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AP Poetry

Alice Cary's poem 'Autumn' explores the emotional and physical transitions that occur with the changing seasons, particularly the shift from the vibrancy of summer to the somberness of autumn. Through personification and vivid imagery, Cary illustrates how nature, animals, and people's moods reflect this change, highlighting feelings of weariness and loneliness as summer fades. The poem emphasizes the interconnectedness of these experiences, suggesting that all aspects of life share in the sorrow brought by autumn.

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105 views2 pages

AP Poetry

Alice Cary's poem 'Autumn' explores the emotional and physical transitions that occur with the changing seasons, particularly the shift from the vibrancy of summer to the somberness of autumn. Through personification and vivid imagery, Cary illustrates how nature, animals, and people's moods reflect this change, highlighting feelings of weariness and loneliness as summer fades. The poem emphasizes the interconnectedness of these experiences, suggesting that all aspects of life share in the sorrow brought by autumn.

Uploaded by

aiden.mangalick
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Alice Cary’s “Autumn,” the iambic heptameter poem uses literary elements and

techniques to delve into how changing seasons can reflect nature, animals, and people’s moods.

To begin, the first line of the poem starts with “Summer from her golden collar slips” which

reflects how the meter wants to convey that summer seems “shorter and shorter.” The diction of

using “collar” shows how Cary wanted to make it so summer’s bright and sunny mood becomes

shackled to the chains of autumn. Additionally, the following lines which contain “stubble-

fields” and “moans” just puts to show how summer feels weakened and tired as autumn

approaches. This personification of summer effectively conveys how people often miss the

purpose of summer representing relaxation and hopefulness. Moreover, the narrator comments

that summer’s deeming characteristics such as roses have “taken off her tire of red” personifying

the rose. The withering rose to the “proud meadow-pink” laying down “her head” demonstrates

the way of how autumn creeps its way into the happiness of summer. Furthermore, the feeling of

summer being down and tired conveniently reveals itself when “she lies on pillows of the yellow

leaves.” The choice of using “lies on pillows” puts to perspective that summer ultimately falls to

the ground as autumn comes about.

In contrast to summer feeling tired and weakened, the narrator exposes the nature of

animals reflecting the change in seasons. First, the narrator says that the “robin, that was busy all

the time” sings a hopeful and meaningful tune during the summer. But in autumn, a “brown

cricket” has taken its place. Cary conveniently compares a robin’s beautiful singing to a cricket’s

mellow cricket. This shows how the optimistic and adventurous notion that summer contains

disappears as the seasons change. Furthermore, a more sorrowful and sad tone comes as a “cock

crows lonesomely at morn.” The decision to use “lonesomely” puts to perspective how lonely
autumn can feel and how the thought of summer fades as the days pass. Not only do these

animals feel this lonesomeness, they may also feel depressed and tired as the sun dims itself.

Not only does nature change the way nature and animals moods, but they can also

intertwine itself with people’s moods. For example, the line where the “fits by the warmer air

deceives” shows how people’s outfits change as the seasons pass. In the summer, a more colorful

and bright tone can shine itself onto people’s attire, but as autumn comes a barrier blocks this

feeling. Through the use of personification, Alice Cary’s “Autumn” shows how the changing of

seasons affects the entirety of the world, and everything experiences the same sorrowfulness that

autumn has.

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