In his English sonnet “When I Have Fears” ( pg. 17. Vendler ) . John Keats attempts to set into words the human emotions felt when covering with decease. I believe that Keats wrote this verse form to depict the natural order of emotions he went through while thought of his ain mortality. The tone of the sonnet takes a “roller coaster” class throughout the verse form from one quatrain to the following. With careful scrutiny one can see that Keats used the first quatrain to depict a province of arrant confusion. the 2nd to show a composure and climbing nightshade feeling. the 3rd to depict a feeling of huge fright. and the concluding pair to show a feeling of credence. The first quatrain trades with the first of four emotions that Keats expresses throughout the sonnet. The first line. “When I have frights that I may discontinue to be” ( pg. 17. Vendler ) instantly tells the reader that this is a verse form about John Keats’ fright of decease. The fact that he says. “When I have fears…” leads me to believe that these frights are non an mundane experience. but a common happening that bothers him from clip to clip. It is besides in this quatrain that Keats uses agricultural metaphors to depict his frights of decease.

In the 2nd line. “Before my pen has gleaned my pullulating encephalon. ” ( pg. 17. Vendler ) we see the first of these metaphors with the usage of the word “gleaned. ” If something is gleaned it implies that it is being raked. scraped. or sorted with some sort of agriculture or horticulture tool. The other of import word in this 2nd line is “teeming” . which is synonymous to teeming. packed. or crowded. When Keats describes his “teeming encephalon. ” one can conceive of 1000000s of ideas and frights running rampant throughout his head. go forthing him in a province of arrant confusion. This full 2nd line is intended to state us that by composing this sonnet. Keats is “raking” or screening all of the frights that have cluttered his head. The 3rd line of the sonnet besides supports the impression that Keats was overloaded with apprehension and perplexity. “Before high-piled books. in charact’ry. ” ( pg. 17. Vendler ) is another metaphor of a littered desk that straight relates to the imbalance of emotions and ideas that arise when he thinks of decease. In the 4th line. “Hold like rich granaries the full-ripened grain ; ” ( pg. 17. Vendler ) Keats one time once more returns the agricultural metaphor. Granaries are the big storage installations on farms that hold big measures of grain before it is shipped away and sold. In this peculiar instance I believe Keats used grain as a metaphor for human life.

The grain had been tended to and nourished for some clip. where it was so picked and killed by the husbandmans. and placed into a granary. It is possible that Keats intended the granary to be a metaphor for a graveyard or something that lies beyond the life of the person. Keats’ mastermind can be seen through his agricultural metaphors. as both single life and farming follow a barbarous rhythm that can non travel unbroken. Humans. much like harvests. come from the Earth and in clip we return to the Earth. It is an ineluctable facet of all living existences. With the beginning of the 2nd quatrain. the reader experiences the first alteration of tone. The 5th line reads. “When I behold. upon the night’s starred face. ” ( pg. 17. Vendler ) which is an tremendous passage from a littered and overruning desk. It about seems to state that he has “gleaned” his head with his pen. so to talk. and has calmed himself down a spot. He hence uses the placid image of a starry sky with big clouds to show his sudden alteration in temper.

As the quatrain continues. he begins to show the impression that there may be many things that he won’t be able to make in his life-time as shown in the 7th and 8th lines: “And think that I may ne’er populate to trace…Their shadows. with the charming manus of opportunity ; ” ( pg. 17. Vendler ) . In these peculiar lines the reader doesn’t obtain the same sense of fright that was so greatly expressed in the first quatrain. If one were to pull out an “emotional curve” of this verse form. it would get down with a dramatic addition throughout the first quatrain and so rapidly drop down with the 2nd quatrain. making the “roller coaster” consequence mentioned before. As that roller coaster continues on. it one time once more rapidly rises with the 3rd quatrain. The composure and calm Keats of the 2nd quatrain rapidly rediscovers his frights. and they about seem to detonate in this climactic 3rd quatrain. It is as if all the frights that he was get downing to come to footings with gimmick up with Keats tenfold and direct him into a province of sheer horror. As he states in lines 10s and eleven. “That I shall ne’er look upon thee more. Never have relish in the fairy power…Of unreflecting love! ” ( pg. 17. Vendler ) This is similar to his emotions in the 2nd quatrain refering things he will non be able to make within his life-time. The lone difference is he seems far more sorry and fearful as opposed to the accepting nature Keats displayed in the 2nd quatrain.

Keats is in his ain manner stating. “There is so much I want to make. and my life is excessively short for me to make all of these things! ” This roller coaster drive seems to rapidly come to an terminal as the last pair of the sonnet demonstrates Keats’ 4th and concluding alteration in tone. The last two lines of the verse form read. “then on the shore Of the broad universe I stand entirely. and believe Till Love and Fame to nothingness make drop. ” ( pg. 17. Vendler ) This one time once more returns to the accepting nature that was seen in the 2nd quatrain. merely this clip it appears that there will be no returning to his fearful province. Keats seems to be at peace with himself here. as he realizes that love and celebrity. virtuousnesss that many work forces hold beloved to their Black Marias. intend nil in the terminal as he stands entirely to confront his decease. The lone inquiry left to inquire. is how does one explain Keats sudden alterations in temper? I believe the reply is that there is no reply. Keats does a fantastic occupation showing how the human head works throughout his verse form. “When I Have Fears. ” Sometimes when brooding on one peculiar fright or thought. the head can be sent on a roller coaster drive that ascent and falls from one emotion to the following. This. I believe. is the best and merely manner to depict the different emotions throughout the verse form.

Bibliography

WORKS CITED
Vendler. Helen Poems – Poets – Poetry Keats. John “When I Have Fears” Word Count: 1127