“Kubla Khan” a
Representation of a Dream
: The poem explores art and romanticism used to paint a dream world. The expression of beauty runs throughout the poem. Coleridge has skillfully applied the “willing suspension of disbelief”, despite knowing that the palace is a dreamland.
What is the main idea of the poem Kubla Khan?
The poem explores
this sensuousness, the realm of the imagination, and the narrator reacts to it both with attraction and dread
. The pleasure dome of Xanadu, surrounded by its incense-scented gardens, is also a place where Kubla Khan, the ruler, hears, in the crash of the waterfall, “ancestral voices prophesying war.”
What is the meaning behind Kubla Khan?
“Kubla Khan” begins by announcing that it is a poem about
“pleasure
.” It proposes to describe the Mongol leader's summer palace, along with all its luxurious—and, for the speaker, exotic—pleasures.
Why is Kubla Khan important?
Most modern critics now view Kubla Khan as one of Coleridge's three
great poems
, along with The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Christabel. The poem is considered one of the most famous examples of Romanticism in English poetry, and is one of the most frequently anthologized poems in the English language.
What is the style of Kubla Khan?
Style: Kubla Khan is
an intricately structured poem
, using a amazing variety of metric and rhythmic devices. Lines 1 to 7 and 37 to 54 are written primarily in iambic tetrameter. When the line is read aloud, the emphasis falls on every second syllable.
Is Kubla Khan a dream poem?
The famous poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is subtitled “
A Vision in
a Dream. … He had just been reading Purchas His Pilgrimage, an account of travels in faraway lands, which describes the palace of Kubla Khan. Coleridge slept for about three hours, during which he claims to have composed 200 to 300 lines.
Why is Kubla Khan a romantic poem?
Above all,
the dream-like atmosphere of
Kubla Khan makes it an exquisite romantic poem. It was not only composed in a dream but even exhibits a dream-like movement. The poem is work of pure fancy, the result of sheer imagination. In this respect it is a romantic poem.
What does the end of Kubla Khan mean?
The speaker then goes on to describe Kubla Khan himself, who is listening to this noisy river and thinking about war. … Toward the end, the poem becomes more personal and mysterious,
as the speaker describes past visions he has had
. This brings him to a final image of a terrifying figure with flashing eyes.
What is the role of imagination in Kubla Khan?
Imagination is important in “Kubla Khan,” because
the writer is trying to get the reader to form a mental picture of the world that
pure reason alone is not equipped to understand.
Which sentence states an important theme Kubla Khan?
“
Nature has supernatural powers
.”, states an important theme of “Kubla Khan”.
What inspired Kubla Khan?
The poem, he says, was inspired by a sentence from
the Renaissance historian Samuel Purchas
: ‘Here the Khan Kubla commanded a palace to be built, and a stately garden thereunto. And thus ten miles of fertile ground were inclosed with a wall'.
Why is Kubla Khan called a fragment?
“Kubla Khan” is a fragment
because the author plainly stated to friends that there was more
, but it could not be written down because it was lost to a business sales call. Coleridge had taken a tonic which probably contained some form of opium. He was reading some poetry when he dozed off.
What are the major themes and devices used in the poem Kubla Khan?
Major Themes in “Kubla Khan”: The poem comprises diverse themes.
True to its romantic tradition, it presents various versions of the reality of the palace the poet has presented through his imagination
. The second theme is of the man and his significance in the natural world as depicted by Kubla Khan himself.
Is Xanadu a real place?
Xanadu (aka Shangdu, Shang-tu, and Kaiping) located
in Inner Mongolia, northern China
, was first the capital (1263-73) and then the summer capital (1274-1364) of the Mongol Empire. It came to prominence during the reign of Kublai Khan (r. 1260-1294) and was famous for its palaces, gardens and waterways.
What literary devices are used in Kubla Khan?
Coleridge relies heavily on alliteration and consonance in this poem fragment as he builds his dream vision of the Orient. Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem “Kubla Khan” uses a wide variety of literary devices, including
alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia
.
What does the river Alph symbolize in Kubla Khan?
Even though there is a river ALPH in Antarctica, the river mentioned in Samuel T. Coleridge's poem, “Kubla Khan,” is fictional and represents
the power, force and excitement of the natural world
. It also represents movement.
