John Keats

After reading over the works of John Keats, most of them a couple of times, I have taken the most interest in the poem Sonnet: When I have fears. I liked the fact that even though Keats is clearly contemplating his own mortality, each line is beautifully written and each word is heartfelt. The last two lines of the poem strike me as interesting because even though the poem is expressing the idea of death, those lines seem to be still looking toward the future. When Keats says,

[then on the shore]
Of the wide world I stand alone and think,
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.

it gives me the feeling that he understands that death is before him and though that is a difficult subject, he is anxious to see what is still to come. Everyone has fears that affect them every day, but it seems to me that Keats realizes that the fear of death is unnecessary and will only hinder one’s life, possibly in a negative way. There are many more relevant topics that face us on a daily basis that we must confront, such as not performing to our highest potential at everything that we do. Keats seems to realize that when death is immanent one will slow down and take on a new perspective. When things appear to be at their darkest, there is always some ray of light, no matter how insignificant you may think that it is, it is still there. Keats speaks of the clouds that we see almost everyday as “symbols of a high romance” and in doing so reveals how he feels that unavoidable death will change his perspective on the life that he is living. The most important thing that I felt after reading this poem is, when we feel that we are losing our grip on life and death is approaching, we should all stop, and take a look at what has always been right there in front of our faces.