The poem A Thing of Beauty by John Keats talks of how beautiful things give us pleasure and provides strength amidst sorrows and sufferings in life. The epic poem ‘Endymion’ begins famously with the line ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever.’
A Thing of Beauty Summary Questions and Answers
A Thing of beauty Summary:
Poem: A Thing of Beauty Line 1 – 7
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness; but will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Explanation:
A thing of beauty lends and spreads joy not only at that very moment but also when we are away from the actual scene. It remains fresh in our thoughts and continues to give joy. It makes a lasting impression on the mind and can never be forgotten. Rather, in the shade of its pleasant memories, we find sweet dreams and peace, and they help to restore good health. Thus, every morning we seek joy from nature and wreath a band of more pleasant memories of these beautiful things. Their beauty binds us to earth and becomes a source of joy in our gloomy days.
Line 8 – 13
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.
Explanation:
Our life is full of malice and disappointments. We suffer from human lack of virtues and nobility, and our own evil ways and unhealthy habits and attitude. There are gloomy and dull days. But a thing of beauty removes the pain and lifts up our spirits at such times.
Line 14 – 20
Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shaddy boon
For simple sheep, and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rolls
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms;
Explanation:
The sun, the moon, and the old and young trees are nature’s blessings. The trees give shelter even to the sheep. The beautiful daffodils are a source of great joy. The clear streams encourage the growth of thickest to keep themselves cool and to provide shade to us too in the hot seasons. The bushes in the forests look more beautiful with blooms of musk roses growing among them.
Line 21 – 25
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.
Explanation:
The beauty of nature matches the beauty of heaven, the abode of our mighty and heroic forefathers whose lives continue to inspire us. Nature’s beauty surpasses the beauty of anything that we have read or heard of in stories. It is like an endless fountain of heavenly drink, and has the power to rejuvenate and refresh us. It is like a shower of joy from heaven that lifts up our spirits.
A Thing of Beauty Poem Rhyme-scheme:
The rhyme-scheme of John Keats’ poem ‘A Thing of Beauty’ is aabbcc. The rhyme-scheme of the poem casts a beautiful lyrical spell on the reader.
A Thing of Beauty Theme:
The very opening line of the poem – ‘A thing of beauty …….’ openly recites the very theme of the poem. Any beautiful object is always treasured in our mind because it provides us eternal and everlasting joy. The happiness that anything beautiful provides, never fades into nothingness but multiplies manifold whenever it returns to our mind.
A Thing of Beauty Explanation:
Explain: A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
A Thing of beauty makes a lasting impression on our mind and, even when we are away from the scene, the pleasant memories continue to have a soothing effect on us and become a source of joy.
Explain: Never pass into nothingness:
A Thing of beauty never fades away from our memories; it remains fresh in our thoughts; its memories are always significant and a source of of joy forever.
Explain: Keep a bower quiet for us:
A Thing of beauty is always fresh in our minds and its pleasant memories are like a cool shade in our times of trouble. It makes our sleep full of sweet dreams and provides us good health and peaceful breathing. Its memories always give us peace even in our times of worry and gloom.
Explain: Wreathing A flowery band:
Every morning, we go back to nature to string together more pleasant memories of its beautiful objects.
Explain: Some shape of beauty moves away the pall:
Nature’s beauty exists in varied forms. The sun, the moon, the old and young trees, the daffodils, the clear streams and the bushes with the wild roses blooming among them are the varied forms of nature’s beauty. Together, these dispel the gloom and brighten up our dull days.
Explain: And such too is the grandeur of dooms:
We have imagined a grand abode for our powerful and impressive forefathers. The poet says that the beauty of nature on earth matches the grandeur of the heaven where our forefathers are going to be.
Explain: An endless fountain of immortal drink:
The poet draws on the image of an endless fountain to explain how a thing of beauty is a joy forever. Nature is heaven’s gift to us. It lives fresh in our memories and pours on us endless joys that dispel our gloom whenever we are in pain and suffering.
A Thing of Beauty Questions Answers:
1. What is the cause of our ‘gloomy days’ and ‘dark spirits’ ?
Ans: Our days are made gloomy by our own acts of wickedness and the disappointment that we feel because of the lack of human values and nobility around us.
2. What have we imagined for our ‘mighty dead’ ?
Ans: We have imagined for our forefathers a grand heavenly abode, a place which would match their magnificent power and grandeur.
3. What the message of the poem ‘A Thing of Beauty’ ?
Ans: John Keats was a great lover of nature and in this poem he magnifies the power of nature. He feels that we should discover the beauty of nature as it has great healing power and can refresh and rejuvenate us in our darkened days.
4. What pleasure does a beautiful thing give us, according to Keats ?
Ans: A beautiful thing does not give only instant or momentary joy but creates an everlasting impression on our mind. It remains fresh in our mind and its pleasant memories can lift up our spirits in our gloomy days.
5. What is Keats’ idea of beauty as portrayed in the poem ‘A Thing of Beauty’ ?
Ans: Keats sees beauty in the nature’s bounty around him. The clear streams, the shady bowers of trees, the meadows and the various blossoms – all dispel the gloom, the pain and the sorrows that are a part of life. A thing of beauty uplifts our spirits whenever we recall it and has great healing power.
6. Describe the kind of joy a beautiful thing provides.
Ans: Anything that is beautiful provides us an unending, everlasting and eternal joy because it leaves an indelible imprint on our heart and soul. We love to relive the memories of that joyous experience whenever it flashes back in our mind.
7. Why does a thing of beauty not pass into ‘nothingness’ ?
Ans: A thing, the memory of which provides us eternal joy, will never fade away. The loveliness of a beautiful object does not fade away or die out because it leaves an indelible imprint on our heart and soul.
8. How can we get refreshed amidst beauty ?
Ans: The beautiful things provide us a kind of peace like a quiet bower, a pleasant shady place providing us peaceful sleep, sweet dreams and good health and therefore refreshes us.
9. What images of beauty has the poet described in the poem ‘A Thing of Beauty’ ?
Ans: The poet appreciates the simplicity and serenity of beauty through the image of the sun, the moon, the trees, the sheep, the daffodils, the green pastures, the livid streams, and a fair bloom of musk-roses.
10. What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings ?
Ans: According to the poet, amidst the sufferings of the world, one has to find something that will give us a meaningful existence of life. As the things of beauty bring love and happiness, it removes sadness and troubles from our life. Nature is the best healer. Thus nature helps man to bear the sorrows and sufferings and provides strength to live despite sufferings.
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