To Autumn John Keats

Autumn What do you think of ?

In the first stanza of the poem Keats uses personification to suggest that autumn and the sun are friends. They work together to produce fruit and grain ready for harvesting. The opening stanza concentrates on the sights of autumn. Highlight these in the poem. Why does Keats use the phrases “ripeness to the core”, “swell the gourd”, plump the hazel shells”, “bend with apples” and “o’er-brimmed”? What image do these phrases convey?

Stanza two concentrates on the activities of autumn. What are these? Keats addresses autumn directly. What is he suggesting in the following phrases- “sitting careless on a granary floor” “Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind” “thy laden head” “patient look”

In stanza three Keats concentrates on the sounds of autumn. Highlight the sounds in this stanza.

In the third stanza Keats writes about “the soft –dying day”, small gnats who “mourn” and “the light wind lives or dies”. Why do you think he used these words/phrases in the last stanza of the poem?

Task Write two PEE paragraphs to show how Keats appeals to the senses in To Autumn.