Analyse the poem 'The Eolian Harp' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and comment on the poetic form and language used and the way they contribute to the meaning and effects of the poem.

?The Eolian iterate? by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, whoremaster be described as the m employs of a homo thinking about his spot for his wife Sara, the beauty of genius and about the wonder of paragon in providing him with both record and Sara. The voice of the meter is Coleridge himself as it refers to Sara, his wife at the time of writing. It is a Romantic metrical composition as it deals with a mixture of traditional Romantic themes: those of inviolate emotional stateings, the grandness of the imagination and the idea of the sublime, and the natural military man. ?The Eolian harp? is written in dope compose and has an irregular staccato into two poesy paragraphs, unrivalled long, one short. The form is musical as it deals with a man?s judgement processs and emotions tho it is oftentimes written in a colloquial style, particular(prenominal)ly in the set-back versify paragraph giving it an informal, simple feel:?to sit beside our fingerst alone in all , our crib overgrown? (l.3)and??I stretch my limbs at noon,Whilst thro? my half-clos?d centerfieldlids I beholdThe sunbeams dance??. (l.35-37)The superior to write in a conversational woodland go using blank poetry is an eventful one. As work on Asbee states ?choosing to write in blank compose line? bequeath elevate the exit? ( draw near Poetry, p14). Blank pen is traditionally reserved for ?kings, nobles, heroes, and heroines?, but by mixing blank compose with a conversational liveliness, Coleridge appeals to all and in doing so elevates the subject field of study. However, thither is one burden that a singular poesy does appear:On vain doctrine?s aye-babbling spring. For neer guiltless may I spill the beans of Him,Th? INCOMPREHENSIBLE! (l.57-59)It could be argued that this rhyme happened naturally without any monumental meaning, but that is unlikely. Poets are very particular about their lyric and it is more than conjugati on that, at the moment Coleridge praises his! god, he interposes a rhyme on the word ?Him?. That this is followed by a capitalised ?INCOMPRENSIBLE? adds to the parametric quantity that he is essential and the event is that it does stand out from all that comes sooner it as, although considered in isolation it sounds pleasant and flowing, compared to the blank verse of the rest of the poem it sounds out of place. This use of capitalisation and ecphonesis label is a technique that Coleridge uses finishedout the poem to put on some lyric poem an emphasis:?My pensive SARA!?; (l.1)and?PEACE, and this COT, and THEE, heart-honour?d maiden! (l.64)Considering the subject matter of the poem, it is clear that the capitalisation of certain speech is apply to pack the things that he finds most important. Capitals are often use to stand for shouting in text and this is and then what Coleridge is doing here; shouting out loud about the things he treasures most: Sara, matinee idol, Peace, and his home plate (Cot) with Sa ra his ?heart-honour?d Maid?. Likewise, the ecphonesis marks used on many of these same words and others like ?Love!? and ?the world so calm?d!? shows further emphasis on these treasures. If we continue to look at the form we see that ?The Eolian Harp? is recognizably in iambic pentameter but Coleridge at generation employs broken cal shuttingar methods to add medley and interest to his blank verse. This can be seen in the deepen of foot at particular points. While iambs are primarily used, the sharp introduction of spondees snap offs up the mo nononous humourous that could over cause a strin gently iambic blank verse:x / / x /??thy light cheek reclin?d??(l.1)andx / / x /??the broad-leav?d Myrtle??(l.4). It is this break that Edward Zuk states make Coleridges rhythm unsettling and jittery, ??as it acts to keep the reader on edge and fixate for the nigh interruption or take shape in thought.?Adding to this unsettling rhyt hm is the straight used of enjambment to belt on t! he pace. Examples of this can be seen in the first few ducts. later the poet?s initial exclamation of ?My pensive SARA!? the reader is rising to speed through the poet?s thoughts:??thy finespun check reclin?dThus on mine arm, most soothing sweet it isTo sit beside our cot, our cot over grownWith white flower?d Jasmin, and the broad-leav?d Myrtle,?(l.1-4)Interestingly in this passage there are a few straitlaced breaks with the use of commas but these are all used in the inwardness of lines and it is non until line 9 that we reach our following(a) stop. The abolish of each line ask and makes more grits trace in one case the next line has been read. In opposition to this acceleration of pace is the use of caesura to cause a sudden thought provoking stop in the middle of a line:?The stilly murmur of the distant SeaTells us of Silence.? (l.11-12)The number of using this technique at this point brings the thought to look that we barely truly hear the noise of the ocea n when all else is silent. This sudden stop and silence seems a sodding(a) way to introduce the main theme as from this point on Coleridge negotiation about the Harp that is to dominate the tone of the poem until the end of the first verse paragraph. Coleridge uses a marvellous voice of nonstop alliteration from lines 17-20 in articulate to moderate depth to the Harp:??And now its stringsBoldlier swept, the long sequacious notesOver delicious surges fall back and rise,Such a soft rootless(a) witchery of sound? (emphasis added) (l.17-19)The effect of this continuous use of the ?s? sound defecates the effect of a gentle, flowing and woful sound much like the ?long?, ?delicious?, ?floating? sound that Coleridge tries to describe the harp as having. The actual effect of this alliteration is to create a sensual, relaxing tone at this point in the poem. Another technique of emphasis used throughout the poem is the use of imagery. Coleridge personifies the disposition around him by comparing it to abstract nouns - the ?white f! lower?d Jasmin? exists ? innocence?, the ?broad-leav?d Myrtle? represents ?Love? and ?the star of eve/serenely brilliant? represents ?Wisdom?. I.A. Richards states that imagination is a creative post by which the mind ?gains insight into reality, reads nature as a symbol of something behind or within nature not ordinarily perceived? (Richards, 1935, as cited in Wellek , 1963). These abstract nouns do exactly this; they give life and mention to nature. Coleridge uses this unperceived nature to appeal to the human senses. Each are introduce in turn starting with sight through the watching of the clouds and the spay surface star that are ?serenely brilliant?. This is quickly followed by smell through the ?exquisite? scents ?snatch?d from yonder bean-field?. Sound follows next with ?the world so hush?d! / The stilly murmur of the distant sea? and finally link as the lute is ?caress?d? by the airwave ?like some coy Maid half-yielding to her yellowish brown?. on the int act of these senses are expressed between lines 8 -15 and provides the reader with a rich description of the landscape adding to the character of nature, expressed in the abstract nouns above. The touch of breeze takes on a more powerful role later as graven image is himself personified in the ?intellectual breeze? that sweeps over the ? total harps? of ? stir nature?. The metaphorical use of the harp to represent all invigoration things is a powerful symbol in the poem suggesting that all nature is caressed and made beautiful by idol (the breeze), still like the sweeping sounds of the Harp. The introduction of God towards the end of the first verse paragraph also brings to an end the mindless musings of the poet. It is here that he is comforted by the calm down force of his darling Sara. It is she who, while allowing him these thoughts and feelings, brings him back down to humankind to realise what is in reality around him. This is shown by the one philosophical moment in the poem:And what if all of animated natureBe but! organic Harps diversly fram?d,That sway into thought, as o?er them sweepsPlastic and vast, one intellectual BreezeAt once the Soul of each , and the God of all?(l.44-48)Nicholas Reid (2006) cleverly sees this section as venturing Coleridge?s ?heresies infra the indulgent eye of his beloved, gently testing the limits of her tolerance before coming back to angle under the ?mild frustrate? of her ?more serious eye?? (p68). When we move into the cooperate verse paragraph the rhetorical suspicion is brought crashing down by Sara and Coleridge acknowledges it as coming from an ?unregenerate mind? of ?vain Philosophy?. The whole second paragraph highlights a definite change of tone as we live on a direct appeal to God. The carry on of this is that it gives a recital to the thoughts and feelings previously expressed. It shows that Coleridge had not always snarl this happy and that it was God that gave him this happiness. Coleridge negotiation of God ??with awe / when I prai se him? as he ?healed me / A sinful and most miserable man? and ?gave me to possess? all the things that he treasures. It is a powerful goal that gives a keen curse to his previous thoughts and heightens them further. It is clear from this psychoanalysis of the text that Coleridge uses the elements of poetry to create required effects. The occasional capitalisation of words, the use of exclamation marks and use of blank verse elevates the parts of the poem that Coleridge feels to be most important. Likewise, nature comes liveborn through human senses and through personification ? it comes out of conceal to crush Coleridge and Sara. As Coleridge feels this embrace he realises who he needs to thank for this. The change of tone signifies his seriousness in the second verse paragraph as he is now public lecture directly to God ? the creator of all of his happiness. (Word Count: 1640)BibliographyAsbee, S. (2006) Approaching Poetry, Milton Keynes, The Open UniversityReid, N. (2006) Coleridge, strain and Symbol, Or the Ascertai! ning Vision, Aldershot, Ashgate PublishingWellek, R. (1963) ?The Concept of Romanticism in literary history?in Bygrave, S (2006) Romantic literature London, The Open UniversityZuk, E. ?Coleridge?s Blank Verse? [online], http://www.expansivepoetryonline.com/ ledger/cult072004.html (Accessed 28th April 2008) If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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