Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Reflection - Kubla Khan

1) Why is Kubla Khan a romantic poem?
I believe that Kubla Khan is a romantic poem primarily because it is inspired by a dream which Samuel Coleridge had. Since romantic poems focus more on the supernatural (in contast with the enlightenment era of poetry), the dream aspect is a crucial determining factor for themes throughout the poem... even if it may have just been the opium talking...

2) Where do you see evidence of various influences?
The line that states "and drunk the milk of paradise" seems to be a reference to the fact that
Coleridge was in paradise when doing his opium (a.k.a. experiencing his dream), and is now experiencing withdrawal and coming down from his high.

-"In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid, "

3)Where do you see evidence of common elements of romanticism?
Beauty of Unspoiled Nature:
"Where Alph, the sacred river, ran /Through caverns measureless to man/
Down to a sunless sea. "
Beauty in Exotic locales and Supernatural elements:
"A savage place! as holy and enchanted/As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted"
4)Xanadu?

My Imagination: I pictured Xanadu as this half-sphere structure on top of a mountain of trees, where a waterfall is pouring into a large cave surrounding it. Sort of like a monastery on this giant, standalone stone pillar, in the middle of a cave/crater.

Actual: It looks like a monastery/sacred building comparable to the Taj-Mahal in architecture. For the most part, the waterfall, stone/mountains, and trees were how Coleridge described them.

5) Language Tropes?
Lots of metaphors and description for natural elements:

"And drunk the milk of paradise"

"sunless sea"

Rhyme Scheme: He seems to either pair, or stagger by one line, words that rhyme.
"A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight 'twould win me, "

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