Summary – Ode The Autumn

Keats’s speaker opens his first stanza by addressing Autumn, describing its abundance and its
intimacy with the sun, with whom Autumn ripens fruits and causes the late flowers to bloom. In
the second stanza, the speaker describes the figure of Autumn as a female goddess, often seen
sitting on the granary floor, her hair “soft-lifted” by the wind, and often seen sleeping in the
fields or watching a cider-press squeezing the juice from apples. In the third stanza, the speaker
tells Autumn not to wonder where the songs of spring have gone, but instead to listen to her own
music. At twilight, the “small gnats” hum among the "the river sallows," or willow trees, lifted
and dropped by the wind, and “full-grown lambs” bleat from the hills, crickets sing, robins
whistle from the garden, and swallows, gathering for their coming migration, sing from the skies.

Central Idea:

The central idea of Keats' poem "To Autumn" is the celebration of autumn as
the culmination of the year's natural cycle, rather than a period of decline.
The poem uses personification to depict autumn's relationship with the sun
and the progression from birth through life to death. Keats highlights
autumn's role in maturing and ripening fruits, and its enjoyment of nature's
produce. However, as autumn progresses, signs of approaching winter signal
the inevitable cycle of life and death.
Poetic Devices

1. Imagery

Imagery is one of the most prominent devices in "To Autumn." Keats uses vivid descriptions
to appeal to the senses and paint a picture of the autumn season.
 Example:

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun."

2. Personification

Keats personifies the season of autumn, giving it human attributes and qualities.
 Example:

"And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook."
3. Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words adds a musical quality to the
poem.
 Example:

"Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind."

4. Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within words creates internal rhyming and adds to the
musicality.
 Example:

"Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours."

“And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;”

The repetition of the ‘I’ sound in “fill,” “with,” and “ripeness” creates a
harmonious effect.

5. Enjambment

Keats often uses enjambment, where a sentence or phrase runs over from one line to the
next, to create a sense of continuity and flow.
 Example:

"Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,

Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers."

6. Metaphor
Keats uses metaphors to draw comparisons between autumn and various
images. For example:

“Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;”