CONTENTS: THESIS SENSE WITH TEXTUAL EVIDENCE AND PURPOSE/EFFECT SENSES WITH TEXTUAL EVIDENCE AND PURPOSE/EFFECT STYLE WITH TEXTUAL EVIDENCE AND PURPOSE/EFFECT STRUCTURE WITH TEXTUAL EVIDENCE AND PURPOSE/EFFECT SOUND WITH TEXTUAL EVIDENCE AND PURPOSE/EFFECT ACTIVITY/DISCUSSION CONCLUSION SAMPLE OUTLINE TEMPLATE FOR POETRY PRESENTATION

THESIS: In “As I Walked Out One Evening,” Auden contrasts the fantasy of romantic love with reality to demonstrate that idealizing the perfect kind of love is not lasting or worthwhile; what is most important is the kind of imperfect and realistic love for one another here on earth because we can’t waste the time we have on something that doesn’t exist. “As I Walked Out One Evening” W.H. Auden Literary Commentary Presented by: All group members’ first and last name Class Section:

Sense: meaning and language Purpose/Effect: Auden wants the reader to understand the need to replace idealistic and romanticized love with the imperfect and natural love, and the shift in tone starting in stanza 6 is most effective for communicating the shift closer to the end of love. Auden includes a strand of important words related to ending or breaking the façade of idealized love because our lives are so short and the love that we need most, is most worthwhile - crooked or imperfect love – is often overlooked or underappreciated. Speaker: Observer on his walk hearing lovers proclaim their love Point of view: First person Tone: Idealistic to realistic  “Love has no ending” (8)  “But all the clocks in the city / Began to whirr and chime: (21- 22)  “And Time will have his fancy / To-morrow or to-day” (31-32) Diction:  ending (8), leaks (30), drifts (34), breaks (35), plunge (38), knocks (41): strand of defeat emphasizes the facade of a perfect ever-lasting love Repetition:  Love x 4, Lover(s) x 2: love is what we seek and search for; our lives revolve around it  Clock x 2, Time x 5, Chime(ing) x 2: reminder of our time; nothing is endless; contradicts the line “love has no ending” (8)  You x 6: the message is direct  Crooked x 2: usually the focus is on the romanticized and perfect love we seek, but the imperfect love is the one that is overlooked but that which we need most

Senses: imagery and symbols Purpose/Effect: The imagery furthers Auden’s message of people being part of the natural world and living realistically rather than something far removed from reality. Auden’s description of “shadow” and “cough” symbolize the darker, harsher side of love that aligns to the “crooked” hearts/people later in the poem. Nature imagery throughout the poem:  “fields of harvest wheat” (4): comparison of people to fields which are typically filled with farmers’ crops to be cut and harvested indicates we are part of the natural world and we can’t transcend the natural world  “brimming river” (5): overflowing isn’t sustainable – it will have to drain or deflate; romanticized/idealistic love isn’t practical; a comparison is made later on about “life leaks away” (line 30) – the exaggeration of lovers and the fantasizing of a perfect kind of love must deflate  ‘Into many a green valley / Drifts the appalling snow;” (33-34): it’s inevitable that love is tainted or damaged from the pure concept we have Shadow and cough symbolize harsh reality :  “Time watches from the shadow / And coughs when you would kiss” (27-28)

Style: poetry techniques Purpose/Effect: Auden uses exaggeration to show the absurd delusion that lovers have. Although it can seem romantic on the surface, “salmon sing[ing] in the street” is nonsensical. The ironic statement followed by the lovers’ disappearance highlights the need for realistic love of one another. Hyperbole : exaggeration of love “ Till China and Africa meet, And the river jumps over the mountain And the salmon sing in the street,” (10-12) “I’ll love you till the ocean Is folded and hung up to dry” (13-14) Irony : “Love has no ending” (8) Statement followed by love’s undoing and disappearance

Structure: form, organization, and pattern Purpose/Effect: Auden uses a consistent four- line stanza pattern throughout to emphasize time’s continued presence and that it is the superior power of our world. Auden’s structure reinforces the limits of our world and the lovers who were caught up in the fantasy “were gone” by the end of the evening. The passage of time from the start of the poem and taking walk one evening to “late, late” and the “clocks had ceased” demonstrates the end of time. Stanza pattern throughout the poem:  quatrain (each stanza is 4 lines long)  “and” is repeated in early all of the stanzas  Reinforces the qualities of time’s presence in the poem and in our lives, reminding us of what little time we have, and that it should not be wasted on the fantasy of a perfect love, but rather on loving and living with our imperfect selves and neighbors Narrative Structure  Beginning, middle, and end  “As I walked out one evening” (title) to hearing lovers sing to time destroying it all, the lovers are gone “It was late, late in the evening, The lovers they were gone; The clocks had ceased their chiming, And the deep river ran on.” (56-59)

Sound: musicality and auditory techniques Purpose/Effect: Auden’s use of sound effects makes Time more pronounced to the point that it has a voice in the poem The alliteration draws attention to the lovers’ delusion of perfect and ideal love. Onomatopoeia:  “whirr” and “chime” (22)  Another “voice” is becoming part of the poem, invading the space and story of the lovers. Time, especially being personified with a capital T and being capable of “watch[ing] [you] from the shadow” creates a sense of terror and impending doom or end. Time is threatening, especially when it talks about coughing, or interrupting your kiss. Time ruins it – it will cause the end of that moment. Alliteration:  “And the seven stars go squawking Like geese about the sky.” (22-24)  The repetition of the “s” sound paired with the vastness of the sky and movement of geese furthers the extent of the lovers’ delusion that their love will continue far beyond the reaches of the earth

Class Activity and/or Discussion Work in partners:  Role 1: You are observing or overhearing the perfect students. Describe the ideal version of a student using hyperboles.  Start with “I heard a student say…”  Role 2: You are yourself (inevitably, not a perfect student) that is realistic about being a flawed student.  Start with “But…” Discussion question: How does the contrast show us something about the idealistic vs. the realistic? How does the progression of ideas contribute to the development of the theme(s)?

Despite humans’ tendency to believe in a perfect love that transcends the natural world, Auden demonstrates that the illusion, and delusion, is far from the reality of the kind of worthwhile love that is needed in our short time on earth. Conclusion