Ode to a Nightingale

Why does Keats seek out the company of a common bird and record the experience in the form of an ode? Why bother?

Keats seeks out the company of a common bird and records it because he is in a rather melacholy, reflective sort of mood. He is upset with his world, and begins to think of the world through the perspective of another creature, the nightingale. The nightingale is fortunate; its' species has not created such a complex and sorrowfilled world like humans have; it belongs in nature, among trees, plants, wildlife. It can "Singest of summer in full-throated ease" for there is joy in the simplicity of the nightingal's life. Keats writes because he feels envious that the nightingale lives so freely and he admires the beauty of the bird and an ode is melodious, flowing- a perfect way to express beauty, sorrow, and passion.

How is Ode to a Nightingale reflective of the Romantic Spirit?

Ode to a Nightingale reflects the romantic spirit in that its main theme is the beauty of nature. The romantic period was more concerned with beauty, magnifecence, and colour as opposed to an accurate depiction of the subject. This is reflected by Keats. He does not describe the physical attributes of the bird, he uses rhetorical and poetic devices to convey his image of the nightingale.

How does the content of two stanzas support your claims in the first two questions? Quote evidece and name devices.

The mood of Keats is demonstrated by his many references to death in various stanzas ie. "Thou wast not born for death" and by his choice of diction, words like " perilous", "forlorn", and "decieving". His envy of the bird is shown by the lines " No hungry generations tread thee down" and "Forlorn... To toll me back from thee to my sole self". Imagery is created when "thy plaintive anthem fades/ Past the near meadows, over the still stream/Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep/ In the next valley glades" as the reader can almost see the writer losing his connection with the nightingale, almost hear its chirping fade into backround noise. There is also alliteration "still streams" and an obvious statement of several nature settings. The rhetorical question that ends the ode "Was it a vision or a waking dream? Fled is that music- Do I wake or sleep?" is a wonderful way to allow the reader not only to reflect on how the poem effected them but also on how their time with nature effects them. To think of how the days blend together when camping, or how time flows when watching a body of water, or the curiosity of watching a bug can last longer than a watching a favourite sitcom.