Frustration and Dissatisfaction: Wadsworth and Keats Anonymous 11th Grade

Throughout the analysis of the two pieces, “When I have Fears,” and “Mezzo Cammin” there was a similar theme, and use of language to portray it. The former poem was written by John Keats, in 1818, just several years before his death. It expresses sadness, as Keats had ill health and worried that he would not fulfill his potential as a writer. “Mezzo Cammin” was from the perspective of a middle-aged person who expresses that he has let slip half his life without accomplishing anything. It was written in 1842 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Although the poem, "When I have Fears" is more of a young person's lament and "Mezzo Cammin" takes on a bored and dissatisfied tone, both contribute to a central theme based on fear of death and frustration towards unfulfilling one’s potential.

There are very clear similarities between the theme relating to depression, frustration, and death in the two poems. In “When I have fears,” Keats expresses this sadness, and regrets the way he has lived his life. Line 14 states “Till love and fame to nothingness do think.” He uses this powerful imagery to lament on all the things he will never accomplish; love, and success. However, Keats seems to have accepted the fact that he will die soon. In “Mezzo...