“On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats: A Critical Review

Introduction: “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats

“On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats was first published in December of 1816 in The Examiner, a weekly paper edited by Leigh Hunt. This deceptively simple sonnet showcases Keats’s budding mastery of vivid imagery and his deep appreciation for nature’s enduring song. The poem delicately contrasts the grasshopper’s carefree summer melody with the cricket’s comforting winter tune.

Text: “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats

The Poetry of earth is never dead:    

  When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,    

  And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run    

From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;    

That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead      

  In summer luxury,—he has never done    

  With his delights; for when tired out with fun    

He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.    

The poetry of earth is ceasing never:    

  On a lone winter evening, when the frost     

    Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills    

The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,    

  And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,    

    The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.

Annotations: “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats

Line	Annotation
The poetry of earth is never dead:	Central Theme: Nature offers continuous beauty and inspiration, even when it might seem dormant.
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,	Summer Setting: Birds, typically associated with song, are silenced by the intense summer heat.
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run	Nature’s Continuity: Though the birds fall silent, a different, vibrant voice emerges, highlighting the persistence of nature’s song.
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;	The Grasshopper’s Song: This voice is identified as the grasshopper’s, singing freely across the summer landscape.
That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead	Grasshopper as Protagonist: The grasshopper becomes the focus as the leader of summertime music.
In summer luxury,—he has never done	Endless Delight: The grasshopper’s pleasure in summer appears boundless, embodying the abundance of the season.
With his delights; for when tired out with fun	Carefree Existence: Even when tired, the grasshopper’s enjoyment of summer doesn’t cease.
He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.	Simple Pleasures: The grasshopper finds contentment and rest within nature’s simple offerings.
The poetry of earth is ceasing never:	Repetition with Variation: Echoes the first line but shifts the focus from summer to winter.
On a lone winter evening, when the frost	Winter Setting: Creates a stark, quiet setting, contrasting the previous summer scene.
Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills	Unexpected Music: Winter’s silence is surprisingly broken by an unlikely source – the cricket.
The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,	Cricket’s Comfort: The cricket’s song is associated with domestic warmth, offering comfort amidst the winter chill.
And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,	Dreamlike Quality: The cricket’s song induces a pleasant, dreamlike state, bringing peace within the cold.
The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.	Circle Back to Summer: Unexpectedly, the cricket’s song evokes the image of the grasshopper in a summer setting, highlighting nature’s continuous cycle of beauty.

Literary And Poetic Devices: “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats

No.	Device	Example	Definition
1	Personification	“a voice will run From hedge to hedge”	Giving human characteristics to non-human entities or objects.
2	Metaphor	“The Poetry of earth”	A figure of speech that implies a comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as”.
3	Alliteration	“cooling trees”	Repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
4	Assonance	“hedge to hedge”	Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.
5	Symbolism	“new-mown mead”	The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
6	Enjambment	“That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead”	The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.
7	Hyperbole	“In summer luxury”	Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
8	Anaphora	“The poetry of earth is never dead”	Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.
9	Repetition	“he has never done / With his delights”	The recurrence of words or phrases to create emphasis or reinforce meaning.
10	Oxymoron	“ceasing never”	A figure of speech in which contradictory terms are combined for emphasis or effect.
11	Onomatopoeia	“shrills”	Words that imitate the sound they describe.
12	Imagery	“On a lone winter evening”	Descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating mental images for the reader.
13	Simile	“The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,”	A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using “like” or “as”.
14	Synecdoche	“from the stove there shrills”	A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole or vice versa.
15	Allusion	“The Poetry of earth”	A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.
16	Consonance	“winter evening”	Repetition of consonant sounds within nearby words.
17	Parallelism	“The Poetry of earth is never dead”	The use of similar grammatical structures or patterns in successive phrases or clauses.
18	Euphony	“warmth increasing ever”	The quality of being pleasing to the ear, achieved through harmonious combinations of sounds.
19	Irony	“seems to one in drowsiness half lost”	A contrast between what is expected and what actually occurs, often with a humorous or poignant effect.
20	Paradox	“The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills”	A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or logically absurd, but upon closer inspection, may reveal a deeper truth.

Themes: “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats

• Nature’s Unceasing Beauty: The poem’s central theme is the persistence of beauty within the natural world, even during seemingly barren times. Keats contrasts the grasshopper’s joyful summer song with the cricket’s comforting winter tune, emphasizing how inspiration and solace can arise even in the harshest seasons.
  • The repetition of “The poetry of earth…” highlights this persistence
  • The contrast between the “faint” birds and the lively insects reinforces this continuous cycle
• The Cyclical Nature of Time: The poem subtly explores how time moves in cycles. The cricket’s song, in a moment of dreamlike reverie, evokes the memory of the grasshopper. This blending of seasons suggests that the passage of time is not linear, but filled with echoes and repetitions of nature’s patterns.
  • The circular return to the grasshopper at the poem’s end reinforces this cyclical view
• The Power of Sound and Music: Keats highlights the powerful effect of sound in nature. Both the grasshopper and the cricket become sources of music, representing joy in summer and comfort in winter. Their songs act as potent forces, shaping the atmosphere and the listener’s emotions.
  • Words like “shrills,” “run,” and “lead” emphasize the active quality of their sounds
• Simple Pleasures and Contentment: The poem celebrates the simple pleasures found within nature. The grasshopper’s carefree existence, finding delight in a “pleasant weed,” suggests that contentment can be found in the most unassuming aspects of the natural world.
  • The grasshopper’s rest and enjoyment highlight this theme of simplicity

Literary Theories and “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats

Literary Theory	Analysis of “On The Grasshopper and Cricket”	Reference
Formalism	Examines the poem’s structure, language, and form. Focuses on the use of poetic devices, such as metaphor, personification, and imagery, to convey meaning.	Keats’ use of metaphor to personify nature and its elements highlights the cyclical nature of life and the enduring beauty of the earth.
New Criticism	Analyzes the text in isolation from its historical or authorial context, focusing solely on its intrinsic qualities and meaning.	Through a close reading of the poem’s language and imagery, readers can appreciate its timeless themes of vitality and resilience.
Reader-Response	Emphasizes the reader’s subjective experience and interpretation of the text. Considers how individual readers’ backgrounds and experiences influence their understanding.	Different readers may interpret the Grasshopper and Cricket’s songs differently based on their personal associations with summer and winter.
Psychoanalytic	Explores the poem’s symbolism and imagery to uncover unconscious desires, fears, and conflicts. Analyzes the speaker’s psyche and emotional state.	The contrast between the Grasshopper’s summer song and the Cricket’s winter song could symbolize the speaker’s inner turmoil or emotional journey.
Marxist Criticism	Examines the poem’s portrayal of social class, power dynamics, and economic issues. Considers how societal structures influence the characters and their interactions.	The Grasshopper’s song in summer luxury may represent the leisure enjoyed by the upper class, while the Cricket’s song in winter reflects the struggles of the working class.
Feminist Criticism	Considers the representation of gender roles and relationships in the text. Examines how women and femininity are depicted and how they intersect with broader themes.	The absence of gender-specific language in the poem allows for interpretations of the Grasshopper and Cricket as gender-neutral symbols of nature and its cycles.

Critical Questions about “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats

1. How does Keats employ the imagery of the grasshopper and cricket to symbolize the cyclical nature of life and the passage of time in “On The Grasshopper and Cricket”?

Keats utilizes the grasshopper’s vibrant summer song and the cricket’s melancholic winter chirp to symbolize the contrasting seasons of life. The grasshopper’s joyous chirping represents vitality, abundance, and the fecundity of summer, while the cricket’s somber song evokes the quiet solitude and dormancy of winter. Through this imagery, Keats suggests that life is a perpetual cycle of growth, decline, and renewal, echoing broader themes of mortality and the transient nature of existence.

• How does the absence of human presence in “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” contribute to the poem’s portrayal of nature’s autonomy and significance?

Keats deliberately excludes human presence from the poem, allowing nature to take center stage as the primary subject. By focusing solely on the grasshopper and cricket, Keats emphasizes nature’s autonomy and intrinsic value independent of human influence. The absence of human characters underscores the idea that the poetry of earth exists beyond human perception and intervention, highlighting the interconnectedness of all living beings within the natural world.

• In what ways does Keats’ use of sound devices such as onomatopoeia and alliteration enhance the auditory experience of “On The Grasshopper and Cricket”?

Keats masterfully employs sound devices like onomatopoeia and alliteration to create an immersive auditory experience in the poem. The onomatopoeic words “shrills” and “shrill” vividly capture the sharp, piercing sound of the cricket’s chirping, evoking a sense of winter’s chill. Additionally, the alliteration in phrases like “cooling trees” and “hedge to hedge” amplifies the musicality of the poem, mimicking the rhythmic cadence of nature’s symphony. These sound devices not only enhance the poem’s sensory richness but also deepen its emotional resonance, inviting readers to fully immerse themselves in the soundscape of the natural world.

• How does Keats’ juxtaposition of summer and winter in “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” reflect broader themes of contrast and harmony in his poetry?

Keats juxtaposes the liveliness of summer with the stillness of winter to explore themes of contrast and harmony in “On The Grasshopper and Cricket.” The stark difference between the grasshopper’s vibrant song in summer and the cricket’s subdued chirp in winter underscores the inherent duality of existence—joy and sorrow, life and death, growth and decay. Yet, despite these contrasts, Keats suggests a harmonious balance within nature’s rhythms, where each season plays a vital role in the cyclical continuum of life. This juxtaposition serves as a microcosm of Keats’ broader philosophical outlook, emphasizing the interconnectedness and equilibrium of opposing forces in the natural world.

Literary Works Similar to “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats

• Romantic Poetry with Nature Themes:
  • “Ode to a Nightingale” (John Keats): Shares Keats’s fascination with the musicality of nature and its connection to human emotion.
  • “To Autumn” (John Keats): Focuses on change and abundance within the natural world, similar to the cyclical shifts in “On the Grasshopper and Cricket.”
  • “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” (William Wordsworth): Celebrates the simple beauty of nature and its lasting impact on the speaker’s memory.
• Poems Contrasting Seasons:
  • “The Four Seasons” (Antonio Vivaldi): A musical composition depicting the changing seasons, mirroring the shift from summer to winter in Keats’s poem.
  • “Winter” from The Seasons (James Thomson): Poetic exploration of winter’s harshness, providing a strong contrast to the warmth evoked by the cricket’s song.
• Works Celebrating Simple Creatures:
  • “To a Mouse” (Robert Burns): Focuses on a small creature and uses it to reflect on larger themes of life and hardship.
  • “The Tyger” (William Blake): Explores the awe-inspiring nature of a creature, much like Keats does with the persistent voices of the grasshopper and cricket.
• Sonnet Form:
  • Many of William Shakespeare’s sonnets: Share the same structure as Keats’s poem (14 lines, iambic pentameter), often exploring themes of love, time, and beauty.

Suggested Readings: “On The Grasshopper and Cricket” by John Keats

Books

• Gittings, Robert. John Keats. Penguin Books, 1987. (Note: Look for chapters analyzing Keats’s sonnets or his recurring nature themes)
• Stillinger, Jack. The Poetry of John Keats. Harvard University Press, 1981. (Note: Offers extensive analysis of Keats’s work, likely including “On the Grasshopper and Cricket”)

Articles

• Vendler, Helen. “Keats’s ‘To Autumn’ and ‘On the Grasshopper and Cricket.'” The Harvard Advocate, vol. 135, no. 4-5, 1981, pp. 5-9.
• Sperry, Stuart M. “From ‘On the Grasshopper and Cricket’ to ‘Ode to a Nightingale.'” Keats-Shelley Journal, vol. 19, 1970, pp. 1-8. JSTOR, [invalid URL removed].

Websites

• Keats, John. “On the Grasshopper and Cricket.” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53210/on-the-grasshpper-and-cricket.
• “On the Grasshopper and Cricket – Poem Analysis.” Poem Analysis, 20 Dec. 2018, https://poemanalysis.com/john-keats/