Essays on W. H. Auden

English-American poet of the twentieth century, Wystan Hugh Auden, states in one of his earlier poems ‘In memory of WB Yeats’ (1939), “For poetry makes nothing happen”. This quote deters the test of time and as the visionary voice of poets serves as a beacon,...

Suffering is the state of aguish or pain of one who suffers. Although human suffering is not severe in the modern world many are living in today, it is still an eminent presence in most places. W.H Auden is meticulous for his didactic insight into...

W.H. Auden’s timeless and universal poetry transcends the barriers of the Modernist period. O’ What is that Sound, written in October 1932 and Spain written in March 1937, both explore the effects of war and the loss of love. Although both these poems differ greatly...

Poetry does not belong to the sphere of polemics and ideology rather it stimulates the intangible. Inherently subversive, poetry is an artistic abstraction so polyvalent in nature and paradoxical in language, that it invites individuals to derive meaning in the poem independently and to a...

In ‘Musee des Beaux Arts’, W.H Auden explores human responses towards tragedy across the cultures through the setting details of paintings within the ‘Musee des Beaux Arts’. Whilst the poem might be read as an ode to human resilience in the face of tragedy, the...

Textual integrity is how well the poet uses context, form, language and purpose to produce a piece that has meaning and value, in other words, it is something that can resonate, move or change the minds of the audience. In Auden’s poems “Spain” and “In...