how does the poet express his sense of depression in the poem 'Dejection An Ode'?
Answers
An Ode‖ can be clinically read as a resonant expression of his suffering from major depression at the time when he wrote his Ode. In this poem, he complains of perceptive failure, emotional barrenness and spiritual inertia, which have brought about disconnection between him and his surroundings. Therefore, while still fully aware of Nature's physical beauty, he feels deprived of the inner power to interact with it. Besides, he is stripped by his depressive disorder of his creative mental powers, especially his faculty of imagination. The present study highlights the symptoms of Coleridge's clinical depression in the Dejection Ode, and explores how Coleridge expresses his psychological infirmity in terms of failure to respond feelingly to Nature. The study makes an interpretation of what Coleridge means by the muteness of his soul's voice, and the lack of his inner light, and draws special attention to the significance of sound and light in the Ode, and to the presence, the progression and the interplay of these two factors, both internally and externally. Taking note of these two factors in play through the Ode, the study finally clarifies how the depressed Coleridge manages to overcome his dejection by means of his re-vitalised power of imagination
Concept
"Dejection" was written in 1802 but was originally penned as a letter to Coleridge's lover, Sara Hutchinson. Many of the same ideas were there in the considerably lengthier original version of the poem as in "The Nightingale" and "Frost at Midnight," including the same pondering on his children and their natural education.
Explanation
The poet recounts the type of sadness he has been experiencing. It's a gloomy, sad, sleepy, and unfeeling grief. Despite staring at the western sky and its "unusual color of yellow-green" throughout the tranquil and warm evening, the poet was in a cheerless and spiritless mood. He has observed the beauty of the clouds and stars, but he has been unable to feel that beauty due to the anguish that has gripped his head. The poet regrets his life's pleasure and delight. His spirits have dropped. All of Nature's lovely items are powerless to lift the weight of his anguish off his heart.
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