Bright Star by John Keats Poetry Analysis
Jessie John
March 3rd, 2014 Close Reading Assignment #2
Prof. Ribitzky
This essay will discuss a close reading analysis of the poem “The Bright Star”. The Romantic poet John Keats wrote this poem. It is a love sonnet and is believed that it was written for his love and fiancé’ Fanny Brawne. Keats writes the poem in iambic pentameter. The poem revolves around Keats love for stars and about nature’s beauty. The whole poem is written with a rhyming scheme except the last two lines possibly to attract the reader’s attention to it. By starting the poem with “Bright Star!”, Keats introduces the poem with strong imagery and symbolism that projects a clear and precise picture of the bright star. By adding an exclamation to the line, he stresses the importance of the star and to exhibit the excitement he is feeling. He wishes that he could be as steadfast and consistent as the bright star. In the second line, he writes about the lonely star that is isolated from the rest of the world. Even though he admires the star and wishes to be like it, he doesn’t want to follow this quality of the star. The third line expresses that the star is always awake and shining and that is yet another characteristic he doesn’t wish to imitate. In line four, Keats writes about a “sleepless Eremite” which is another word for hermit. Comparing eremite to the “moving waters” captures beautiful imagery. This is the first time Keats uses religion in the poem. However, he does use it a few times throughout the poem. The poet uses the poetic device simile in the fifth line by comparing the moving waters to “priestlike task”. This contributes to the fact that John Keats loves and admires the beauty of nature (“moving waters”) as he is comparing it with a religious symbol (“priestlike task”). The religiousness was being compared to the star, and now it is being compared to the moving waters. It shows a separation between the sky and the
March 3rd, 2014 Close Reading Assignment #2
Prof. Ribitzky
This essay will discuss a close reading analysis of the poem “The Bright Star”. The Romantic poet John Keats wrote this poem. It is a love sonnet and is believed that it was written for his love and fiancé’ Fanny Brawne. Keats writes the poem in iambic pentameter. The poem revolves around Keats love for stars and about nature’s beauty. The whole poem is written with a rhyming scheme except the last two lines possibly to attract the reader’s attention to it. By starting the poem with “Bright Star!”, Keats introduces the poem with strong imagery and symbolism that projects a clear and precise picture of the bright star. By adding an exclamation to the line, he stresses the importance of the star and to exhibit the excitement he is feeling. He wishes that he could be as steadfast and consistent as the bright star. In the second line, he writes about the lonely star that is isolated from the rest of the world. Even though he admires the star and wishes to be like it, he doesn’t want to follow this quality of the star. The third line expresses that the star is always awake and shining and that is yet another characteristic he doesn’t wish to imitate. In line four, Keats writes about a “sleepless Eremite” which is another word for hermit. Comparing eremite to the “moving waters” captures beautiful imagery. This is the first time Keats uses religion in the poem. However, he does use it a few times throughout the poem. The poet uses the poetic device simile in the fifth line by comparing the moving waters to “priestlike task”. This contributes to the fact that John Keats loves and admires the beauty of nature (“moving waters”) as he is comparing it with a religious symbol (“priestlike task”). The religiousness was being compared to the star, and now it is being compared to the moving waters. It shows a separation between the sky and the