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Poem Summary Endymion
Poem Summary Endymion
John Keats is an ardent lover of beauty. This is his fundamental belief and it operates
in all his poems. He is really in search of Truth. He wants to enjoy beauty to the best
possible degree. Endymion is a magnificent poem, which reflects profound love of the
poet for beauty as it is a constant source of spiritual joy. Therefore one must not forget:
"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever
John Keats' poem "Endymion," the title of which means a thing of beauty, is typical of
many of Keats' works of poetry. This poem, like his others, is very descriptive and
vivid. Readers can read these words and instantly understand what Keats is trying to
portray.
The first words of the poem, "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: its lovliness increases;
it will never pass into nothingness," is a great summary of Keats' main objective in
writing this poem. Throughout his life, he has seen many beautiful things. While some
of those beautiful things seem to stay beautiful for a longer time than others, it is
inevitable that beauty cannot stay in its original state forever. Over time, beauty
changes, sometimes into something not so beautiful, such as a wilted flower or a faded
pieces of clothing, and sometimes into a different type of beauty such as a beautiful
little girl turning into a beautiful young woman. Beauty is truly dependent upon
perspective and opinions. What one person sees as beautiful may not be what someone
else sees as beautiful. Keats attempts to portray this idea throughout his entire poem
and to instigate high level thinking and processing in his readers' minds.
Keats uses his words to intrigue his readers. His words are clear and easy to
understand, yet not completely conclusive on their own. Readers have to make their
connections to their own lives to fully grasp Keats' meaning. Keats seems determined
to portray the idea that beauty can always be preserved through memories and
photographs even if beautiful things cannot physically last forever. They can last
forever in the minds of those who witnessed them, through photographs taken, and
these memories and photographs shared with others and continued down on through
future generations. Beauty never comes to a complete end unless memories are
neglected and not passed down to future generations. Beauty lives on as long as people
share it with others and keep it alive, no matter what it is or was that is or was
beautiful, an object, a person, a particular day, or anything else.
The ending of Keats' poem, "An endless fountain of immortal drink, pouring unto us
from the heaven's brink," tells his readers that beauty continues on even when it can't
be seen by the naked eye. People just need to realize true beauty and capture it in
memories, photographs, and through other means. Beauty goes on forever when
properly preserved and passed on.