As I Walked Out One Evening †W.H.Auden Essay

The poem in study is As I Walked emerge One Evening by W.H. Auden. His views projected in this poem argon suggested to have not varied since the time he composed this piece. remote his other poems, this piece was never revised. Here, Auden exposes the two sides of romance with the economic consumption of narrative voices, the poet, the recognisers song and the chiming of the measure personified.As I walked step forward one evening is composed in a handed-down ballad form. Its consists of 15 quatrain stanzas conforming to an abcb rhyme scheme. The masculine overthrow rhyme employed gives more freedom of wording. It is through these settings that exhibits the song-like quality of a ballad and by this lyrical tune, Auden suggests the theme and theories examined in the poem atomic number 18 of childlike logic and knowledge.With reference to the structure of the poem, it comprises of 15 stanzas split into trinity distinctive voices. The first and last being the narration by th e poet himself, frame the Lovers Song and the menacing voice of the clock. Through the graduation exercise narration by the persona, W.H. Auden sets the essence of nostalgia with a walk down Bristol alocus. The mention of Bristol Street creates the tone of reminiscence as it is a venue of Audens childhood. The contrast of crowds upon the pavement that use to be fields of fruit wheat showcases the change taken start during time-lapse.Down by the feature river, the poet hears a lover sing love has no ending. The transmutation of narrative position from the initial persona to the Love Song takes place through the marking of inverted commas. The rhythm of the poem also changes forth from iambic tri-meter when the love song begins. The love song is hyperbolized, injected with imageries and unconventional similes to mislead the affections of a nave lover. With suggestions of the uncanny ability to love till main orbit China and Africa meet, Auden captures their simplistic and unre alistic minds. The silly and lighthearted tone shown through the alliteration of the line salmon sing in the street.In addition to undermining the forces of nature, the lovers song seem to believe its love to be pure and immune to time, for in my arms I constitute TheFlower of the Ages, And the first love of the earth. This love is expressed to be ageless, the Flower of the Ages a Biblical reference to the year of maturity in which a woman can marry. In a sense, the song provokes that the incredibleness of love is beyond gay entity, but of something greater.However, the tone shifts in the sixth stanza, turning to the narration of the clock and time personified. They seem to be rebuking the ideals bodied by the Lovers Song as they began to whirr and buzzer, an onomatopoeia that creates the image of violent and unsettling wind. The wind that could break them apart, hit their faces with a chill. The clock conveys the negative perception of nave love as it rings out a series of adv ice to the lovers.The Clocks advice is like a patterned advance of a 4 session counselling, speaking to us readers as if we argon the young lovers. Marked by the phrase O, he begins with a gentle coaxing. O let not time deceive you, the idealism borne by the love song shall break through times passing. O plunge your hands in the water as if washables ones face in the morning. Wake up from the hyperbolized world of love to reality. Stare, stare at the basin, reflect on your past actions and their indications, what youve missed. O look, look in the mirror examine your present self. Finally O stand, stand at the window, see your partner through the breastwork of glass. Unclouded and unaffected by cruel words of a quarrel, in the peace of ones own mind, then we shall see that we are all hypocrites in love.The overall tone of the clock is quite colorful and Auden uses the technique of contrasting metaphors to develop the negative effects of time in idealism. The green valley and app alling snow signifying the presence of time go away eventually break momentary joy. The glacier knocks in the cupboard, the desert sighs in the put out, the consequences of time will invade ones privacy and comfort, maybe even home. Until it becomes overwhelming, one should break down, itll open a lane to the land of the dead where qualities of action we once known are twisted into a paradoxical world embodied by stanza 12.There is however, a comforter to these negative aspects, that if we wakeup in time, we shall learn to love truly, for life remains a blessing, even when were too focused on our distress. Throughout this entire process, the language suggests the lack of presence of the first persona. and this theory is contradicted by the last stanza where the poet narrates. It was late, late in the evening, the repetition a habit picked up from the clocks speech. The persona was notice the whole time, now knows better, that the overflowing love of the brimming river, actua lly has a lot more depth.W.H. Auden through the shift of narrative voices explores the different survey of love. This technique shows us not only one sided opinions but various(a) views. And readers are shown, that perhaps what is right in the minds of one, may vary to the look of another. The image of romance is often twisted to extremes by society. As human beings, we have the tendency to form opinions based on our own favours. To an extent, this poem may resemble a satire to society. Humans tend to be hypocrites and very good liars to even our own minds to justify our wrongdoings.