bright-star-诗评

诗评Analysisof“BrightStar”学院外语学院年级专业08级英语一班学生姓名范茂绒学号08096011022010年12月1Analysisof“BrightStar”BrightStar，byJohnKeats（1795-1821）,aBritishRomanistpoet,brokethroughsomelimitsinsonnetpoems,whichtookanimportantpositioninthepoetryfieldintheshortwritingcareerofKeats.KeatswrotethislovepoemforhisfiancéeFannyBrawne.I.RhythmThepoemisaShakespeareanSonnet,a14linepoemwithanababcdcdefefggrhymeschemewritteniniambicpentameter.II.TheImagesusedinthepoem1.BrightStar:Thepoetopenswithanapostropheto“BrightStar”.Firstly,thebrightstarsymbolizestheeverlastingnatureofaheavenlybody,whichhangsintheskythroughalleternity.Secondly,itsymbolizestheeternalstrengthoflove,andhisfaithinit.AndKeatshopeslovewouldprevailtimeandmatter.Moreover,hewisheshimselfwereaseternalasastarthatkeepswatchlikeasleepless,solitary,andreligioushermitoverthe“movingwaters”andthe“soft-fallenmask/Ofsnow”.2.Themovingwatersandpureablution:Thewateractsasapurifiertotheearth.Pureablutionrepresentspurity.Keatsdesirestohavethisqualityinordertoearntheadvantageofrevitalizinghimself.Keatsknowsthatheissubsequenttochangeandneedssomethingtoreturntohispurestate.3.Newlyfallensnow:Newlyfallensnowalsorepresentspurity.Besides,thepoetdescribessnowasamaskthathidestheuglinessofthemountainsandmoors.Thesein-depthfeelingsshowinsecurityaboutsomeunattractivenessthathepossesses.4.Love’sripeningbreast:Love’sripeningbreastrepresentsKeats’sfiancéeFannyBrawne.III．Rhetoric1.Symbolism:(1).Thebrightstarsymbolizestheeverlastingnatureofaheavenlybodyandtheeternalstrengthoflove.(2).Pureablutionandnewlyfallensnowsymbolizepurity.2.Metaphor:Hecomparesthebrightstar’ssituationwiththatofanEremite.3.Personification：(1).WhenKeatsdescribesthestaras“watching,witheternallidsapart”,heusestheliterarydeviceofpersonificationtogivesusaclearerimageofwhateternitymightfeellike.Heimaginesthestarasaperson,witheyelids,whoisalwayswatching.(2).whenKeatsusestheadjectives“patient”and“sleepless”todescribethestar.Thesealsohelpusgetasenseofthevastamountoftimethatpassesduringthestar’sexistence.4.Comparison:Linefourcomparestheearthtothebrightstar.Likethestar,theearthissleeplessand,therefore,fulloflifeandlastingforever.5.Alliteration:(1).Keatsusesalliterationtoconnectthe“Star”withtheideaofbeing“stedfast”inline1.(2).Heusesthesamesoundtojoin“still”and“stedfast”inline9.Wecanalmostthinkofthesealliterationsjoiningthethreewordstogetherintoanunbreakablechain:Star-stedfast-still.Itcanbecoincidencethatthesethreewordsareallcloselylinkedtothethemeofeternity.2(3).Inline11,we'vegotalliterationonfin“feel”,“for”,and“fall”,aswellasonsin“soft”,and“swell”.6.Parallelism:(1).Thisinvolvestherepetitionofwordsforeffect,asKeatsdoeswiththeword“still”whenhesays“yetstillstedfast,stillunchangeable”inline9.(2).Inline11toline12,healsousesparallelismtosuggesttheideaofeternity.Here,whatisrepeatedisthephrase“forever”:“Tofeelforeveritssoftswellandfall,/Awakeforeverinasweetunrest.”7.Oxymoron:Inline12,Keatsemphasizestheintensityofhisdesireforeternitybyusinganoxymoroninthephrase“sweetunrest”.Normally,wedon'tthinkofnotbeingabletosleepas“sweet”,butKeats'sdescriptionmakesitsoundnottooshabby.IV．Thethemeofthepoem1.ThemeThepoemmainthemedealswiththeloveandappreciationofthingsthatareunchanging.Inotherwords,thepoetmainlyexpressesthedesiretoliveinanunchangingstate.2.Howisthisthemebroughtupinthepoem?Inthefirsttwolines,“Brightstar,wouldIwerestedfastasthouart---Notinlonesplendourhungaloftthenight”,Keatsshowsusthathewouldlovetobearoundforeverandfulloflife.Astarimpliessomethingthatisaroundforeverandunchangingbecause,inspiteofoccurrencesthroughoutlife,thestarwillresideintheskyeachnight.Addingbrighttothestarshowstheimportanceoflifetoit.Meanwhile,thesecondlinestatesthebrightstarisnotaloneinitsbrilliance,butisaccompaniedbyotherstars.Withthisline,Keatsexpressestheimportanceofcompanionshipandthefearofbeingalone.LinethreeshowsthatifKeatscouldbeabrightstar,hewouldseehisloveendlesslywithoutlosingdesire.Linefourcomparestheearthtothebrightstar.Likethestar,theearthissleeplessand,therefore,fulloflifeandlastingforever.Patientimpliestheearth’sabilitytobeunaffectedbytheeventsthatoccuraroundit.“No---yetstillstedfast,stillunchangeable,Pilloweduponmyfairlove'sripeningbreast”(line9—10),Keatsnowshowsushisrealintentofthepoembydescribinghisemotionaljourneytobewithhislovereternallyandwithoutchange.Hisdeepemotionsappearinline10asheyearnstobeascloseaspossibletohislove.Hestridesforaneternal,unchangingexistenceonlytobewithher.“Tofeelforeveritssoftfallandswell,Awakeforeverinasweetunrest”(line11—12)，Keatsexplainsthathehasyetanotherdesire,inwhichhisloverbealiveforeternity.Theinterpretationofsoftfallandswellcouldonlyrepresentthepreciousbreathstakenbyhislovereverydayofhereternallife.Keatsimplicitlydescribesbeingwithherinawakefulstateforeverwithoutthetroublingeffectsofmortality.Line13—14:Keatsconcludeshispoembydisplayingapowerfulstatementthatifhecannothearhisloverbreathe,hewillwelcomehisowndeathwithnoregrets.Keatsshowsthataslongashecanbewithhislover,hewillliveforever.Butiftheymustpart,thenhewelcomesdeath.ThisportraysKeats’sf