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  • Essay / Funeral Blues: A Literary Review of the Poem

    Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) was born in York, England, and later became an American citizen. Auden was the founder of a generation of English poets, such as C. Day Lewis and Stephen Spender. Auden's earlier works were composed of a Marxist perspective and knowledge of Freudian psychology. Later works involved professing Christianity and what he saw as increasing conservatism. In 1946, Auden emigrated and became an American citizen. During his stay in America, he composed numerous plays in verse, travel memoirs and opera lyrics. His last years of his life were spent traveling and collaborating on the works of influential critics. In this essay, the literary elements of WH Auden's "Funeral Blues," including diction, imagery, and tone, are analyzed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayLiterary analysis and personal reflections on the poem “Funeral Blues”Funeral Blues is a sung poem, in which it has a certain rhythm, or beat, to which one can sing. This poem is called a blues song. The blues was originally a music developed by southern slaves that spoke of sadness, pain, or a moment of loss. Blues songs were traditionally composed of three-line stanzas where the first two lines are identical and followed by a third concluding line. However, Auden does not include the three-line stanzas in his poem, and it is written in a free form with the rhyme pattern: AA, BB, CC, DD, EE, FF, GG, HH. Death is the subject of this poem. poem, and becomes clear when Auden says: “Take out the coffin, let the mourners come.” The subject of this poem has to do with someone close to the narrator who possibly becomes a lover. Auden uses a lot of imagery in this poem; as, Tie crepe bows round the white necks of public doves, where he speaks of making the doves suitable for a burial. The tone of this poem, the attitude in which the writer speaks, is very depressing and dark. Because nothing now will ever result in anything good. He is visibly upset by the one he lost and is in mourning. The diction of this poem is modern English with many allusions. He was my North, my South, my East and my West, My work week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my speech, my song; this quote shows how close the narrator was to his lover and how deeply in love the narrator was with him. Pack the moon and dismantle the sun, Pour out the ocean and sweep away the woods; . At the end of this poem, Audin personifies the sun, the moon, the ocean and the woods; he no longer sees the point of this beauty now that the lover is dead, and wants them to pack their bags and leave. Throughout this poem, the narrator also uses other symbols to explain how the good things in life mean nothing now that the lover is dead. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay I thought this poem was very well written. Auden does a great job of both using the old qualities of the blues and adding his own ideas. The use of numerous allusions, images and personifications allowed us to better understand what he was feeling. Most of the poem was clear except for the narrator's gender, I believe the narrator is male, which would make him gay. The reason I believe this is because the poem seems to be written in a more masculine way than feminine. There is no.)..