1. Compare and contrast John Keats’s “To Autumn” and Susan Hartley Swett’s “July.” In your response, make sure you include the a
nswers to the following questions: • How does each poem depict its respective season? • What type of imagery and language does each poet use? • How do the images and language relate to the themes of the poems? • How do the literary devices of personification and the use of the refrain affect each poem? Make sure your answer includes at least three well-developed paragraphs.
In "To Autumn," John Keat is using an accent, hence the "hath," "thee," "oft," and "thy." Susan Hartley Swett on the other hand isn't using a specific "accent." She is only describing July, not making any emphasis on an accent. In "To Autumn," John Keat is using an upbeat tone, vividly describing the reds and oranges or autumn, whereas in "July," Susan Hartley Swett is using a more mellow tone. As here, quoted from "July," 'Underneath petals pink till the night stars wink At the sunset in the sky, It's July.' Notice how soft her language is here. And quoted from "To Autumn," 'Steady thy laden head across a brook; Or by a cider-press, with patient look, Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.' See his more upbeat description of this season, and his impatience as well (Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours). In comparison, though, both are vividly describing with extremely descriptive language and style. You can literally picture yourself in their scenarios, under the soft stars in warm July, or feeling the crispness of Autumn.
For the answer to the question above, Keats' Ode shows you many different aspects of Autumn: - the weather, the fruit, the birds, the flowers, the bees. He also gives you a sense of what is still to come (they think warm days will never cease: - but we know better). It is keenly observed and rich in detail: it is poetry.
