Daphne Magsby Mrs. Johnson 4-29-13 Musee des Beaux Arts Daphne Magsby Mrs. Johnson 4-29-13

Musee des Beaux Arts The poem was written by W.H. Auden. Wystan Hugh Auden was born in York, England, in 1907. At Oxford his precocity as a poet was immediately apparent. In 1928, his collection Poems was privately printed, but it wasn't until 1930, when another collection titled Poems (though its contents were different) was published, that Auden was established as the leading voice of a new generation. The poem was written about a painting ,The Fall of Icarus, which was painted by Pieter Brueghel. It hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts (hence the title of the poem) in Brussels, Belgium. Icarus is a character from Greek mythology, who was made wings to fly out of a labyrinth by his father who warned him not to fly too close to the sun or the sea. Icarus flew too close to the sun; the wings melted; he landed in the sea and drowned.

Summary The poem opens with the writer speaking of suffering and how it always happens. Then the writer goes on to speak about the painting, The Fall of Icarus. Speaking upon how the boy has fallen out of the sky and is drowning in the water while a ploughman and a ship seem to not care. Through allusion and imagery, W.H. Auden creates a picturesque image of a human tendency.

Theme and Tone The theme is suffering and humans unconcern with it. The poet uses informal diction with a bit of imagery to create the tone and setting that portrays the theme. “Quite leisurely from the disaster, where the dogs go on with their doggy life, sailed calmly on, and the ploughman may Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry ” are specific examples that portray the theme. The words suffering, martyrdom, turns away, and calmly on allude to the theme of the poem.

Figurative language and poetic devices The poet use imagery and allusion to enhance the meaning and readability of the poem. Examples of allusion are, “old Masters” and “Breughel’s Icarus.” An example of imagery is, “As it had on the white legs disappearing into the green.” The only poetic device that the poet uses is end rhyme. Examples of end rhyme are waiting and skating, course and horse, away and may, and green and seen.

Poem Interpretation The poem says that a boy is drowning while a ploughman and a ship carry on without a care. The poem means that while others suffer, humans tend to have apathy. The meaning of the poem was probably realized while the poet was viewing the painting. For example, “In Breughel’s Icarus , for instance: how everything turns away.”

Conclusion W.H. Auden develops a vivid picture of suffering and apathy through the use of allusion and imagery. The calm mood and allusion to Breughel’s The Falling of Icarus add information that is needed for the reader to understand what the writer is saying about suffering.

Works Cited "Musee Des Beaux Arts by W.H. Auden." N.p., 2003. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. http://poetrypages.lemon8.nl/life/musee/museebeauxarts.htm . "Musee Des Beaux Arts." English.emory.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. http://english.emory.edu/classes/paintings&poems/auden.html . "Musee Des Beaux Arts." Shmoop.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. http://www.shmoop.com/musee-des-beaux-arts/ . "W. H. Auden." Poets.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2013. http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/120%20 .