanatology, Euthanasia, Mathew Arnold: disinteredtedness, detachment, John Keats: ode to nightingale, John Donne: Death be not proud, yukio Mishima: A Japanese writer, a ritual of disembowelment.

Mathew Arnold: poetry is the criticism of life, governed by the laws of poetic truth and poetic beauty

Two prior precautions in analyzing poem:

• Analysis/evaluation shouldn't be personal.
• It shouldn't be historical.

Views on good poetry:

Superior character of "truth" and "seriousness", in the matter and substance of the best poetry, is inseparable from the superiority of fiction and movement marking its style and manner.

As he didn't like "Wordsworth" for his "spasmodic approach to criticism" it seems as he has moral profundity rather than emotional attacking.

Let's see through some poems, how he has put forward his ideas on death.

A small fraction by Yukio Mishima:

A small night storm blows

Saying 'falling is the essence of a flower'

Preceding those who hesitate.

 - 1970

It perhaps suggests "autumn" season, which is prescribed as dead season/fall of spring and and also says that who is fearful and frightened as not encountered yet they would get hesitated and those are going to succumb somewhat unexpected in their lives. While "night can't be small" yes it can be short, phrase seems to be "small night" somewhat inappropriated/unsuited.

It can also be compared with "aged people" as they day by day loose hope of living as they are unable to, due to some weakness, refraining him/her to cope up with any situation. Becomes helpless, though willing to, but blackness of such things would prevent him/her. So as Sigmund Freud says

In "thanatology" that as they are of lower level ego and as are psycologically and physically weak, they predict a higher level of anxiety and perceive themselves to be close to death.

This idea seems to suggest "a cyclical nature" that  destines  everyone in its whirlpool and also suggests "criticism of life"(poetic beauty {given a touch of personification} and poetic truth)as per Mathew Arnold's observation for "a good poetry".

Seeing the concept of death put forward by "John Donne":

Death be not proud

Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.

"Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow".

Here "Death is being challenged". As some weak(aged people) considers it to be mighty and dreadful but it isn't and as also some thinks that it has some power that it can also overthrow someone or something if it thinks.

For example: we may also have an illustrious example of "Mobydick" where captain "Ahab" is swallowed by "the white whale" and fated to death. Here mighty becomes the supernatural power and not "Ahab".

"Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be".

It is described as "helpless", suggests the tone of revolting as some adventurers do, they don't fear death and what comes to them, they easily embrace it without any hesitation and fear. It suggests that if it isn't dying then also it can't kill someone, else someone is not at rest or slept as these things prescribe(rest and sleep) death. We also  have a concept in "Thanatology"(fear of death) which allegedly leads humans to engage in risky and self-destructive acts that could lead to their own death(e.g: the case of "Dr. Jekyll" where due to his pleasurable tendency he commits many unknown sins but as it is said "Karmic theory" has some significance and it can be leaded in any form and any way to that particular person, same happens in his case and he is fated to death at last).

This poem seems to suggest "the psychology of death" how it is considered as inferior to the mighty, though it has many forms and ways to counter a person, but it can't, as human mightiness is more strengthening than deaths's.

"Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go".

Here the lines suggest 'past' by the word "then". Where it says that "much pleasure can be derived  from death". As perhaps it is in the case where a person who is willing to die, will flow with this thought and "the best man" whom we know are named and famed people, but as unable to perform literal as they were performing earlier they accepts leisurely death.

"Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell".

As death is slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men(wants to convey that when these four elements want they will have a person's death or someone others, they have such type of ability that they can with a gesture of fingertips change the universe). While the latter line suggest the dissolving of such things into something(suggest cruelty, ordained death, destined death).

"And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?"

These two lines suggest that "death" should stay 'carefree', why it is bothering when one has such types of pleasurable stroke, where one can sleep happily without any worries, why it is burdened to hurl its stroke on others, though it isn't required.

One short sleep past, we wake eternally

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Death is like "a short sleep" where one can after a short nap, wake eternally, though something unique but life will be there. So there isn't any concept of death and if there isn't death, then what to fear for so it is told that "death should die".

In this poem we saw many things parallel, how psychology of death is portrayed, concerning child(charm and poppy like elements for death) suggesting slavish kind of thing.

If evaluating it "mimetically" it seems to be true representational of life as to encourage them. We see many types of people; some have fear for death(specifically old people, as discussed under thanatology term) some are who knowingly wants to take risk of death or wants to self kill themselves(e.g: The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Dr. Jekyll himself, though educated and concerning his designation a scientist, obviously knowing all pros and cons of life, but commits many sins in an envisage of Mr. Hyde[can be said as unable to repress his natural instinct, it has overpowered him and finally he was controlled by that influence, and as unable to resist it leads him to his own fatal death]). Many are there who are willingly killing themselves term known as "Euthanasia" where people who are unable to recover, distressed and helpless, willingly abandoning their lives in order to get rid from all prospects of struggles of lives.

To understand this concept in more better way refer below mentioned two links:

1. https://samiyakagdi313.blogspot.com/2020/01/emily-dickinson-poem.html
2. https://samiyakagdi313.blogspot.com/2020/01/ode-to-nightingale-john-keats.html

Thus we saw here how death related vivid ideas are presented here, with the help of 'study of poetry' by Mathew Arnold and what is the concept of 'Thanatology' and many perspectives related to death.

Thankyou 

Samiya Kagdi

A student at PG center

Department of English

MKBU

Applied sources:

1. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47652/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death-479

2. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44479/ode-to-a-nightingale

3. https://www.123helpme.com/death-drive-preview.asp

4. https://dilipbarad.blogspot.com/2010/12/literary-criticism-in-age-of.html