Musee des Beaux Arts by W.H. Auden

1.  Original Text

About suffering they were never wrong,
The old Masters: how well they understood
Its human position: how it takes place
While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;
How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.

In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water, and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

2. Initial Reaction

 My first response to the poem was confusion at how the author moved from one subject to another so quickly. Then, I began to understand some of what Auden is speaking about. He talks of how suffering and bad events are natural and that people go on with their lives even though something terrible may be happening close by. He talks of children not caring about what goes on around then. Auden talks about the painting by Breughel of the landscape around the fall of Icarus into the ocean. Auden says that the ships and people who saw it occur had lives they had to live and things they had to do. Auden focuses on the normality of bad events in life.

3. Paraphrase Poem

With regards to pain they were always right,

The great artists: how amazingly well they understood

Its natural state: how it occurs

While someone is just going about their daily routine;

How the old are just waiting,

For a great occurrence, there is always

Ignorant people who don’t really care about it, playing

Around in the woods outside:

People always remember

That also great disasters and death must occur

And in another part of the world

Where dogs just live out their lives and a horse

Scratches its butt on a tree.

In Breughel’s Icarus: how all turn away

With ease from the disaster; the farmer may

Have heard him fall and cry out in help,

But for him it wasn’t really that important of an event; the sun was shining

And the painting had white legs falling in the green ocean

Water, and the rich ship that should have seen

Something crazy, a boy falling from the sky,

Had somewhere to be and moved on quietly.

4. SWIFTT

SW = Syntax/Word Choice

               

                The first and most obvious specific choice of words is the title of the poem itself. It is referring to a museum of fine arts, which means that the story will contain mentions of a painting or something of that nature. Auden also uses the words “human position” to show that disasters and agony are commonplace and occur around us. “Children” also shows that Auden is viewing people as ignorant to the happenings of the world around them. The syntax is also very interesting in the poem. Auden allows the poem to flow from one idea to the next with ease and uses prepositional phrases to emphasize his meanings quite well.

I = Imagery

               

                Auden uses imagery in many cases during the poem. The first example of this is his description of people going about their daily lives. It shows that these people care not about what is going on around them. A very obvious example of imagery is when Auden refers to Breughel’s Icarus, which is a painting depicting the scenery at the moment that Icarus fell from the sky.  Auden also uses the words “expensive delicate” to describe a ship that was at the location of Icarus’s fall to help show readers that the people who turn away are snobbish and ignorant for not helping.

F = Figurative Language

                There isn’t much figurative language in the poem because there was never any real need for it. There are no obvious cases of figurative language that can be found.

T = Tone

               

                The tone of the poem is nonchalant and seems to just be describing a normal day in the world rather than showing the ignorance of man. The tone is also critical of the indifference to daily occurrences during the second part of the poem.

T= Theme

                The theme of the poem is apathy. Man cares not for the misfortunes that befall others to the extent that they would try to show to others. The theme plays on the example of no one helping a boy who had fallen into the ocean. The theme is harsh towards the ignorance of man to his surroundings and how people only care about what is happening to them.

5. Conclusion

                My initial response was correct to a degree. The author first talks about the conclusion in the first part of the poem and describes how he got to such a conclusion in the second part of it by using a painting he saw in a museum. Auden is surprised at the apathy and non-response of mankind to the suffering of others. He talks of man as children who do not see what is going on around then. Auden describes how humans live in corners not caring about what is happening to others. He describes the painting by Breughel of Icarus who fell into the ocean from the sky. He is amazed how ships and farmers went about their daily business without trying to help him. Auden is shocked at the ignorance of man.