What kind of poem is funeral blues

But the great thing about "Funeral Blues" is that it's written in what are called elegiac stanzas…more or less. An elegiac stanza is a quatrain written in iambic pentameter , usually with the rhyme scheme ABAB. Here's where the "more or less" comes in.

Auden is using heroic couplets instead of alternating rhymes. Now, for the nitty-gritty stuff. Let's look at some of the messier moments, when "Funeral Blues" shakes up the form and lets its freak flag fly. Stop all the clocks , cut off the tel e phone.

Pre vent the dog from bark ing with a jui cy bone. Shmoop counts twelve syllables, which means we're likely dealing with a line of iambic hex ameter —that's six iambs all in a row.

Auden shakes things up, right at the beginning of the poem to let us know this won't be your typical elegy. Si lence the pi an os and with muff led drum. Auden drops in a trochee in the place of an iamb in the first foot of the line. Then, just after that, he drops in an anapest , which accounts for the extra syllable in the line.

And finally, the last line of the stanza brings us back to the wonderful world of regular old iambic pentameter:. Bring out the coff in let the mourn ers come. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Cover Letter. Ben Davis February 14, Who did Auden write Funeral Blues for? Is Funeral Blues a satire? Who was Stop all the clocks written about? What is the main message of Funeral Blues? It is completely understandable how this loss may feel insurmountable.

There is a timeless notion that love conquers all and lasts for eternity. The message the speaker is delivering based off his emotions is extremely pained. It is based on a reality that pains us all. Unfortunately, death cannot be escaped. And those who remain are left with the emptiness of the loss. We will one day lose the most beloved people in our lives, just as they will lose us.

The stars 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;. Everything that gives light and stands for life, radiance, and beauty is everything the speaker has shut out. All of these images are dark and full of despair, heavy with the emotions of the speaker. The despair flows through to the very end of the poem. The speaker does not foresee a change, cannot even think of a foreseeable change.

It is a very strong mourning the speaker personally experiences. Summary The poem tells, in great detail, about the suffering of the speaker after the loss of a loved one.

The speaker of the poem goes on to express his lament by describing what he sees, hears or does not hear , and what he thinks should be done to show mourning. It is a poem filled with intense sadness. It is such that the reader cannot escape it, just as the speaker cannot.

This does an excellent job of drawing the reader in to truly experience such loss. Theme The obvious theme of the poem is death. Though are other themes contained in the poem, death is the main and overarching theme. Analysis of Funeral Blues by W.