Journal #20: Autumn Poem

The poem is very short, so it is hard to write 325 words over the poem. The title "Autumn" is obviously going to be showing us the time of year in which the poem is based off of. The first line of the poem talks about when the rain comes, marking the time of the autumn season. After looking up the meaning of wain, I figured out that the that the oxen are attached to a vehicle that is used for transporting agriculture. From the next line, I can see them standing like the empire and the king, Then from the next lines, I learn that the royal hand is outstretched with blessings, sending them across the land. Then, the shield of the night is the red harvest moon. The moon is located far beneath the heavens, just hanging like an eave in the sky. The steps of the night are by the farmers, who are sending their prayers of a good harvest. In the next line, the sheaves, or the wood is burning, which is probably representing the fire that kept people warm. Today, the flame of sheaves would be like a bonfire. The last line just talks about how the golden leaves are suspended all over the ground, which is one of the characteristics of autumn. This is a good representation of a fireside poem and the romanticism writing because it talks a lot about nature. Nature plays a big aspect in the romanticism writing. In Henry Longfellow's poems, he usually appeals to the emotions of the reader. I feel calm when I read this poem because it is about autumn, which is a comfortable, relaxing time of the year. Also the imagination in this poem is a characteristic of romanticism. When he compares the oxen and the banners to other things in the past, it is almost like he values the past more, and does not really trust the future that much, and that is another characteristic of the romanticism writing period.