Funeral Blues Analysis

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"Funeral Blues" Analysis
By W. H. Auden Emily Emily
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W. H. Auden

• 1907 1973
• Raised in York, England
• Wrote poetry, plays, and essays
• Taught at various universities and colleges
• Won several awards

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Historical Context

• wrote elegies after WWII
• poetry influenced by
• fathers love of mythology
• mothers deep religious beliefs
• own love interest in science

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Funeral Blues Stop all clocks, cut off the
telephone, (a) Prevent the dog from barking with
a juicy bone, (a) Silence the pianos with a
muffled drum (b) Bring out the coffin, let the
mourners come. (b) Let the aeroplanes circle
moaning overhead (c) Scribbling on the sky the
message He Is Dead, (c) Tie crepe bows round the
white necks of the public doves, (d) Let the
traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
(d) He was my North, my South, my East and West,
(e) My working week and my Sunday rest, (e) My
noon, my midnight, my talk, my song (f) I
thought that love would last forever I was
wrong. (f) The stars are not wanted now put out
every one (g) Pack up the moon and dismantle the
sun, (g) Pour away the ocean and sweet up the
wood (h) For nothing now can ever come to any
good. (h)
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Speaker

• The speaker is a woman mourning the death of a
  lost love.
• There are some indications that the loved one has
  died.
• Although the person may just not be in the
  speakers life anymore.

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Tone

• Imperative
• Somber
• Comical
• Dramatic
• Searching

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Style

• Rhyme pattern holds the poem together, showing
  that the speaker is trying to put his/her life
  back together after the loss of his/her love.
• Smooth transition from stanza to stanza

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Literary Elements

• Working week
• My midnight
• Scribbling sky

• Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come
• moaning overhead

Alliteration
Assonance
necks of public doves
Consonance
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• Clocks
• Telephones
• Dogs
• Pianos
• Outlandish Tasks
• Scribbling on the sky
• Moon and Sun
• Ocean and Wood

Symbolism
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Imagery

• The poem appeals to the sense mainly through the
  senses sight and hearing
• White necks of public doves
• Black cotton gloves
• Muffled drum
• Moaning overhead

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• Shows the depth of speakers grief
• None of these irrational actions can be
  fulfilled
• Exaggerated ending strengthens the somber tone

Hyperbole
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Metaphors
Third Stanza- The speaker is taking a break from
giving orders and instead reflects loss of
love This shows the person meant the world to
the speaker.
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Theme
Loss of a loved one leads to depression. When
love is lost meaning can also be lost. Trauma of
death can cause one to lose perspective.
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Personal Response
Emily Metz- When I read this poem I picture
someone running into the street and yelling for
help. I pictured the speaker yelling while tears
are streaming down her face.
Emily Siener- I see someone who is utterly
devastated, but the humorous under tone reflects
how a person can use laughter to hide their anger
or sadness.
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Works Cited

• Galens, David, ed. Poetry For Students.
  Farmington Hills vol.10 The Gale Group, Inc.,
  2002.