John Keats' poem, “To Autumn” is an ode poem, depicting his feelings, experiences and thoughts towards the season of autumn. When a reader reads the poem for the first time, it is clear to him that the speaker is somewhere at noon admiring a beautiful fall day. Only by analyzing the poem does the reader understand the depth with which the speaker has described the day he is experiencing. However, behind the simple ideas presented by the speaker lies a complex structure, difficult to analyze, but which has a timeless component dating back to the 1800s. Many poems from the 1800s, such as Keats, use a stanza structure, a strict rhyme scheme and rhythm. But by using sensory imagery, Keats displays the quiet everyday observations and appreciation of an autumn day without disrupting the structure. Within this particular poem lies an ability to suggest, explore, and develop an abundance of themes without disturbing its calm description of autumn. Keats creates an overwhelming awareness of the discontent that autumn is accustomed to. “To Autumn” is written in a three-stanza structure and features a variety of rhyme schemes. In each of the stanzas there are eleven lines, each measured in relatively precise iambic pentameter. Unlike other odes written by Keats, this particular poem has eleven verse stanzas instead of ten, but does not include a couplet placed before the conclusion of the last stanza. The beginning of each stanza follows an ABAB rhyme scheme while the last seven lines vary from stanza to stanza. In the first stanza, when the speaker begins, “Folding with apples the mossy trees” (Keats 5), the rhyme scheme becomes CDEDCCE. The final seven lines of the second and third stanzas are CDECDDE. Additionally, in this poem, Keats uses emphasis on words or...... middle of paper...... structure, language or overall theme. Because the poem was written in the 1800s, it limits the amount of free verse rhyming and rhythm which can often be an added element. Although the structure is strict and allows only a handful of rhyming words that must achieve a ten-syllable rhythm, Keats never fails to express what he saw and heard on the autumn day he was experiencing. when he wrote this poem. By the end of the poem, the speaker has successfully altered the spirit of autumn and finally convinced the season to realize its beauty, potential, and individuality. With hope, readers of this ode open their minds to all that the “Season of Mists and Sweet Fruitfulness” (1) has to offer. -ode-autumn-425648 http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/keats/section6.rhtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Autumn