W.H. Auden speech
Emillie McClure
Comm. 110.04 – Principles of Speech
Dr.Craig Cramer
8 September 2014
Eulogy of Wystan Hugh Auden
Unique Achievements We have gathered here to eulogize Wystan Hugh Auden, a man and poet of great and beautiful works of art. While I will not be able to recite and commemorate all of his works and their deeper meanings I hope to at least give a small insight on this great mans’ life through what could be considered only small sliver of his overall works. W. H. Auden was not only a great poet during his life but an author as well as a playwright. An interesting fact about Auden was that he was most well-known for his chameleon-like ability to write poems in almost every verse form. This talent was one of the many reasons that he will be remembered as one of the leading literary influences in the 20th century.
Sense of Loss He has left behind a legacy of work that has the ability to touch on and give written account to thoughts and emotions that, at times seem too difficult to express in our own words. One such time would be at a funeral, where one would be hard pressed to convey their emotions in a way that is clear but beautiful in the way that it is conveyed. I would believe it is only proper to quote a portion of Auden’s own poem that deals directly with this subject; its title being Funeral Blues. “He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong. The starts are not wanted now; put out every one, Pack up the moon and dismantle the Sun, Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood; For nothing now can ever come to any good.”
Humorous stories/ Recollections In High school, many of us were, to put it bluntly, forced to read poetry that all in all seemed boring, dealt with feelings and meanings we didn’t care to comprehend and had a rather gloomy or outright obsessive
Comm. 110.04 – Principles of Speech
Dr.Craig Cramer
8 September 2014
Eulogy of Wystan Hugh Auden
Unique Achievements We have gathered here to eulogize Wystan Hugh Auden, a man and poet of great and beautiful works of art. While I will not be able to recite and commemorate all of his works and their deeper meanings I hope to at least give a small insight on this great mans’ life through what could be considered only small sliver of his overall works. W. H. Auden was not only a great poet during his life but an author as well as a playwright. An interesting fact about Auden was that he was most well-known for his chameleon-like ability to write poems in almost every verse form. This talent was one of the many reasons that he will be remembered as one of the leading literary influences in the 20th century.
Sense of Loss He has left behind a legacy of work that has the ability to touch on and give written account to thoughts and emotions that, at times seem too difficult to express in our own words. One such time would be at a funeral, where one would be hard pressed to convey their emotions in a way that is clear but beautiful in the way that it is conveyed. I would believe it is only proper to quote a portion of Auden’s own poem that deals directly with this subject; its title being Funeral Blues. “He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong. The starts are not wanted now; put out every one, Pack up the moon and dismantle the Sun, Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood; For nothing now can ever come to any good.”
Humorous stories/ Recollections In High school, many of us were, to put it bluntly, forced to read poetry that all in all seemed boring, dealt with feelings and meanings we didn’t care to comprehend and had a rather gloomy or outright obsessive