Critical Analysis Of Dejection-An Ode By Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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Introduction Dejection- an Ode, written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1802 is considered central among his odes and is often expressed as his Swan Song. Depicting the deeply meditative temper of Coleridge, this poem is the essence of Coleridge’s poetic imagination and magic verse. It is composed during the later period of his poetic journey and presents highly anti Wordsworthian stance of nature. Written in a very plaintive mood, this poem mourns the consequences of losses and expresses the crucial role of imagination in attributing outside perception. Background To analyze the poem critically, it is very important to understand the milieu in which the poem was written, because this poem is highly autobiographical expressing the mental state of poet at that time. Earlier, he was a close associate of Wordsworth and was highly influenced by his views of nature but later at the time when this poem was composed his unhappy fate led him to contradict wordsworthian stance of nature. When Coleridge composed this poem, he was suffering from deep emotional dejection because of domestic discord and crises in creative imagination. His unfulfilled love for Sara Hutchinson and opium addiction worked havoc for his poetic powers. These events brought him to such a despondency that he felt himself separated from nature and drowned in an endless dismal pain. Through this poem he has deplored his losses and pathetic numbness from nature. Originally it was composed in the form of letter