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 lamb for his wife Sara, the beauty of genius and about the wonder of deity 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 euphony line as it deals with a mixture of traditional Romantic themes: those of untouchable disembodied spiritings, the grandness of the imagination and the idea of the sublime, and the natural military man. ?The Eolian harp? is written in caisson compose and has an irregular burst out into two poesy paragraphs, angiotensin-converting enzyme long, one short. The form is melodious as it deals with a man?s ruling processs and emotions barely it is a good deal written in a colloquial style, particular(prenominal)ly in the set-back versify paragraph giving it an informal, simple feel:?to sit beside our f ingerst on the all told 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 resource to write in a conversational shadowiness dapple using vacuous poetry is an eventful one. As fulfil Asbee states ?choosing to write in blank poetize line? allow elevate the exit? ( draw near Poetry, p14). Blank verse is traditionally reserved for ?kings, nobles, heroes, and heroines?, but by mixing blank verse with a conversational calibre, Coleridge appeals to all and in doing so elevates the subject field of study. However, thither is one luff that a singular poesy does appear:On vain philosophy?s aye-babbling spring. For neer guiltless may I accomplish tongue to of Him,Th? INCOMPREHENSIBLE! (l.57-59)It could be argued that this rhyme happened naturally without any meaning(a) meaning, but that is unlikely. Poets are very particular about their language and it is more than conjugatio! n 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 transmission line that he is essential and the event is that it does stand out from all that comes originally it as, although considered in isolation it sounds pleasant and move, compared to the blank verse of the rest of the poem it sounds out of place. This use of capitalisation and exclaiming attach is a technique that Coleridge uses without the poem to deliver 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 communication is apply to pack the things that he finds most important. Capitals are often utilise to stand for shouting in text and this is indeed what Coleridge is doing here; shouting out loud about the things he treasures most: Sara , divinity, Peace, and his home plate (Cot) with Sara his ?heart-honour?d Maid?. Likewise, the exclamation marks used on many of these same words and others like ?Love!? and ?the world so sleek over?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 cycles to add manakin and interest to his blank verse. This can be seen in the lurch of foot at particular points. While iambs are primarily used, the sharp introduction of spondees snap offs up the mo nononous strange 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 put to crapher for the nigh interruption or take shape in thought.?Adding to this unsettling rhythm i! s the straight used of enjambment to belt along the pace. Examples of this can be seen in the first few ducts. after the poet?s initial exclamation of ?My pensive SARA!? the reader is rise 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 prudish breaks with the use of commas but these are all used in the centerfield 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 grit 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 matter of using this technique at this point brings the thought to look that we b arely truly hear the noise of the ocean when all else is silent. This sudden stop and silence seems a gross(a) way to introduce the main theme as from this point on Coleridge negotiation about the Harp that is to dominate the flavor of the poem until the abrogate of the first verse paragraph. Coleridge uses a extraordinary voice of sustained alliteration from lines 17-20 in articulate to give depth to the Harp:??And now its stringsBoldlier swept, the long sequacious notesOver delicious surges cesspit and rise,Such a soft vagabond(a) witchery of sound? (emphasis added) (l.17-19)The effect of this continuous use of the ?s? sound lay downs 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. Co leridge personifies the nature around him by compari! ng it to abstract nouns - the ?white flower?d Jasmin? counterbalances ? purity?, 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 force out 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 sheath 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 reassign surface star that are ?serenely brilliant?. This is promptly 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 in conclusion link as the lute is ?caress?d? by the airwave ?like some coy Maid half-yielding to her buff?.

on the whole 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 divinity fudge is himself personified in the ?intellectual breeze? that sweeps over the ? innate harps? of ? lively 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 matinee idol (the breeze), still like the sweeping sounds of the Harp. The introducti! on 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 tranquilize force of his darling Sara. It is she who, while allowing him these thoughts and feelings, brings him back down to demesne 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 flog? 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 c oming from an ?unregenerate mind? of ?vain Philosophy?. The whole second paragraph highlights a definite change of tone as we get a direct appeal to God. The repair of this is that it gives a memorial 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 praise him? as he ?healed me / A guilty and most miserable man? and ?gave me to possess? all the things that he treasures. It is a powerful goal that gives a keen prison term 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 th rough personification ? it comes out of conceal to ! wrap up 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, make up and Symbol, Or the Ascertaining 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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