UNITED INDIAN SCHOOL – KUWAIT

CLASS 12 - ENGLISH

A THING OF BEAUTY
by John Keats

According to the poet John Keats, things of beauty give eternal pleasures and dispel the misery of
the soul. A thing of beauty is a significant ingredient of life. It has healing power.

Value Points

- Nature is rich in beauty – God’s creation

- Such beauty never fades, nor is forgotten – its loveliness increases as times passes, it never
loses its value
- Such beauty decreases life’s negativity
- It binds us to the earth – gives us timeless joy – is lined to long life

- Things of beauty are not only found in nature – also found in the mighty deeds of great men
- Heroic tales – hear or read about – beautiful and inspiring actions – create a lasting
impression on us
- Metaphor of endless fountain of immortal drink – their memories live on forever – keep
inspiring us to do great deeds

Literary Devices

- Alliteration – sleep full of sweet dreams, a cooling covert, simple sheep, etc.
- Metaphor – keep a bower quiet for us (pleasant space/place to find rest), endless fountain
of immortal drink (continuous source of inspiration), wreathing a flowery band (
making/forming a refreshing and beautiful connection)
- Imagery – trees old and young sprouting a shady boon, daffodils in green world, clear rills,
etc
- Transferred Epithet – gloomy days (feeling of gloom applied to the days), unhealthy and o’er
darkened ways (adjectives unhealthy and dark, applied to the paths/ways chosen by people)
- Oxymoron – mighty dead

Moral/Message

- A thing of beauty is a joy forever – its beauty/value transcends time

- Such things of beauty have a positive impact on our lives
- Beauty is not only physical but also spiritual