John Keats When I Have Fears

Romanticism, a period of art and thought, is thought to be a direct response to the Enlightenment empiricism of the same age. Rather than focusing on logic and reason, Romanticism placed emphasis on “emotions … and the awe experienced in confronting the sublimity of nature” (New World Encyclopedia). Among the many noted Romantic poets is John Keats, and though “When I Have Fears” (N568) is not the most popular of his works, it is, nonetheless, a beacon of Romantic thought in its supreme capacity to embody both of those primary Romance characteristics.
At its core, this sonnet is a short philosophy lesson – that is, that worldly concerns are irrelevant in the scope of the universe. Keats expresses three primary fears: that he will die before

He manages to quash these fears, however, through mere contemplation “on the shore / Of the wide world” (12-13). However, while discussing his fears, Keats does not use language which might incite anxiety: his diction is vivacious and, even, hopeful. He describes his brain as “teeming” – often used to describe, perhaps, tide pools on the beach. This is not a word of unfortunate livelihood – a rock may be crawling with insects, but “teeming” connotes potential, as does “full-ripened grain”. Similarly, when he mentions the night, he elaborates, not on the darkness of the sky, but on its “starred face” – or, the points of light in the dark expanse. When describing his love, he describes its feeling as “faery”, conjuring images of delightful little sprites flitting through the air – certainly not of death. The use of lively, hopeful language is meant to directly contrast with the harsh reality of inevitable death. Keats does

Keats uses the kind of diction one might expect of him whilst talking about his fears, not the solution to them. Though this resolution is a mere two lines long, Keats manages to fit three strongly negative words into it: “alone,” “nothingness,” and “sink.” The negativity is directed squarely at the fears. The first in the sequence is “alone,” and it is crucial, as two of Keats’ three problems stem directly from his relationships to other people. He fears that he will never achieve fame, and fame is the admiration of other people; similarly, he is afraid that he will “never look upon thee more” (10) – “thee” refers to his lover. However, when he leaves civilization behind and stands at the edge of the universe with only his “teeming brain,” he concludes that his anxiety over the concepts of fame and love are