So I thought that I'd see if anyone wanted to discuss "To Autumn" and its assigned questions on the blog.
For starters, question five is a particularly tricky one (in my opinion, at least).
5. Although the poem is primarily descriptive, what attitude toward transience and passing beauty is implicit in it?
Anyone care to chat about it? (I think that I'll think about it over dinner and make a post a bit later, myself.)
EDIT: Looks like J.D. changed the due date of the assignment while I was writing this. Oh well. Anyone still want to discuss?
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2 comments:
I have an idea for you, David. So, in question 3, it mentions discussing a progression of time of day. Maybe that is what it means by transience. The poem takes place during one day, with each stanza having the day grow older. This could suggest that autumn is fleeting and the beauty will not last for long because winter is just around the corner. I don't know if that's necessarily correct, but it's an idea I had. :)
I had some trouble with this too! My initial and unchallenged thought is this: the author expresses regret for such speedy passage of time (in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn), yet he isn't absorbed in this mournful state. I think he acknowledges that such transience must be, but I have no support for this. My only support is that the tone of the poem is pretty upbeat and not terribly depressing.
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