Whystan Hugh Auden greatly contributed to the literary world of the twentieth century with his influential works of poetry, prose, and play writing. Auden's writing style and unusual subject matters were mostly contrived as a result of his travels, political affrications, vast intelligence, experience with homosexuality, and nature. His early upbringing and the works of Sigmund Freud also influenced Auden. Specifically, he changed schools often and his parents pressured him to pursue his studies in the sciences, at this time he discovered and began studying the works of Freud. In 1922 while still attending school, Auden began to question his religious faith, and shortly after Auden was introduced, by a friend, to the idea of writing poetry. Throughout his career, Wystan Hugh Auden created many poems of varying caliber, but several critics agree that his work completed after the mid-nineteen thirties stands out at his finest and most defining. Followers of Auden's career break his writing up into two periods, before 1938 and after, nothing the difference in style and imagery. The alternation in style and mood was most likely due to his immigration to America in 1939. Among his finest works on American soil was "As I Walked Out One Evening" which was published in Another Time in 1940. Although favored by some critics and disliked by others, the poem epitomized Auden's use of rhyme, scheme, and unique style, and remains one of his most influential pieces.
"As I Walked Out One Evening" discusses the struggle between time and love; nothing that time transcends all emotions and people. The first five stanzas display the triumph and eternal aspect of love and happiness. The turning point occurs in the sixth stanza when Auden uses the metaphor, " . the clocks in the city began to whirr and chime: O let not Time deceive you, you cannot conquer Time," to illustrate the endurance and succession of time.
Wystan Hugh Auden was one of the greatest English poets of his time. He has written many great poems. This is partly because he believes and identifies with what he wrote. He wrote in the preface to The Collected Shorter Poems of W. H. Auden: Some poems which I wrote I have thrown out because t...
Auden - Epitaph on a Tyrant Wystan Hugh Auden, an English-born American writer, was one of the most important poets of the 20th century. ... Auden was born in York, the son of a physician. ... In 1945 he published The Collected Poetry of W. H. ... Auden expresses a similar opinion in his poem. ...
Auden writes the poem, "Funeral Blues," in 1940 (802). In the poem, "Funeral Blues," Auden talks about the loss of a person's loved one and feels as if their life is over. ... Auden talks about a person's grief and creates a very sad and depressing feeling. This is based on Auden's choice of words and sentence structure. ... Auden brings across very strong feeling of grief and depression that can happen after a loved one dies. ...
Theme for the Unknown, Red Transportation While the four poems, "Public Transportation," "The Unknown Citizen," "The Red Wheelbarrow," and "Theme for English B" encompass a wide variety of styles, they all address a similar theme. Each poem involves the idea of appearances and, in most cases, th...
Views on Death Distinguishing a poets" rhetoric styles on death such as, "Death, Be Not Proud," by John Donne, shares his view on death as a transformation into eternal life. "Ozymandias," by Pearce Bysshe Shelly, uses his poem to describe what was once a powerful figure now has all been forgo...
Auden the diversity of his works represent the variation of experiences in his life. ... He was a great physician whom Auden shared a close, affectionate relationship with. ... This poem can be seen as Auden's perspective of his father's profession. ... In addition to promoting this Auden had some more general political opinions. ... Auden influenced his writing. ...
Dickinson and Auden use imagery to help the reader visualize the theme of death. ... Auden, on the other hand, uses imagery in a different way. Auden states, "Silence the pianos and with muffled drum bring out the coffin, let the mourners come" and "Put crepe bows around the white necks of the public doves, let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves" (Auden 3-4, 7-8). ... Auden compares the loved one to cardinal directions; he does this to let the reader know whoever passed away was very important to the significant other "He was my North, my South, my East and...
Auden, the distinguished poet, playwright and author, was of the opinion that "a poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language" (W.H. Auden n. pag.). In his poem "Lullaby" (Auden 29), there is a clear focus on the expression of love. ... For the purpose of this discussion it is important to note Auden's sexual orientation; he was gay. ... In line 15, the specific reference to the literary character Venus, Auden thus mixes beauty and love with death and the dark side of life. ...
