Thursday, March 7, 2013
Fears and Regrets
In John Keats' poem "When I have fears...", he discusses two things that make him stick out in our hearts, and connect on a different level with him; he discusses fear and regret. We all have some fear or fears, and he isn't too afraid to admit that he is afraid: he is afraid of death, of dying at such a young age, and he is afraid of missing opportunities. The opportunities he has already missed make him regret that he never pursued them. How many people can say "I have no regret?", and truly, madly, mean it? There are next to none who can. I personally cannot say that. But what was Keats really trying to tell us, underneath all of this fear and anguish and regret from this poem? Maybe he was telling us exactly what could happen, if you just stop being afraid, and take the leap of faith. Or maybe he's trying to warn us NOT to take that leap, because it could lead to regret and remorse.
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It is important to take note that John Keats was dying and he knew he was going to dye young. He had consumption and this he believed to be snaring his ability to be great. Keats envied immortality of the bards such as Ovid or the more symbolic bards like the Nightingale with its immortal and unchanging song. I always believed this poem to be a depressing longing to be remembered. Keats' regret is transitive and just passing over; however, he has immortalized these sorrows and thus a part of himself. Ovid has claimed the poet focuses on imitation or a recreation of life and wonder. Keats creates an imitation of his sorrow and regret to be shared with all of the world.
ReplyDeleteIn "When I have fears..." the opportunities Keats is afraid of missing and the envy he has of the bards all have to do with his fear of not fulfilling his dreams of being a writer. The first two line say it all "When I have fears that I may cease to be, before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain." Keats fears that he will die before he has a chance to put his pen to paper and write everything that his mind has to say. Which I think was a fear of many writers, not getting to say everything you wanted before death. His envy of the bards is one that addresses his fear of not being remembered among english poets after his death. Even though he had said before that he thinks he would be remembered there is still doubt evident in the inscription he instructed to be on his head stone "Here lies one whose name was writ in water."
ReplyDeleteBefore I knew that Keats wrote this poem while he was dying, I read it as just another "Carpe Diem" type poem. You know the type, enjoy your life while you can, you only live once, etc. After I found out the context of this poem, it drastically changed my perspective on what it meant. In reply to Alana, I agree that Keats is trying to "say everything he can" while he has the "chance to put his pen to paper," but I also think that he is writing in order to work out a lot of his anxiety about death and expressing it in the way that is best for him.
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