The Poetry of Wystan Hugh Auden - 634 Words

Wystan Hugh Auden was born in York, England on February 21, 1907. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford after his family moved to Birmingham in his early childhood. He later attended Oxford University where his gift as a poet was immediately recognized. In 1930, at the age of twenty three, Audens second collection of poetry aptly titled, Poems, was published, thus establishing him as a leading voice of a new generation (â€Å"W.H. Auden†). Audens technical virtuosity and extraordinary ability to write poems in nearly every verse form attributes to his esteem as a writer. He notably incorporated aspects of popular culture, including regional dialects and speech, and current events into many of his works. His poems often included literal or metaphorical elements of a journey or quest. Auden mimicked the writing styles of other notable poets such as W.B. Yeats, Emily Dickinson, and Henry James (â€Å"W.H. Auden†). Written in 1937 and published in his collection of poetry, Another Time, in 1940, â€Å"As I Walked Out One Evening† is a reflection on love and the mercilessness of time. The poem is a variation of the ballad form and consists of fifteen rhymed quatrains, which are four line stanzas of any kind, rhymed, metered, or otherwise (McLaughlin). It is told in three voices: the euphoric lover, the critical clocks, and the narrator. Each voice represents a different attitude towards love and time (Springer). The lovers song illustrates time as something that can beShow MoreRelated Wystan Hugh Auden Essay1153 Words   |  5 PagesWystan Hugh Auden Wystan Hugh Auden was born on February 21, 1907, in provincial York, England. Over the next sixty-six years, he became one of the most prolific poets of the twentieth century. He was a versatile poet who felt that poetry was a game of knowledge. He boarded at Gresham’s School in Norfolk and in 1925 went to Christ Church at Oxford. Although he initially studied biology, he quickly switched to English. From there he embarked on a literary career that covered almost fifty yearsRead MoreThree Voices in As I Walked out One Evening by W.H. Auden Essay1157 Words   |  5 PagesOut One Evening† by W.H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden was born in York, England on February 21, 1907. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford after his family moved to Birmingham during his early childhood. He later attended Oxford University where his gift as a poet was immediately realized. In 1930, at the age of twenty three, Audens second collection of poetry aptly titled, Poems, was published, thus establishing him as a leading voice of a new generation (â€Å"W.H. Auden†). Audens technical virtuosityRead MoreModernism Is a Prodigious Movement830 Words   |  3 Pagesconcept of Modernism is widely expressed throughout poetry literature. Wystan Hugh Auden and William Carlos Williams, were from the first few who endorsed modernist views through their written work. Auden’s poem, â€Å"Stop all The Clocks,† publicly declared his homosexuality which, at that time was extremely subversive and prohibited. Likewise, In â€Å"This is Just to Say,† Carlos Williams breaks away from the standardised complexity of traditional poetry and expresses his sentiment through utter simplicityRead MoreThe Unknown Citizen by W.H.Auden1320 Words   |  5 PagesThe poem â€Å"The Unknown Citizen† by W.H. Auden is a poem with a strong message to a wide audience. It portrays a political system’s control over its citizen. The poem is telling us we are a product of our countries, we are nothing but a number of digits to be identified. The poem revolves around the life of the unknown citizen, JS/07/M/378, who was granted a monument by the government in honor of his flawless life in an un-free society. He is by all means the perfect citizen, the citizen who has devotedRead MoreA Comparison of Poetry Essay967 Words   |  4 PagesA Comparison of Poetry In this essay two poems will be juxtaposed. One of the poems is called My parents kept me from children who were rough. This poem was written by Stephen Spender. Stephen Spender was greatly admired for his work and was knighted in 1983. He lived in the 20th century and died 22 years after W H Auden in 1995 .The second poem chosen is called Funeral Blues and was written by W H Auden. W H Auden was a greatly respected homosexual poet who livedRead MoreThe And Of The Light Brigade By Alfred Lord Tennyson2214 Words   |  9 PagesThroughout history, authors have responded to historical events like the war through different genres of literature from novels to poems. In this paper; I will look at how Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, September 1st, 1939 by Wystan Hugh Auden and The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson respond to various historical events. A comparison between these texts will show the many similarities and differences in how they respond to the theme of war. In addition to this, I will examine