“Ode to a Nightingale”

In poetry, there are several factors that help connect the meaning given out by the author. For this to happen the author must let these factors go hand and hand. In “Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats, the tone, mood, and setting are directly affected by one another to help establish the deeper meaning of the poem. The overall tone throughout the poem is of resignation toward death. At first, Keats describes the agonizing death of his brother by saying that he had “fever” and “fret” along with “weariness.” Through this, Keats establishes sympathy for himself by showing his emotional suffering. He is not only grieving for his brother but also for himself since he too is dying. Although he does not welcome death, he is able to come to terms with reality and accept the fact that death is inevitable and will come to every living thing. He described this by saying, “I have been half in love with easeful Death”. At the beginning of the poem he desires for life to stay rich with green color and “Tasting of Flora”. This shows his growing hope that perhaps he will not meeting death so soon yet toward the end of the poem he gives up by falling in love with death. Through his acceptance of death, Keats demonstrates pessimism due to his physical and emotional pain. This pain that he feels comes from seeing his brother in the hands of death and also because he knows he will too face the same fate as his brother. There is jealousy toward the nightingale because it is immortal and Keats is not able to attain that immortality. The bird lives on through its singing because the song will always be the same and will never be forgotten by the people who hear it. This is contrasting to the idea that once a human being dies there is little or no remembrance due to the fact that people change and move on with their lives. Keats wants to be the bird because he wants to remembered and wants to be immortal. By showing his resignation and acceptance of reality, Keats gains sympathy