September 24th 2012

Revised Thesis:

In the poem “When I have fears that I may cease to be” by John Keats, the speaker expresses his fears pertaining the limitations of mortality through emphasis of the self,  juxtaposition of concrete ideas to abstract emotions as the poem progresses, repetition of specific sounds and letters to provide extra meaning, distinct quatrain order, and symbolism coated in rich words to depict immensity. In unison, these elements support Keat’s theme of limitations and eventual conclusion about the solitude nature of mankind. 

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Paragraph to work on:

Keats utilizes the repetitions of letters and sounds in his first quatrain to place further emphasis on his key expressions of those lines. He does so with the long “i” sound prevalent in  “high” (3), “piled” (3), and “ripened”(4) to describe the immense amount of books he has not yet written. The extended "i" forces the reader to sustain a focus on those key words.  Keats does a similar thing with the “r” sound in “charact’ry” (4), “rich” (4), and “ripened” (4). Repition gives the words more of a standing in the reader's mind. Lastly, Keats places emphasis with the letter g in using the words “gleaned” (2), “garners” (3), and “grain” (3). All of these promote the importance of lines 1,2, and 3 and force the reader to recognize the vastness of the potential the author fears will go to waste with his ultimate demise.