John Keats: Beauty Found in the Changes of Nature
             "To Autumn," a lyric ode written by John Keats personifies the season autumn making her appear a productive character through the use of imagery and diction. By personifying autumn as a beautiful girl, Keats characterizes the season as a time of productivity and abundance. Though few, each word in this poem serves to paint a vivid picture of autumn. Likewise, while autumn exists in a state of fleeting beauty, Keats uses the season's changes to combine the themes of nature and death, thus providing a realistic and positive outlook on life and death.
             When I was a little girl I got a puppy the summer after second grade. As a child you tend not to grasp the natural changes in life, so naturally I thought that Lady would always be a little puppy that I could I pull by the tail and carry to grandma's house every weekend. However, Lady soon grew into a beautiful honey colored chow and I was unable to carry her anymore. Tragically, the upcoming fall a car hit Lady as she was crossing the street. I remember the disappointment I felt and for quite sometimes afterward I began to associate fall with death.
             Yet, after reading "To Autumn" I realize that the death of Lady taught me two important things. The first was that change is a necessary part of life whether it is the changing of the seasons or the natural process of growth. Secondly, that to all wonderful and beautiful things there must be an end. Therefore, death should not be considered as negative, but as a part of the cycle of life that holds a certain beauty of its own.
             Though Keats thoroughly develops his point in three short stanzas each one has a purpose. In order to clearly visualize autumn in all her beauty one must pay close attention to the first stanza. Yet, in order to clearly visualize autumn in all her beauty one must pay close attention to the first stanza. In the first sta...