Analysis Of To Sleep By John Keats

In our bright new world of social media and techno-communication, when one seeks an emotional outlet, most turn to the little box on Facebook that asks “What’s on your mind?”, even when we all know, it doesn’t really care. But we release all our tiresome troubles anyway, out in the public for all to see. Whether it be communicated through a set of highly metaphorical lyrics from an indie rock band you’ve never heard of, or simply a line of frowny faced emoticons, the message “I’m not happy right now!” is thoroughly understood. But are we, the shiny, wide-eyed faces of the Modern Era, any different to the Romantic artists of the 1800’s, who were set to revolutionize their era through the poetry of individualism and passion? Translation: they

Keats died at age 25, as he suffered from tuberculosis, an infectious disease of the lungs. It is understood that his poem “To Sleep”, was written in the midst of sickness, which set to influence the poet into attempting to communicate his desperate longing for peace, away from the crippling reality of his own deterioration, to a place where his “Curious Conscious” could be set to rest. Though nowhere near Keats’ level of legitimacy, Morrissey shares an acclaimed reputation as a social controversy, his lyrics dark vignettes of confrontation and revolt, tragically soulful and equally enigmatic. It’s no secret that from a young age, Morrissey suffered from depression, which followed him later through life, prompting such songs as “Asleep”, which feature a deep longing for some sort of sanctuary, “a better world” where his emotional exhaustion would be left behind, leaving only peace and rest. Though near identical intentions, each poet was able to express their longing through words that held accurate examples of their own age’s historical style. Keats was able to weave sensations and raw poetic beauty into his work, almost avoiding his point, while Morrissey aims straight with brutal confrontment, a somewhat agonizing simplicity to his

Unfortunately, as most would interpret, ‘sleep’, rather than being a state of rest, is symbolic for death, given Keats’ and Morrissey’s taste for dramatics, which leaves a deeper meaning to almost every aspect of each piece, unless you did legitimately believe the artists were just tired. True to his status as a leading Romantic Poet, Keats uses highly emotive language, words as striking as they are serene. He weaves distinct personification into the aspect of death, asking “if it pleases thee, close, in the midst of thine hymn, my willing eyes”, and granting ‘sleep’ the strength to “seal the hushed casket of my soul”. Sleep in Keats’ eyes was, you could say, an angel of death, yet to exist, but much more than a figment of his imagination. Which can also speak for Keats’ use of atmosphere, a constant continuation of a near heavenly take on death, as he considers being “Enshaded in forgetfulness divine”, or waits for the poppy to throw its “lulling charities”, given the flower’s prophetic symbolism for