#17/#8 Bright Star

This poem was actually easy for me to understand. The way this poem is designed is a rhyming scheme. Every other line-the last word-rhymes. For example, "Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art- Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night, And watching, with eternal lids apart, like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite," By setting up the poem like this, the audience is able to see a sense of fluidity and progress in the poem. It is not hard to read, rather it is easy. Also, the tone of the poem is calm and collected. He relates the character to the star. Keats often uses contradictory phrases to show the character's position. The character likes that the star is in the sky can see everything;however, he does not like how far away it is. Likewise, he wishes he could be steadfast, but does not want to be alone. He wants to stay with his lover and be with her always. If he can not, he rather "swoon to death".