Introduction
A poem is writing that an individual or a group of people uses to express their feelings or ideas. Poets write poems without necessarily referring anywhere since they write about whatever they feel. A poem must always have a theme since it is the main topic or issue in the poem. Poems also have tones. Tones are the voice of the poet that brings out the mood of the poem in every stanza. A poet can bring in a metaphor in his poems to compare two things to describe an occasion.
Poetry is important because they give those who have angered a podium to express their anger since it is an art of expressing emotions and feelings. Another importance of poetry is that they inspire and can make people view certain things in a different perspective. A poem that rhymes are easy and more enjoyable to read, write, and memorize. This paper will analyze the poem “Funeral Blues” by Wystan Hugh Auden and show how each part contributes to the theme of the poem.
Analysis
In the poem, the poet mourns the death of someone who he is very close to and with whom he says they shared everything they had. The poet uses a harsh tone to begin his poem. The poet uses the first line of the poem and orders mourners to stop all the clocks and to cut off all telephone lines. The poet probably does not want to pick any calls or hear any noise of any kind. The poet seems to be angry about the death of a person who he considers close to him.
He also speaks with a lot of anger and authority in his first line by giving out commands. In his second line, the poet further orders fellow mourners to give dogs juicy bones that will prevent them from barking. The poet, however, does not indicate the owner of the dogs he orders mourners to prevent barking. It is obvious the poet needs some moment of silence by further ordering a silence of the pianos in his third line and further asks for muffled drums.
In the third line, the poet is not opposed to drums that fit the occasion of sorrow than a joyful piano. In his fourth and the last line of the first stanza, the poet announces that someone has died and further welcomes mourners to come and mourn. The poet further orders for the coffin of a dead man. The poet welcomes mourners in his fourth line to come and mourn a dead man. In all the four lines in the first stanza, the poet is so authoritative and issues command to fellow mourners. The title of the poem justifies that the poet is addressing a group of mourners at a funeral.
The poet uses the first line of the second stanza to ask airplanes to assist him in announcing the death of his friend to everyone. In commemorating the death of his friend, the poet interestingly asks that airplanes recognize the death by making a public acknowledgment. The poet now wants the public to know that there is a funeral and people are mourning. At the beginning of the poem, he ordered mourners to stop all the clocks and cutting off all active telephone lines.
In the sixth line, the poet does not mention the name of the dead friend but leaves the dead man’s name anonymous to the mourners. The poet uses the last two lines of the second stanza to make more demands. In the seventh line, the poet demands that fellow mourners should put crepe bow around the necks of white public doves. The poet further uses his last line to demand that traffic police officers should put on black cotton gloves. The poet gets hyperbolic and leaves people wondering and asking more about the dead person because many people do not know him. People are also wondering how the dead person relates to the poet because he is doing the extraordinary to mourn him.
In the third stanza, the poet uses the ninth line to inform his audience that the dead man means a lot to him. This line shows that the poet loved the dead man so much and depended on him on everything. The tenth line also restates how much the poet depended on the dead man by telling his audience that the dead man was his working week and his Sunday rest. Compared to other lines in the first two stanzas, the poet goes personal in his ninth and tenth stanza.
The first two lines in the third stanza to some extent inform the audience why the poet would like that everybody mourns his dead friend. He describes the dead man as a person who he loved and was so close to him. The poet further uses the last two lines in the third stanza to describe the love he had with the dead man. He further confesses that he thought the love they both had would last forever. Death, however, separated the poet with his friend that he valued so much.
In the last stanza, the poet goes authoritative again. After a cheerful mood in his third stanza, the poet starts issuing demands as he did in his first stanza. He orders that mourners should pack up the moon, and the sun dismantled. The poet uses the first two lines in the last stanza to show much grief. In his last stanza, the poet seems to be sad compared to the previous stanzas. The poet further asks mourners to dismantle the sun, however impossible it may seem.
In the last two lines of the last stanza, the poet asks his mourners to get rid of the ocean and the wood. The poet further uses his last line to state that there is nothing good that will ever come out of anything in this world. In this line, the poet restates that he can never find happiness from any source, and he further says that he will never be happy as he was before. The last line of the last stanza also shows the love shared by the poet and the dead man.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the poem “Funeral Blues” by Wystan Hugh Auden is a poem about death. The poet brings about what someone can go through if he loses a loved one. In the poem, the poet laments about the death of someone who is close to him and wants to bring the world to a standstill.
The poet further wants everyone to mourn the death of his friend who he never states his name neither the cause of the death. Throughout the poem, the poet mourns the dead person and loses hope about being happy again without him considering the love they both shared. The poem also further shows what any person in grief can go through and do just to overcome the grief they are going through.