Sunday, August 15, 2010

Compare/Contrast When I Have Fears and Mezzo Cammin

Hello AP Students!  For those of you who did not get a chance to speak as much as you would have liked in the Socratic Seminar, please post your thoughts below.  This should be as close to an actual dialogue as possible, meaning that you should not merely post your comment but respond to multiple posts as well (be clear whose post you are responding to).

102 comments:

  1. (Nayeli Ramirez, Per 3)

    I saw the first poem "When I Have Fears" a little more positive than the poem "Mezzo Camminin." I feel as if the speaker in the first poem at least has an aspiration/goal to live, he mentions he is afraid of dying because he might not be able to find love, unlike "Mezzo Camminin" where the speaker sounds no hopeful at all.

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    1. the tone in When I have Fears is much more depressing while the tone in Mezzo Camminin is more optimistic. When Longfellow says "half my life is gone" he almost sounds like he knows that he still has another half of his life left so there is still hope. Also Longfellow says that the "cataract of Death is FAR thundering from the heights" which basically means that although death will come to him, it is still very far from him.

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    2. the tone in When I have Fears is much more depressing while the tone in Mezzo Camminin is more optimistic. When Longfellow says "half my life is gone" he almost sounds like he knows that he still has another half of his life left so there is still hope. Also Longfellow says that the "cataract of Death is FAR thundering from the heights" which basically means that although death will come to him, it is still very far from him.

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  2. I actually think that in the last lines of Longfellow's "Mezzo Cammin", the poet sounds as if he knows that death is coming, but he is hopeful because he also knows it won't be happening too soon. He knows that death will come to him eventually, however, but for now, he only hears the "cataract"--he still has some time before he dies. Therefore, I think he has more inspiration to live and accomplish his dreams, whereas the speaker in "When I Have Fears" knows that he will die sooner and his hope lessens.
    -Ericka Garcia-G.
    Period 3

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  3. I agree with Nayeli i feel that the speaker of "Mezzo Cammin" is much more pessimistic than the speaker of "When I Have Fears". When the speaker is halfway up the hill ,that represents his life, all he sees behind him is his dark,haunting past and the only thing he hears up above him is the cataract of death meaning all he has waiting for him at the top of the hill is death, whereas Keats' see's a wide world full of possibilities and chances.

    (Melissa Meza ,Per 3)

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  4. How does Keats see a world full of possibilities and chances if he's going to die so soon?

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  5. I agree with Ericka in regards to the ending lines of "When I Have Fears" where the speaker ends in such a hopeless tone. It's as if he knows that death is near so there's less reason to pursue those dreams that he once had. The speaker says that he stands alone, knowing that in the end he must leave the world without anyone to accompany him.

    (Tiffany Parra, Period 3)

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  6. (Nayeli Ramirez, Per 3)

    @ERICKA: I think that Keats sees his world more full of possibilities because he has a reason to live: he wants to find true love before he dies. He might die soon, but he wants to at least leave a good life behind him.
    Longfellow's speaker looks at his past as if he was ashamed, and he doesn't seem he wants to take any risks to make his life change.

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  7. (Martin De Leon Period 3)
    I agree with Ericka, Longfellow actually sees a future for himself in which he might or might not change, but Keats sees death as something near and believes he will die alone. To me, a future seems more optimistic than dying alone, of course it can be interpreted in many ways but Keats still leaves the reader with a sour note more than Longfellow

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  8. And Nayeli, Keats says in the last line that "love an fame to nothingness sink" in other words saying it doesnt matter in the end, so why would he want to continue to live a good life?

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  9. I agree with Martin, in "Mezzo Cammin", the poem seems more like a reflection of his life and the possibility of what is to come. The speaker still has time to accomplish something, to move away from the past.

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  10. @ ericka
    there is nothing in Keat's ending that says he is going to die very soon, he still has time to live and know love again.

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  11. Mrs. Haislip said that Keats wrote this poem right before he died of TB.

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  12. @ Martin
    it actually says " Till (until) love and fame to nothingness do sink" meaning that until that happens and love and fame are no more because he is dead he will try to live and make the best of the time he has left.

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  13. Yes but if that was suppose to have an impact on this task they would have written it at the bottom, just like they did with the explanation of the title of the second poem, Mezzo Cammin .

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  14. And I think that Keats is trying to convince himself that fame and love are not important in the end of life. However, I don't think he's very convinced with his own argument...

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  15. I also agree with Martin and Ericka in that Keats has a more pessimistic outlook on his life towards the end of his poem. To me, it seems like he has accepted the fact that he will not be able to do everything that he wanted, and instead, as shown in the lines, "and think till love and fame to nothingness do sink," (line 13, 14) will probably end up thinking about what he wished he was able to do until the time comes for him to die, represented by going into "nothingness." Also, for the part on the "on the shore of the wide world I stand alone," I feel as if that even if the world is full of people, he still feels like, he's going to leave the world alone physically and that he's alone in his situation.

    ((Chie Horita, Period 3))

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  16. @ Melissa
    It still doeesnt take away his point of view, that it doesnt matter. if he truely believed that it mattered his tone would have been more hopeful like in Longfellow's poem.

    The date that he died & the date that he wrote the poem (for both authors) is at the bottom of the poems.

    @Chie I agree in how you explained that he is going to "leave the world alone" and that he is going to die alone.

    (Martin De Leon period 3)

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  17. I agree with Martin and Ericka as well. "When I Have Fears" sounded very pessimistic. In the final line "and till love and fame to nothingness do sink," I believe Keats was saying that unless he does something to leave his mark on the world, his life will have had no meaning and he will have died without people remembering who he was. Although he talks about all the fears he has, he does not actually demonstrate any kind of aspirations or plan with which to achieve his goals.

    I believe that "Mezzo Cammin" was different. It started as a reflection on Wadsworth Longfellow's and it seemed very regretful. The shift in the middle of the poem ["though halfway up the hill i see the past"] says a lot about the speaker's view on death. The fact that he is "halfway up the hill" means that he still has time to make something of his life before it is taken away from him. I found that line to be very optimistic because he knows that his time is not yet over. Also, the fact that he calls death a "cataract" says a lot as well. Though many considered it to be a pessimistic way of seeing death, I disagree. In order to "fall off" of the cataract, you must have had to be on top of it in the first place. That means that he must have been working his way, metaphorically, up the hill in order to reach the cataract awaiting him. This means that he must have traveled somewhere and had done something in his life in order to reach the top of that cataract. And by the time he reached it, he must have been ready to fall off, since he worked so hard to get there. Overall, I feel as though "Mezzo Cammin" was much more optimisic.

    [[Stephanie Zumwalt, Period 3]]

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  18. (Nayeli Ramirez, Per 3)

    @MELISSA: I agree with what you say. The two lines at the end not necessarily say that the poet sees himself dying soon. If in real life he died after writing this poem, then they should have put an explanation or something.

    Q: What are some differences (besides one being more positive than the other, depending on how you interpret it) the two poems have??

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  19. Well one major difference would be the place in which each of the authors are at in their poems. In "When I Have Fears" he is at a much younger age than that of "Mezzo Cammin." Longfellow reflects on his life because he is middle-aged and already halfway up the hill.

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  20. I agree with Melissa about the end of the two poems and about how Keats sounds like he isn't giving up and thinks he will find love, whereas Longfellow just seems hopeless.


    (Alexandra Davis P.6)
    I wasn't there for the Socratic Seminar Mrs. Haislip, will this make my grade or do I just get no credit for the assignment?

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  21. @Tiffany
    Didn't Mrs. Haislip say he wrote that poem right before he died? (Longfellow) How old was he when he died?

    Also I agree with Stephanie Zumwalt about the reflection Wadsworth Longfellow is making in his poem.

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  22. @Nayeli

    The structure is a major difference. "When I Have Fears" is written in sonnet form while "Mezzo Cammin" is more of a free verse.

    Also, their point of view was very different, Longfellow was older at the time he wrote the poem while Keats was 13 years younger, this could have had a significant impact on their perspective. Keats wrote the poem when he was 23 an died when he was 26. Longfellow wrote the poem when he was 36 and died when he was 75.

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  23. In the poem "When I Have Fears" the speaker doesnt really sound like he is afraid of death. It sounds to me he is afraid of not finding love at all before he dies. Like the love will fade away when he falls into death.But in "Mezzo Cammin" the speaker does sound like he is afraid of death. Like he has set goals in his life but didnt have a chance to accomplish them before he dies. That maybe something or someone stopped him from going forward.
    (ashley period 6)

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  24. @ashley
    I see your point on Mezzo Cammin but how would you interpret the first line of When I Have Fears?

    (Martin D. P.3)

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  25. @ashley i agree with you for your opinion on "When I Have Fears" but i don't think it's only that he's afraid of not loving before he dies, but also that he won't be able to write what he thinks/express himself before he dies, like, he won't get a chance to. but i also disagree, because i do think he's afraid of death.

    @Martin for the first two lines of "When I Have Fears" i'd interpret it as him saying that he feels like he won't be able to write everything he thinks before he dies.

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  26. oh, and (Leilani Palma P.3) (x

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  27. I think that the last line of "When I Have Fears,"Till love and fame to nothingness do sink" means that the narrator believes that if during your life you don't achieve love or fame then your life did not mean anything. I agree with Stephanie in that "Mezzo Cammin," the author has to get to the top of the mountain before reaching death at the cataract.
    I think that in both poems the authors wanted to be remembered after they died and although they both see death coming they cant help but being afraid of it.
    -Sofia Cortes

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  28. @Sofia Cortes, that's a good way to interpret that last line, in my opinion i also thought it meant something like 'until love and fame eventually means nothing' or something along the lines of that. because if love and fame eventually turns into nothing, then people wouldn't have much to live for anymore, and i think that's how the author interpreted society- only living for love and/or fame.
    (Leilani Palma P.3)

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  29. I agree with Ashley about the speaker in "When I Have Fears" not being able to find love before he dies. I think he feels this way because he regrets not telling someone that he loves her so she'll never know and never love him back. Did anybody else get that same idea?

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  30. Yeah your right I guess it can be interpreted both ways. But I also think that the second poem speaks of fame in lines 3-4 when the author states "The aspiration of my youth , to build Some tower of a song with lofty parapet." I think the "tower of a song" represents him wanting to create something for which he will be remembered by forever.

    @Rhobbyn I didn't get that idea but know that you mention it I can see where you get the idea. For example "unreflecting love" could be him loving someone but not receiving the love back.

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  31. Can anyone explain to me what "And when I feel, fair creature of an hour, That I shall never look upon thee more, Never relish in the faery power Of unreflecting love;" means?

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  32. @Martin Arent both of the poems written in sonnet form though?

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  33. Mrs. Haislip told us that both authors talk about not being able to accomplish their works/writing. I can't find any proof/evidence of that in "Mezzo Cammin". Does anyone know how Longfellow speaks of his writing in his poem?

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  34. Robbyn, I hadn't seen the poem in that way, but the way you interpret it makes sense. I think that line has something to do with what you were saying about not confessing his love to the one person that mattered to him (similar to what Sofia was saying) and that when he dies all of those feelings will have gone to waste.

    Tiffany Parra, Period 3

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  35. @Tiffany So those lines overall just mean he regrets not saying he loves her which leads to him not getting love back and those feelings going to waste. Thank you.

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  36. Alexandra D.--As I explained in class, whatever you post on here will make up your grade if you didn't participate in the seminar. Make sure you post more detailed comments, though, that show analysis; do not just agree/disagree with others.

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  37. I agree with Ericka that Longfellow has a more positive view on death, because he is only at the top of the cataract and he has more years to go before he dies, which gives him more time to aspire to following hie dreams as a youth.

    Joseph Morales, Period 3

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  38. I disagree with Ericka about Keats trying to convince himself that that love and fame aren't important before death.In lines 2-3 Keats says,"Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,before high-piled books,in charactery,hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain;..." .I think that he is saying that even though he is dying that he still wants to write and have his work seen so that he can be remembered by in the public's view.
    Also, in lines 6-8 Keats talks about love and romance,"Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,and think that I may never live to trace their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;..." I think that Keats is saying that love is important even when near death, and that he fears may never find love, because he talks about never being able to trace the clouds with the magic hand of chance, which may mean he still hasn't found love.

    Joseph Morales, Period 3

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  39. I see when he says "never live to trace their shadows" he's saying he is never going to get to experience love. And I would agree that keats is trying to convince himself that love and fame aren't important in the end, because although he does say in the beginning that he is sad he is not going to be able to finish his stories and poems, he is saying: "when I feels like this" at that part of the poem, in the end there is a shift when he says: "then on the shore of the wide world I stand alone" I see these last few lines as him distancing himself from the world, him realizing that he is truly alone and that in the end fame and love sink the same as nothingness, lessening their worth and just kinda saying that in the end it doesn't really matter, we are all going to die anyways.

    Nahum Garcia, per 3

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  40. I agree with what Joseph and Ericka said. Even though both of the poems relate to death as something inevitable, Keats has a pessimistic and hopeless attitude throughout the poem while Longfellow has a positive attitude towards the death.
    from the poem Mezzo Cammin in Line 2 and 3, it says "The years slip from me and have not fulfilled the aspiration of my youth"
    it shows that he is willing to do what he wants to achieve and fulfill and feels hopeful that its not too late for him.

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  41. Also I don't really agree with the idea that Longfellow is saying the waterfall is far away, I mean when I think about it, if I can hear the waterfall thundering I would freak out, not really think that I have a lot of time left to fix what I've done.

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  42. i agree with what Nahum said. Keats sees fame and love as something that fade away when the death comes closer and closer.
    The difference between Keats and Longfellow is that, their perspective towards death is different.

    for example, it's like looking at the water bottle that only has half filled up. You may interpret it as half full or half empty. It's a matter of how you see it.

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  43. @Erika and @Tiffany:
    In lines 13 and 14, the poem says, " And hear above me on the autumnal blast/ The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights." I didnt see these last 2 lines as pessimistic but rather more on the optimistic side. For example, imagine that you were at the top of a large waterfall, when you begin to hear it then you know that you are getting closer and closer to the edge where you could possibly fall of. In that situation the tone would be pessimistic, however, Longfellow never did say that he was on the top of the waterfall. He specifically said in line 13 the words " above me" This means that he's on the bottom of a large waterfall looking up and being able to hear death from its heights. The large waterfall could represent the rest of his life and since hes on the bottom looking up, he still has time before he reaches his death. He then could use the time he has left to do the things that he was not yet able to accomplish.


    Cindy Urrete, Period 3

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  44. Nahum I disagree with your waterfall comment because a large waterfall thundering from the heights makes me think like it's far off.

    i can see where you are going with the freak out but honestly, i see it as a long journey that he still has to go through hence it's called Mezzo Cammin, Middle of the Journey.

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  45. oh yeah this is Eric Han from period 6 =)

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  46. As Eric Han said, both poems are about death, the inevitable end. I also agree that Keats ends on a sad note while Longfellow ends with some hope. However, one reason why they end differently is Longfellow's poem is more or less a midlife reflection (referring to the past as "city in the twilight" and such), which gives a feeling of something very distant, and realizing what he is to accomplish to fulfill his life. Although he does not directly state "I will do whatever", he realizes he has a while to go. Keats's poem, on the other hand, seems more like a list of complaints (almost) of what he missed out on or never did (yet wanted to do).
    Miguel Vasquez, Period 3

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  47. @Martin and @Nayelli:
    I disagree with the comment made about the structure of "Mezzo Cammin". Both poems actually are english sonnets because they both contained 14 lines, and are(for the most part) in iambic pentameter.

    I do agree with Martin about the points of view that each poet had when they wrote the poem. Because Keat's wrote "When I have fears" at a time close to his death, i believe that his tone and the mood of the poem was more pessimistic.He had known that death was close by because he had become sick from tuberculosis, which at the time, still had no treatment or vaccination. Longfellow, on the other hand, wrote the poem when he was in his mid- life(around the age of 36). He didn't necessarily know exactly when he was going to die, but he did know that he still had time left within his life to accomplish the things that he wanted to do.

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  48. (Nayeli Ramirez, Per 3)

    I am not so sure about how I interpret Keats' poem, but I kinda see that he has other fears besides death. Like lines 2-3, is it possible he is speaking about a fear of not being able to write anymore?
    Or if someone knows the meaning of these lines, please make a response :)

    By the way, thanks to the people that responded to my Q's.

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  49. Nayeli, lines 2-3 of Keat's poem is actually referring to himself. You know this because he says "my teeming brain." This is more towards his own thoughts, instead of others. Or at least thats what i thought.

    (Brandon Okano - Period 3)

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  50. The way that I interpreted the poems is that both Keats and Longfellow had a main idea of fearing death. However, Longfellow sees death as a more tramatic experience because of his desciption of death as an "autumnal blast" and a "cataract". Based on his descriptions, Longfellow sees death as a horrible experience that is coming quickly like a rushing waterfall. Alec Hartman Period 3

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  51. I agree with @ Melissa & @ Nayeli about how Longfellow was much more pessimistic about death that Keats was because Longfellow saw death as his last resort and that he won't die happy since he's wasted his life and it's "gone". I think Longfellow dwelled too much on the past which made him not look at a brighter future and to actually live life to the fullest. While Keats talks about good things before dying, experiences that people can achieve, and although he may die alone he doesn't let that get to him unlike Longfellow who lets his past get to him and see's death "thundering" above him in the skies and possbily believes he can't live his life anymore since he's been living in the past so much. I disagree with @Eric, @ Martin, and @ Cindy about how "When I Have Fears" has more of a saddened tone because in lines 5 & 6, Keats writes " When I behold, upon the night starr'd face, Huge cloudy symbols of high romance" , I see no pessimism in those lines because he views love as a star in the sky, and a gift of some sort, while in "Mezzo Cammin" , Longfellow writes in lines 12 & 13 "With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights", it's like Longfellow see's his life as a chaos, as a city with no life in it because I when I think of smoking rooftops & soft bells, I think of a black & white picture of a family that has no smiles and just looks ashamed of their lives.
    (Erika Asuncion, period 3)

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  52. Also, Keats described the things that he has done in his poem, while Longfellow descibed the things that he still needs to accomplish.

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  53. @Nayelli:

    I believe that the speakers of both poems were not actually afraid of death itself, but rather that they were afraid of dying before accomplishing things that they each wanted to do
    Lines 2&3 in "When I have Fears" says " Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,/ Before high-piled books in charactery," I think Keats was saying that he was afraid of dying before he has gotten the chance to write down all his thoughts and ideas. He feared that his literary works would remain unfinished before the time of his death

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  54. I don't see either how Longfellow talked about his writing in the poem. Is it when he talks about the tower at the beginning?

    And also I thought that Keats wasn't just afraid of death, in the poem he is talking about he is afraid that he will never be loved. And both writers look reflect on their lives, and regret a lot of things.

    Mrs. Haislip also mentioned that both poems created an image at the end of the poem, I got the image for the second one, but was the image in Keats' poem???

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  55. I have to agree with Ericka Garcia because Mezzo Cammin has an ending that can be interpreted two ways. Optimistic, saying there is time for change, or pessimistic, saying that death is near and it's too late. In contrast, When I Have Fears' ending is more pessimistic because it sounds as if he is already alone.

    Also I have a question.

    In line 9 of Mezzo Cammin, I interpreted it as he was halfway towards death, which made me believe that it was a more optimistic ending. However, as I look at it now, it also supports the pessimistic ending. In my opinion, since at the start he says "Half of my life is gone...," him saying "Half-way up the hill," is saying the hill of change.

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  56. At first I did not understand what the poems were trying to say, but after reading everyones comments I see that both poets have the fear of not getting done the goals that they had intended to get done before they die.

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  57. @ Joseph
    I don't see how Longfellow had a positive view on death. I thought it was Keats' who had the positive view and Longfellow was more pessimistic about it. Even though Mrs. Haislip said we all had different views on the final part of Longfellow's poem and whether or not we see that as optimistic or pessimistic. I see it as pessimistic, and fearful, not as in the way you saw it Joseph.

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  58. I disagree with Nahum's comment about Keats never experiencing love because of line 9, "fair creature of an hour". I believe that this is describing someone that he loves and he is afraid of losing them.

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  59. I also agree with Cindy because both poems though they talk about fearing death they also describe things that they wished they had accomplished. In "When I Have Fears" he talks about love and his writings, both of which he hopes to have fulfilled before he dies. Likewise in "Mezzo Cammin" he sees the past and the future, hoping that he'll have time to do all of the things he dreamed of. Therefore maybe it isn't just the actual death they are afraid of, but the fact that they might leave the earth without so much as a trace and they will be just another person to have walked the earth.

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  60. @Cindy, I think you're right about what the authours are afraid of, it does seem like they're afraid of not being able to do everything they wanted to do since both poems have a very regretful tone and they both explain their regrets. ((Keats wrote about not being able to write everything on his mind and truly being in love and Longfellow explained why he wasn't able to fulfill his dreams he had when he was young))
    @Alex The image at the end of Keats' poem was when he's standing on the "shore of the wide world" alone which I interpret as him believing he is going to end up alone in this world full of people when he dies, just thinking of what he could have done.
    @Brandon I can also see how it can be interpreted both ways, but I still see it as optimistic, at least more optimistic than the ending of Keats' poem since he still has some time to do something in his life. I also think there is going to be a change for Longfellow from line 13 where it says "autumnal blast" since autumn is the time of change, but he may not have much time left since it's also right before winter, the time of death.

    ((Chie Horita Period 3))

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  61. I agree with Alec. Taking the time to read all the comments changed my view of the poems.

    At first, I thought Keat's what just worried about just death. Now I understand that it wasn't just a fear of death, but a fear of not accomplishing his life goals, not having any love, and dying alone.

    With Longfellow's poem, I thought it was just about his mid-life crisis. Now, I see that he was hurt by an obstacle that happened in his life and that there might be a chance for him to fix things before his life ends.

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  62. In "When i have fears" , Keats is afraid that he wont experience all the things in life he wants to before he passes. He is afraid to fail and not take risks. Thats what is holding him back from being successful and doing what he wants to do. In "Mezzo Cammin", Longfellow explains that half of his life has gone by and he has let them go to waste. He wants to get the best things out of life, cause he'll know when its going to end. In lines 9-11, "Half way up the hill...dim and vast", He shows that he is on a hill looking down on a city, represting his past, which is dim and vast, showing it was full of sorrow and depression.

    -Spencer Jeffreys (Period 6)

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  63. @Chie, I completely agree. I also took it as more optimistic since he stated "atumnal blast." However, autumn can be interpreted as the preperation for death, meaning he could already be dying.


    Just a side note, has anyone considered Keat's it talking about a physical death, while Longfellow's talking about an emotional death? When Longfellow says "and a care that almost killed," could he in fact be referring to caring so mch that he was emotionally hurt by someone or something?

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  64. @Chie Horita
    Yeah, that makes sense, I finally understand that last part. That changes my thoughts on Keats' entire poem. Now it sounds like he is really thinking he is going to end up alone, without finishing his writing or being loved. However, I still think that Longfellow is pessimistic at the end. And that is interesting about winter being the time of death. I never knew that, but in context of this poem, it makes sense. I agree with you on both poems having a regretful tone as well.

    I also think that the two poems were written by a younger man (Keats), and Longfellow, who is nearing death. I think everyone at one point fears death, and I can't see anyone being OK with dieing.

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  65. @Alec, I agree that Keats may have loved someone, but in line 12, the words "unreflecting love" make it seem as if that love was only one-sided, so he didn't really get to experience being in love with someone who also loved him back.

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  66. ohh Brandon Okano. Period 3. For
    "I have to agree with Ericka"
    "I agree with Alec"
    "@Chie"

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  67. @ Chie, I agree with your interpretation of line 12, about him loving someone, and them not returning the love.

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  68. @Alex Davis:

    Longfellow talks about his goal of accomplishing his literary works in lines 3 and 4. He writes, "The aspiration of my youth, to build/ Some tower of song with lofty parapet" Longfellow uses a metaphor for this comparing his works to a tower of song, and comparing its significance to a parapet (meaning an elevated defensive wall). Like the parapet,his works are strong, and cannot be easily knocked down or forgotten. Basically he wanted to create a work of literature which he would be remembered by, even when he does pass away.

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  69. @Brandon From the lines, "But sorrow, and a care that almost killed," I thought that Longfellow lost someone he loved in the past, and that is holding him back from doing anything because he can't let it go since it affected him so much that it might have even killed him, so to speak. It could also mean that he was hesitant of doing what he wanted because maybe the past incident could happen to him, so he would prevent it from happening again.

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  70. I agree with Alex that Longfellow had a more pessimistic view toward death. This is easy to see when he looks back at his past and describes it as "a city in twilight dim and vast". When I think of a twilight dim, i think of darkness and vast means large, so there is a description of a dark and gloomy large ciy, which is pessimistic.

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  71. @ Brandon
    I agree with you on how maybe Longfellow might have been more of an emotional death because throughout the poem it seems more dark and less open to being good, where as Keat's tells us what is troubling him. I don't know though if thats what you meant.

    Also autumn seemed to me like the way our seasons work and so it is foreshadowing death to me

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  72. @Chie, I see, but death doesn't have to be physical. Losing a loved one could be an emotional death. Maybe he's not trying to change so he doesn't die. Maybe his change is to recover from his "emotional death" caused by the loss of a loved one.

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  73. I agree with Cindy that both poems are sonnets because of the 14 lines, iambic pentameter, and also the rhyme scheme.

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  74. @Pirhett nice name. lol. ANYWAYS, yes. That was the point I was trying to get across, with the whole "emotional death."

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  75. how does everyone see the last lines of the poems as? I am leaning toward Keat's as an open ended view of death with possible outcomes other than dying alone and unsuccessful. With Longfellow I wasn't to sure but i think he realized that he had messed up before and doesn't like how he turned out and thats why it only tells us that he is nearing the end. I'm not 100% on what i said so please help out

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  76. @Brandon, I agree that he probably realized that he needs to let go of the past, not necessarily forget about it, but be able to live his life without it holding him back like it did all those years. I think that is the change he needs to go through, but I also think that he's still aware that death is coming and that he needs to put the past behind him to live his life the way he wanted to. So, all in all, yes, I agree with you there haha

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  77. @Brandon thanks :P. Do you think that Keat's ending was more open ended or pretty much closing, same to Longfellows

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  78. To: PirhettWhen i Have fears in the last line says "-till fame and love till nothingness do sink." IT seems throughout the poem he talks about what he hasn't done, which most of us have interpreted that he means finding love. He is saying in the end that when he dies he will be alone, and what he had in his life will have meant nothing.

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  79. @Pirett well, Keat's kinda was closing, because "then on the sore of the wide world i stand alone, and think till love and fame to nothingness do sink," to me is just saying he wont change. I think everyone agrees that Longfellows contradicts because he leaves room for change. So, all in all, I think Keat's was more closed, and Longfellow's more open.

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  81. @Pirhett, for me, Keats' ending seems pessimistic and that he accepted the fact that he won't be able to accomplish his previous goals and that he will probably end up alone, and for Longfellow, I think you're right in saying he doesn't like how he turned out since he says that "half of my life is gone," in a way that it seems like he wasted half of his life. At the end of the poem though, I think of it as optimistic, that he still has time to accomplish something, even if it may not be that much, and that he'll stop looking back at the past and finally move forward with his life.

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  82. @Alex,I see Longfellow as more positive because in lines 9-13,he says,"Though,half-way up the hill,I see the Past lying beneath me with its sounds and sights,- A city in the twilight dim and vast,with smoking roofs,soft bells,and gleaming lights,-And hear above me on the autumnal blast..." what I take from this is that even though he is half way through life he isn't giving up, and the autumnal blast is almost like a signal to himself to not give up, but change his mind set on doing what is important to him, which is to fulfill his aspiration of his youth.
    I see Keats as more pessimistic, because in lines 9-12 he says, "And when I feel, fair creature of an hour, that I shall never look upon thee more, never have relish in the faery power of unreflecting love;..." to me , I feel though Keats is giving up on life, because he knows death is coming and he doesn't hide from it, because in the end he knows he is going to die alone.
    Joseph Morales, Period 3

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  83. I agree with Brandon's view that Longfellow's ending leaves space for change before death, while Keats's ending is saying that he is done with life and he can't do anymore.

    Joseph Morales, Period 3

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  84. Keats is more closing and Longfellow more open-ended to me basically.

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  85. I believe that in Mezzo Cammin, the speaker feels he has become too emotionally attached to something or someone. He believes it has become so dependent of him that it has eaten away at his life as shown "Of restless passions that would not be stilled But sorrow, and care that almost killed, Kept me from what i may accomplish yet." It could possibly be a child, yet he doesnt regret having spent his life doing little as much as Keats. Keats believes there is no one out there for him to be loved by.

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  86. oh ok I understand now how you guys came up with Keat's as the closed ended one. It seemed to me at first it was open but now I see that he really does plain out say he has nothing to live for.

    Why do you guys feel Longfellow never did anything he set out to do before now, and what do you guys think "A city in twilight dim and vast," means?

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  87. @Alec, I don't believe that when Longfellow talks about his past as "a city in the twilight dim and vast,..." that he is being a pessimist,I look at it as him saying that that part of his life is over and he has to keep moving forward and not be stuck in the past;I believe Longfellow is actually the optimistic of the two. In Keats's poem in the last three lines he says,"...-then on the shore of the wide world I stand alone, and think till love and fame to nothingness do sink." When I read this i see Keats just being the world thinking of what he has done in the world until he loses consciousness and his world is done.

    Joseph Morales,Period 3

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  88. I dissagree with olidark i believe Longfellow referring to death as a waterfall, depicts the image that death is unavoidable it is the most powerful existing thing in the world and he will have to face it.

    I agree with Sofia and Tiffany(middle of page), Keats might of loved someone but he loved them from afar. Having never acted on his emotions he lives his life in complete regret.

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  89. @Pirhett I think he never did anything before cause of that event that happened in the past, which to me, is probably the loss of a loved one. It's the past that's holding him back from moving forward in his life.
    And as for the city representing his past, since he uses words like "twilight dim," "vast," "smoking," and "soft," which are all made to make his past look dark and unclear. It seems like it says that he had a dark past, but the general unclarity of it all makes it seem as it's kind of far away from him to see except for certain memories that stand out which could be symbolized by everything in line 12.

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  90. @Luca , The waterfall is unavoidable but Longfellow sees it coming later down the river, so death is always there but in his case he seems to think he will have a while longer before the waterfall encases him=death :P

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  91. @pirhett, i believe "vast" describes the enormous-ness of the world he could of been part of. "Twilight" prob means that it is about to come to an end.

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  92. @Olidark thanks for sharing. I agree and see how the past could be unclear and dark by that quote an also how the loss of a loved one could dwell in his memories stopping him from doing what he wished to do. Thanks for helping

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  93. I guess im confusing "inevitable" with "close-ended"

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  94. haha yeah that would change it for me, but as for close it doesnt really say and to me half way plus he's not that far down the river, but death is there. i dont know for sure

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  95. What differences in connotation result from the authors use of imagery?

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  96. What did anyone see as the main differences and similarities of the two poems. how did you see the fear of death in both?

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  97. @Pirhett, similarly I think both Keats and Longfellow both fear that they'll die before they do something great in life, for Keats I see it that he wants to find love and for Longfellow he wants to fulfill his aspiration of his youth. Though their fears are the same they both have different outlooks, Keats sees his life is already over and he can't do anything about it, while Longfellow sees time for himself to still accomplish his goal.

    Joseph Morales, Period 3

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  98. I agree with joseph that longfellow still sees thats he has more time to accomplish whats he wants, so he is a little more optimistic. lines 8-9 " Kept mo from what I may accomplish yet; / Though, half-way up the hill, I see the past" prove he still thinks he has more time because he is only half-way up so he still has half-way to go, and the word yet implies that he is still going to accomplish something. I feel that Keats fears death more imminently because he uses the present tense when he says " - then on the shore/ Of the wide world i stand alone, and think/ Till love and nothingness do sink." (lines 12-14) The fact that he refered to it in present tense implies that he felt that way right as he was writing the poem.

    Colleen Johnson, Period 3

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  99. I know this post probably isn't going to get responded to, considering how close it is to closing time, but i also had a question about the poem "Mezzo Cammin"

    when longfellow says "But sorrow, and a care that almost killed," in line 7, i wondered if he meant that he was too careful to try to branch out and achieve his goals, or if it was a care in terms of a bad/testing relationship or death of a loved one that kept him from accomplishing what he wanted to.

    colleen p.3

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