To elicit a reaction from the reader in response to his compositions’ central idea, John Keats uses a variety of stylistic devices. The sensations and feelings that Keats experienced after reading Chapman’s Elizabethan translation of the Odyssey are depicted in the poem “On first looking into Chapman’s Homer,” which was written by Keats. Keats likens his feelings to those of many explorers who discover the wonders of the globe and the universe to demonstrate the immensity of the joy he is experiencing.
Upon first inspection, Chapman’s Homer appears to be an Italian sonnet. It consists of 14 lines and adheres to the formalist method such that the poem has a rhyme scheme of abbaabbacdcdcd which can be noticed throughout the poem. Additionally, the poem is written in iambic pentameter, giving it a lyrical flow. The poem starts serenely, speaking with the wisdom that comes with years of experience. “I have traveled quite a distance via the realms of gold. And many beautiful nations and kingdoms were observed;” The quiet beginning gradually builds up to the frenzy of the climax, which occurs at the end of the story (Keats). “Wild surmise” is then verified by the following line: “Silent, upon the peak in Darien,” and the image of the peak, which also correlates to the heightened moment (Keats). This indicates how the author uses different methods to deliver his message.
The first contrast is Keats’s claim that he has traveled far, probably by sea. Keats has ventured far and wide, but Homer remains uncharted territory. In Keats’s mind, reading Homer is akin to finding a new planet. Keats, however, does not stop with that analogy; after all, planetary discovery is typically a solitary endeavor. Keats transforms the act of reading from an individual and private activity into a group and heroic one. He accomplishes this by making one’s reading of Chapman’s Homer as momentous as the discovery of the Pacific or the orbits of the planets. Keats chose Cortez because, unlike Columbus, Cortez had his entire crew with him when he explored Panama.
Work Cited
Keats, John. “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer by John…” Poetry Foundation. Web.