sp09aalmeida

Andrew Almeida
 * W.H. Auden **
 * Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone **
 * 1936 **

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.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead, Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves, Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood. For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Way 1: First Impressions
Upon first reading the title of my text, my first impression was that this passage dealt with someone who wants to either stop time or wants to get rid of all different types of technologies. However, after reading the entire poem I realized this piece has a somewhat different meaning. The first stanza begins with the speaker wanting to silence or stop many different objects that makes noise. By silencing these different objects, such as,"clocks, telephones, dog, and piano," the speaker seems to be silencing the readers auditory sense. The last line of this stanza starts to give the true meaning of the poem when it states, "bring out the coffin, let the mourners come." (4) This signals to me that this entire poem is about someones funeral or the loss of someone, and that the speaker wants the entire world to mourn this person.

The second stanza of the poem builds upon the enormity of this funeral. The line "let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves" brings forth an image that thousands of people will be coming to this funeral, so policemen are required to allow roads to still function (8). The third stanza then indicates that this is a female speaker mourning the loss of man and how important this man was to her. Specifically, this man seems to be romantically linked to the speaker when she states, "I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong." (12) Then the last stanza ends with the speaker coming to the realization that life will not be the same without her romantic love interest. In the first three lines of the last stanza the speaker wants to get rid many different things in the world. The final line of the poem, "for nothing now can ever come to any good," suggest to me that live is now not worth living without her loved one.

One line where I need to investigate further is "Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead." (6) Usually when he is capitalized to He, this suggests God, so it is possible that the speaker lost someone who was a God to her or just really meant a lot. I am also not totally sure if all the different objects in this poem possess certain significance on their own, or they are all being used as some sort of symbol or imagery.

Way 2: Engaging With the Text
After reading the poem more times, I noticed this poem contains a significant amount of imagery, as well as a rhyming pattern. This rhyming pattern is AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH. This poem also contains sixteen lines each broken into stanzas containing four lines apiece. The theme of this poem is one of loss and mourning, and the speaker accomplishes this by making the poem very dreary and silent. While reading this poem, each stanza builds upon the previous one and begins to show the speaker's immense loss. One technique the speaker use in particular to grab the attention of the reader is assonance. By employing assonance, through the repetition of vowel sounds, the speaker exemplifies the dreary nature of this poem. One instance of assonance is " Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead." (5) The vowels in "moaning" and "overhead" create an internal rhyming, and helps to the importance of the sound "moaning."

The speaker also employs alliteration a few times to give special meaning to that passage. For example, " My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song," the two words "my midnight" stresses the point that the speaker's romantic interest was like midnight. (11) Also, this poem has uses repetition numerous times. Throughout the poem, the word "My" is used several times to show how important this death is to the speaker, as well as how close she was to the deceased. Furthermore, the word "My" is repeated at the start of lines 10 and 11, and the word "Let" is repeated at the start of lines 5 and 8. By employing this repetition, the speaker ties together these two different lines.

Overall, there are many different images in this poem that bring to mind a sense of dark silence. The auditory images of a dog not barking, a muffled drum, no telephone or clocks, brings forth an image of the world stop and being deeply quiet to remember the death of this person. Therefore, the entire auditory images, as well as overall dark theme of the poem puts the reader in the same state as the speaker who is deeply mourning their loss.



Way 3: A Point about Form and Its Relationship to Content
The form in this poem seems very standard, which helps the poem flow gradually. Employing a poem that has sixteen lines with four equal stanzas, Auden immerses the reader in the dark emotional nature of this poem. With each new stanza, the emotional loss of the narrator is compounded. By the final stanza, the reader finally fully comprehends what this loss means to the narrator. Through the implementation of four equally sized stanzas, the reader also seems to be in the same shoes as the narrator, and feel the same emotional loss by the end of the poem.

The first stanza begins with the narrator wanting to shut off the world and have the entire world grieve for his or her loss. The next stanza builds upon the first by attempting to make the entire funeral a big affair. For example, the narrator states, "scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead," almost as if this person was like a God to him or her (6). The third stanza shows how important this loss is, and what the narrator will be missing. It states, "He was my North, my South, my East and West," which indicates that this person was his or her compass, and helped to give the narrator direction in life and other endeavors (9). However, the last stanza brings upon the most gloomy tone of the poem yet. The line "For nothing now can ever come to any good," shows that the narrator finds that life is now not worth living without his or her romantic interest, and never will anything be the same (16). By breaking the poem into four stanzas, the reader experiences the same gradual emotional change that the narrator is experiencing. While at the beginning the tone is one of deep loss and grieving, by the last stanza, the narrator feels that life is not worth living. Only by having spread out stanzas, each of the same length, can the reader actually experience this same emotions.

Way 3: A Point about Form and Its Relationship to Content
Another instance of form in "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone," is the use of rhyming. The rhyming pattern in the poem is AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH. The rhyming pattern in the poem is such that the word at the end of the second line rhymes with the first, and so on. The use of this rhyming pattern thoroughly grasps the attention of the reader. Once the reader starts to notice that the next line will rhyme will the one that preceded it, the reader will try to draw connections between the two lines. This is what transpires in "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone." The first two lines of the poem, "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,- Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone," gives the reader the indication that the narrator wants the world to be silent (1,2). Another instance where the two lines build upon each other is "He was my North, my South, my East and West,- My working week and my Sunday rest." (9, 10). Through the use of the rhyme technique both of these two passage grab the attention of the reader to pay very close attention tot eh next line. Although this poem does have four stanzas, this rhyming technique breaks it down so that it almost feels like 8 stanzas of two lines each.

Way 4: Unpacking an Instance of Figurative Language
1) One instance of figurative language in this poem is the line " Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come." (4) This line exudes an image of death, mourning, which is ultimately taking place at a funeral. The image brought about by this line is most definitely one of sadness and loss. The first three lines of this poem build up nicely to this line at the end of the stanza, since each one describes the silencing of different auditory sounds. With these three lines, combined with the fourth line, the reader sees that the narrator really wants the world to be quiet to mourn this loss. It is almost as if the narrator wants the funeral to be a really big event.

2) Quite simply the denotation of a "coffin" is any box used to bury the dead, for either burial or cremation. The coffin is then placed at a funeral to be mourned by loved ones and friends. A funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death, where people can view the body. What the reader sees in this line is one of deep mourning. Most likely, all the people who are visiting the coffin are in a deep state of sadness, and maybe crying. The overall image is one of gloom and darkness, due to the death. Although, the people who come to the funeral may be sharing positive or humorous stories about this individual, thus making the funeral somewhat of a celebration.

The the urn could have been used instead of "coffin," however the word "coffin" gives the indication of a lasting legacy, while the word urn is used in cremation. It seems the narrator would not want the body to be cremated, since he/she really wants the person to be mourned, and only a coffin would give that everlasting image.

3) Figuratively a funeral is a place for friends and family to come and mourn the loss of a loved one. The coffin, in which the person is placed, is the final resting place for all eternity for the deceased. This coffin is then placed six feet under the ground, appearing that the person is now one with the earth. Comparative to the saying, "from ashes to ashes, dust to dust," the person is now going to their final resting place, of which they originally came from.

The image of this funeral in particular ties in well with the rest of the poem, since during the last stanza of the poem, the narrator says that life is not worth living without the deceased. Therefore, this funeral may figuratively be one for both the narrator and the loved one. This shows that without the romantic interest living, life is not worth living. The funeral marks the end of both of their lives, one literally, and the other more figuratively, since life is not worth living anymore. This funeral, is figuratively the end of the narrator happy times, which he/she sees as a fate similar to death.

4) This line connects well with the rest of the poem. The overall theme of the poem is about mourning and loss, and this passage ties together the poem really well. The narrator in this poem has a gradual change from wanting to stop all noises and events, to actually wanting not to go on with the rest of life. This line does a good job of connecting these different aspects of the narrators feelings. A funeral gives off an image of deep mourning and loss, but really it may be the fact that this funeral is in fact also for the narrator, since he/she does not want to go on living, which is shown in the last stanza of this poem, especially the last line. Taking this information into account, this line does a great job of summing up the entire poem in just one line.

Way 5: Analyzing the Setting
The setting of the poem "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone" does not seem to exist in the most perfect sense of the definition. However, the poem takes place after the death of the narrator's loved one. It is quite possible that this is taking place during the day of the funeral or a day or so before. The line " Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come" alerts the reader that this poem is about death and mourning (Auden 4).  The mood of the narrator is one of deep mourning and loss, and he wants the setting of the funeral and procession to be one that is very quiet, and observant. By the second half of the poem, the mood of the narrator is one of hopeless due to the loss of his love interest. The narrator thinks that life is literally not worth living anymore. The narrator states, "For nothing now can ever come to any good," since the love interest has died (Auden 16). Therefore, the overall lasting impression of the mood from the end of the poem seems to be a state of depression.

Way 6: Identifying and Analyzing Point of View
The point of view in this poem is first person. The first person point of view in this poem can be identified because the narrator uses the phrase "my" and "I" quite often, thus signifying the first person point of view. The first person point of view in this poem is very befitting, since this poem is all about how the narrator deals with the death of his love interest and the mourning that comes afterward. The poem really utilizes the first person point of view in the last two stanzas, where the narrator describes all what the love interest meant to him. For example, the line "He was my North, my South, my East and West" literally shows that this person gave the narrator direction in life (Auden 9). Also, the line "My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song" shows just how important this person was to the narrator. Without the first person point of view, this probably could have been achieved, but the impact would not have been as great. With this point of view, the reader realizes how important this person really was, and how life will feel without him.

Way 7: Analyzing Complexity, Ambiguity, & Difficulty
The complexity, ambiguity, and difficulty of this poem is fairly straightforward. The first two stanzas of this poem deal with the narrator wanting the funeral and wake of his loved one to be very large. However, the last two stanzas in the poem deal with the narrator dealing with the loss of this person, and how will his life keep going on. This change in the overall mood in the poem essentially makes it two different poems combined into one. One line of difficulty for me to interpret initially was " Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead." (Auden 6) The capitalized "He" first through me off, because I thought the poem might have dealt with the death of God or something like that. However, after further examination, I figured that "He" was capitalized because the individual that died meant so much to the narrator. This is further shown in the line "He was my North, my South, my East and West." (Auden 9) One moment ambiguity is the last line "For nothing now can ever come to any good." (Auden 16) This line could have many meanings, such as life not being worth living, or life not being the same. I took this line to mean that life is not worth living anymore, and now without the love interest, the narrator has no will to live. 

Horizontal Thinking: Connecting the Text to Wider Contexts Way 8: Considering Canonicity
By definition, "the canon" denotes the entire body of literature traditionally thought to be suitable for admiration and study. The criteria applied to literary texts to determine their "canonicity" include: aesthetic value, historical or cultural significance, and how it captures emotions. The poem "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone" is a unique poem due to many of these above criteria. Aesthetically, this is a very deep poem with many meaning when analyzed closely and is not that difficult to read. However, this poem seems to be the most important for the way it captures emotions. The reader of this poem experiences emotions similar to the sorrow and mourning that the narrator is experiencing. In fact, this poem is all about emotions. It is about handling on the day of the funeral, as well as handling the loss of a loved one. Because this poem connects so well with the reader, this poem is often read at funerals, or is on some kind of remembrance card. This is due to the fact that Auden seems to be writing from personal experience of a loss.

Way 9: Biographical Context
The poem "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone" is one of deep mourning and loss by the narrator. W. H. Auden, the author of "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone" was a very well known poet, who often used themes of love, religion, and morals, which all tie in well with the overall theme of this poem in particular. Throughout the poem, the narrator shows his deep loss by stating, "He was my North, my South, my East and West." (Auden 11) As a matter of fact, W.H Auden was a homosexual (Granger's Poetry Database). Therefore, in this poem the narrator's deep sense of loss is the same as Auden's, which comes from mourning the loss of a lover. Therefore, the capitalization of He throughout the poem does not refer to God or some religious symbol, rather it refers to Auden's lover as being very important, almost like God. Much like the narrator, Auden must feel like life is not worth living without his partner.

Way 10: Historical and Cultural Contexts
The poem "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone" contains many central themes which impact everyday culture, such as mourning, death, and funerals. The poem was published in 1936 by W.H. Auden. Since this poem seems to take place in the United Kingdom, looking at the history of mourning at funerals during this time period will further illuminate "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone." Historically, mourning in Great Britain was at its height during the Victorian era, which was in the nineteenth century. However, the twentieth century brought about more relaxed mourning rituals. Since this poem was published in 1936, this seems to be an era of more relaxed mourning, though the author yearns for a large mourning that resembles that of the Victorian era. During the Victorian era, funeral processions were a major event, including many ushers and many attendants (Victorian Era 2). This is very much like the line "Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come," as well as, "Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves." (Auden 4,8) In the poem, the narrator wants many attendants, as well as the police wearing white gloves to commemorate the person and usher all the people. During the mourning period, the mourners were required to wear black clothing and jet jewelry (Victorian Era 2). However, the First World War brought an end to this elaborate style of mourning in Great Britain. Due to the huge loss the narrator feels from the death of his loved one, the narrator wants to bring back the elaborate style of mourning from the Victorian era which is now gone, much like he wants to actually bring back his dead love interest.

Way 11: Theoretical Application
Asking critical psychoanalytical questions towards this poem would mainly examine the state of mind and behavior of the narrator. Obviously, the narrator of this poem has experienced a huge loss with the death of his love interest, and basically wished the person never died or could come back to life. The last two stanzas in particular show how important this person was to the narrator. The line "He was my North, my South, my East and West" shows that this person was a compass of sorts for the narrator, possibly even a moral compass, or just someone who gave general direction to the narrator's life (Auden 9). Unconscionably, it is possible that the narrator thinks that life without the love interest is one without direction. Due to this lack of direction, life for the narrator seems like it is not worth living. The narrator states in the last line of the poem, "For nothing now can ever come to any good," which projects emotions such as hopelessness and sadness (Auden 16). Therefore, both of these lines indicate that the narrator is yearning for his love interest to have never died or for the memory of him to always exist. Because if one of these two things occurs, at least life would be worth living. Another possible way to analyze this poem psychoanalytically is to look at the first two stanzas and look for the reason why the narrator wants such a huge funeral and remembrance. Though this partially ties in with the analysis from the last two stanzas.

Way 12: Another Theoretical Application
A formalism approach to this poem would look at the structure of the poem, as well as the rhyming scheme and word choice. A formalist would ask the question of why there are four equally sized stanzas in this sixteen line long poem. I believe that the form of this poem helps to shows the gradual loss of the narrator. Also, the rhyming structure exists so that the reader is pulled into each word of the poem, instead of reading quickly to remember the last word of each line. Upon first look at the form of the poem it seems very dull; however, this seems to exist since the narrator is going to have a dull, boring life, with no direction, and without his love interest. Another question that a formalist could ask is about why alliteration and assonance are used in the poem.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Way 13: Unifying Interpretation
After reading this poem many times, as well as examining it from many different angles, I have come to have a greater appreciation for this poem. My first impression of this poem was that this passage dealt with someone who wants to either stop time or wants to get rid of all different types of technologies. After analyzing this poem from many different angles, I believe quite simply that this poem is about mourning the loss of a loved one. The narrator in this poem must figure out if life is actually worth living, since the love interest meant so much to him. Three of the most important ways of analysis of this poem were psychoanalytically, historical, and biographical. Through a psychoanalytical examination of the narrator, it is clear that he is really mourning the loss of his love interest, and thinks that life is not worth living, or will not be the same. This is due to the fact that the love interest was like a compass for the narrator, and gave life some direction. Psychoanalytically, the narrator feels that he has no direction. Through a biographical examination of W.H. Auden, I discovered that he was a homosexual. This lead me to believe that Auden wrote this poem mourning the loss of a significant love interest in his life. Through a historical examination of the act of mourning, I discovered that the process of mourning had been lessened a lot in the 20th century compared to the 19th and earlier. In the Victorian period in particular, a lot of effort and time went into the mourning of a loved one. Putting these pieces of information together with other ones, I believe that overall this poem is about Auden mourning the loss of his love interest, and he is battling with the idea of living without him and his life not having any direction or meaning. With the first two stanzas, he shows that this mourning and funeral should be a huge deal that all stop for and acknowledge. What the narrator wants in the first two stanzas is akin to bringing back the elaborate style of mourning from the Victorian era which is now gone, much like he wants to actually bring back his dead love interest.