Eng426 20th century english literature

Themes in “Stop All the Clocks, Cut Off the Telephone”

Death and Grief: The poem brings up an atmosphere of funeral which is expected to be solemn with mourners paying their last respect to the deceased. The poet persona is trying to come to terms with the death of the man who means a lot to him but who is now no more. He invites the world join him to mourn and even asks that all activities be stopped for the because of his personal loss. In lines 1-4 he says:
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Pessimism and Futility of Existence: It is at the occurrence of the death of the beloved that the poet persona realizes that love cannot last forever. The transitory nature of life hits him in the face and this makes him pessimistic about life. He commands using the words ‘stop’, ‘cut’, ‘prevent’ ‘silence’ and in the final line after showing his feelings of sadness and grief claims that he is doing all these “for nothing now can ever come to any good”.

Self-Assessment Exercise

Analyze one of the poems studied in this unit, showing W.H. Auden’s use visual and other forms of imagery.

4.0 CONCLUSION

Auden’s modernism is apparent in the nothingness, emptiness and despair that mark the poems discussed in this unit. The modern world is shown in the age of industrialization as one that has failed to meet the expectations of its inhabitants.

5.0 SUMMARY

In this Unit you have learnt about W. H Auden as a modernist poet. His poems “Stop all the Clocks, Cut Off the Telephones” and “September 1, 1939” are discussed.

6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT

Explain any four themes explored by W. H Auden in his poems.

7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READING

Auden, W. H. (2006). “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone.”The Norton Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. New York, London: W.W Norton and Company.

Coote, S. (1993).The Penguin History of English Literature: Penguin. Drabble, M. ed (1985). The Oxford Companion to English Literature. London:
Oxford University Press.
Hollander, J, Kermode, F eds (1973). The Oxford Anthology of English Literature.2 Vols. London: Oxford University Press.