What is the theme of Stop all the clocks cut off the telephone?

What is the theme of Stop all the clocks cut off the telephone?

‘Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone’, by W.H. Auden, appears to be a poem written from the perspective of someone mourning the loss of a lover who died. The poem calls for silence, but also an acknowledgement of a life lived. The poem artfully captures the themes of grief and loss.

Why does the speaker desire to stop all the clocks in line 1?

Clocks not only measure time: they’re also symbols for time. So, when the speaker says in the poem’s first line to “stop all the clocks,” what the speaker is really asking for is to stop time itself.

What does let Aeroplanes circle moaning overhead mean?

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead. Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead, Now things are getting really dramatic. As if stopping the clocks weren’t enough, the speaker would like an airplane to write “He is Dead” in skywriting to commemorate his grief.

What does Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood mean?

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood; For nothing now can ever come to any good. The drastic actions suggested in this stanza signify on a larger scale what has happened in the speaker’s life. The speaker has already lost his sun, his moon, his stars.

Why do policemen wear black cotton gloves?

In the last line of the second verse, she states “Let the policemen wear black cotton gloves.” We know that black is a symbol of death; we also know that policemen wear white cotton gloves at a funeral. This gives us the first insight that the woman is speaking of the death of love, rather then an actual death.

What does Scribbling on the sky mean?

Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead, Now things are getting really dramatic. As if stopping the clocks weren’t enough, the speaker would like an airplane to write “He is Dead” in skywriting to commemorate his grief.

What is the meaning of stop all the clocks cut off?

For nothing now can ever come to any good. W. H. Auden’s poem, “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone” conveys the meaning of. overwhelming grief, tragic loss, and an unrelenting pessimism best exemplified in the last lines, “For. nothing now can ever come to any good.”.

How is Grief presented in the poem Funeral Blues (Stop all the clocks)?

Grief, in the poem, is thus presented as something deeply isolating, an emotion that cuts off the people who grieve from the world around them. Get the entire guide to “Funeral Blues (Stop all the clocks)” as a printable PDF.

How many words are in “Funeral Blues (Stop all the clocks) ”?

Unlock all 320 words of this analysis of Caesura in “Funeral Blues (Stop all the clocks),” and get the poetic device analyses for every poem we cover. Plus so much more… Already a LitCharts A + member? Sign in!

What are the different titles of “clocks and Lovers” by Auden?

There have been multiple titles for this work, since Auden reprinted it under various titles, which was not uncommon for him-“Funeral Blues”, “Clocks and Lovers” and “Stop All… Read More The Section Header button breaks up song sections. Highlight the text then click the link