Intrinsic Elements Analysis: Imagery, Understatement, and Allusion in John Keats “Modern Love”

1. Intrinsic Elements Analysis:
Imagery, Understatement and
Allusion
in John Keats “Modern Love”
By Clara Ariski Paramitha

2. Abstract
In this presentation the author tried to
analyze “Modern Love” by John Keats. The
purpose is to analyze and understand the
meaning beyond the words in the poem. Theories
that used are textual, contextual, and
hypertextual by close reading method. The writer
found that this poem is dominated by kinesthetic
imagery, auditory imagery, understatement and
alusion. In conclusion, “Modern Love” by John
Keats is easier to understand by analyzing the
intrinsic elements.

3. Introduction
Poetry is a literary work that conveys meaning beyond the
words and can be understood with sense of feeling. While in poetry
analysis, we will find out the poet's intention in writing the poem in
critical way. The writer uses the poem Modern Love by John
Keats to be analyzed. "Modern Love" by John Keats gives a new
definition of love. The title shows that love is developed into newer
version from the traditional one and expressed with the intrinsic
elements.

4. Intrinsic Elements
Imagery
Imagery use particular words to create sensations that can be received by senses.
Psychologists have identified seven kinds of mental images: visual (sight, then brightness,
clarity, color, and motion ) , auditory (hearing ) , olfactory (smell) , gustatory (taste) , tactile
(touch, then temperature, texture) , organic (awareness of heartbeat, pulse, breathing,
digestion) , and kinesthetic (awareness of muscle tension and movement)”. .From seven
imageries that are mentioned above, the writer will only discuss two kinds of imagery.
Kinesthetic Imagery
Kinesthethic imagery describe sense of movement or tension.
Auditory Imagery
Auditory imagery is a sound made from an action and percieved through sense of
hearing.
Understatement
Understatement is a figure of speech intended to make a situaton seems less
important than it is.
Allusion
Generally, allusion is a reference to a significant person, place, or object. It was
intended for reader to found the allusion and grasp its broader meaning.

5. Biography and Poetry
John Keats (1795-1821) got his education at the
Reverend John Clarke's private school at Enfield. He
became an apperentince surgeon in 1811, and continued
his medical studies at Guy's Hospital, London. Later, he
abandoned his career and focussed on poetry. His popular
poems are Hyperion (1818), The Eve of St Agnes (1819), La
Belle Dame sans Merci, the major odes, Lamia, and Fall of
Hyperion. In July, his declined health made him went to
Italy to seek milder climate, at last, he died in Rome
because of tuberculosis.

6. Modern Love
And what is love? It is a doll dress’d up
For idleness to cosset, nurse, and dandle;
A thing of soft misnomers, so divine
That silly youth doth think to make itself
Divine by loving, and so goes on
Yawning and doting a whole summer long,
Till Miss’s comb is made a pearl tiara,
And common Wellingtons turn Romeo boots;
Then Cleopatra lives at number seven,
And Antony resides in Brunswick Square.
Fools! if some passions high have warm’d the world,
If Queens and Soldiers have play’d deep for hearts,
It is no reason why such agonies
Should be more common than the growth of weeds.
Fools! make me whole again that weighty pearl
The Queen of Egypt melted, and I’ll say
That ye may love in spite of beaver hats.

7. Paraphrase
Love is like a dressed up doll, because it is nature to be nursed by the owner. It is a small
matter, yet so fulfilling. Young people contented by love until they are bored or pleased for whole
summer long. The act of loving is goes on, or easily changes, like fashion style that turned from
Wellington to Romeo boots. Love is like the seventh Cleopatra and Anton’s love story that well-
known around the world. They recklessly love each other despite of the danger of their royal
position. Though their love seems superficial, people tend to think highly of their story. This
superficiality is proven when they had done a luxurious wager to impress each other and ended
with Cleopatra dissolved her pearl earring. The act of loving is also similar to the pursuit of beaver
hats, people compete for the best one.

8. Discussion
Kinesthethic Imagery
For idleness to cosset, nurse, and dandle; (line 2)
Yawning and doting a whole summer long, (line 6)
In line 2, ‘cosset’, ‘nurse’ and ‘dandle’ are verbs that shows kinesthethic
imageries in loving a doll. According to Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, the word
‘cosset’ is “care for and protect in an overindulgent way”. Nurse is “hold closely and
carefully or caressingly” The word ‘dandle’ is “move an up and down in a playful or
affectionate way” Those act of loving will arise when someone is having special
bound to the object they love. Doting is an adoration towards someone, for doing
it a whole summer long, loving is a process in a long period of time.

9. Auditory Imagery
Yawning and doting a whole summer long, (line 6)
Yawn is one of onomatopoeia, so that it is classified as auditory imagery
because it can be caught by our sense of hearing. Summer with its warm
climate makes us want to sleep or not doing tiresome thing. When someone is
yawning, it might be because of sleepiness or boredom. The juxtaposition in
yawning and doting shows their contrast, for Keats, the act of loving is boring,
yet lovely. It depends on the lover who experience it, for the whole summer
their love journey gets boring or they get more affectionate with each other.

10. Understatement
And what is love? It is a doll dress’d up (line 1)
The chosen word in first line indicates likeness between love and a dressed
up doll which are childish, fragile, flashy, and desire to show off. In The Art of
Loving (1995:46) Erich Fromm expresses the manner of love “Love is not primarily
a relationship to a specific person; it is an attitude
/ an orientation of character which determines the relatedness of a person to the
world as a whole, not toward one "object" of love.” Although love is an object,
the underlying meaning of love is placed in act of loving itself. We can not love the
physical appearance of an object or person, but our attitude is also important.
Understatement meaning of love creates simplification on the way we can see love
trough simple object as a doll. From this, he exploits what will human do with a
doll is similar with the act of loving.

11. That silly youth doth think to make itself
The understatement is to think young people are silly to love someone
deeply without knowledge of the ugliness that follows. John Keats indicates that
youth does not know what love is.
It is no reason why such agonies
Should be more common than the growth of weeds. (line 13-14)
This supports line 12 that alludes Cleopatra and Mark Antony, they went
through agonies in romantic relationship. Agonies in love are understated because
it is common. Agonies in love receive more consideration from people than other
agonies because its romantic significance though it is superficial.

12. Allusion
And common Wellingtons turn Romeo boots; (line 8)
Bobbie Kalman mentions Wellington boots in 19Th Century Clothing
(1993:19) “Shoes had low heels, and laces replaced buckles, which were popular in
the eighteenth century. The most common boots were called Wellington boots,
named after the British Duke of Wellington”. It shows the popularity of Wellington
boots that become commonwear. This boots was named after British Duke of
Wellington, as relation to dressed up doll, his fashion sense was acclaimed by his
officers. Romeo boots was also a popular boots in Victorian era, the shoe trend
was shifted from romeo boots to wellington boots. This line conveys that love is
easy to change. We can not deliberately love someone because there is a urgency
to adjust with general conventions and preference.

13. Then Cleopatra lives at number seven,
And Antony resides in Brunswick Square. (line 9-10)
Cleopatra who lives at number seven give a specific information
about which Cleopatra John Keats alludes. Most people does not know
which Cleopatra they are talking about. In fact, there were seven
Cleopatra had been existed. The most popular and often talked about is
Cleopatra VII. Line 9 alludes Mark Antony, Cleopatra lover. Line 9 is also
mentions Brunswick Square. Based on historical records, Brunswick
Square is a popular area where prominent people resides.

14. If Queens and Soldiers have play’d deep for hearts, (line 12)
On the line above John Keats alludes Queen Cleopatra as a
queen and Antony as a soldier. Their love for each other was
dangerous because Mark Antony fooled by false message that
Cleopatra was dead, so that he stabbed himself with sword.
Cleopatra was devastated by his death, years later, killed herself.
This is the proof if lover had develop deep feeling for each other, it
would be destructive.

15. Fools! make me whole again that weighty pearl
The Queen of Egypt melted, and I’ll say (line 15-16)
On line 15 John Keats give an exclamation for someone who love and
do the act of love is a fool. Whereas weighty pearl is reffered to a wager
between Cleopatra and Mark Antony. The incident between Cleopatra and
Mark Antony shows one of the effect of love is urgency to impress
someone and develop into a competition between lover. Cleopatra did an
unecessary thing to impress her lover by dissolved a valuable possession
that can be used for greater purposes. In that case, John Keats calls it a
fools act, he want to make that pearl whole again to undo the worthless
thing.

16. That ye may love in spite of beaver hats. (line 17)
John Keats did observe fashion trend in the century he
was in and use it as allusion. It show human nature in loving a
beautiful object suited with common standard and prestige.
People compete against each other to get the best lover, each
showing off who has the greatest love. In that case, a desire
for an object of love can be dangerous if it is too intense.
Instead of sought for more, someone have to cherish,
respect, and appreciate their loved one.

17. CONCLUSION
John Keats equalizes love with dressed up doll, pretty, yet, vain. In
this poem, we can see love as a whole unit, while the essential elements
were analyzed part by part. Love is constructed by process, the act of
loving, is evidence of how far we love someone. Love is also constructed
by human nature to love beautiful thing without willingness to observe
deeper for ugliness that will follow. He gives us simple way to understand
love properly from allusion that dominates Modern Love. The reader in
modern time sees the relatedness because John Keats uses popular
allusion, from fashion trend, historical place, and popular figures.