Compare Poems on a Theme: 'To Autumn' and 'Ode to Autumn' Worksheet

This worksheet will introduce you to two traditional poems on the theme of Autumn. The first is the first stanza from 'To Autumn' by William Blake and the other is the first stanza from 'Ode to Autumn' by John Keats.

******************

To Autumn

O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stain’d
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my shady roof; there thou may’st rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe,
And all the daughters of the year shall dance!
Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers.

- William Blake, 1783

******************

Ode to Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells...

- John Keats, 1819

******************

Now answer the following questions.

Both of the poems refer to how much there is to eat and drink during Autumn. Which two of the following quotations mention wine?

laden with fruit

blood of the grape

maturing sun

jolly voice

fruit the vines

In both poems, flowers are important. Which word from the Keats extract suggests that new flowers are still growing, even at this time of year?

Shady roof (Blake) and thatched eaves run (Keats) both refer to what?

the garden in Autumn

a cosy house or cottage

a fruitful harvest

In his poem, John Keats says:

For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells

The word over-brimmed is archaic (old fashioned). What do you think it means in today's language?

got rid of

filled up to the top

over taken

Re-read this quotation from the John Keats poem:

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

Is the word conspiring used in a positive or a negative way in this extract?

positive

negative

The Sun and Autumn are described as conspiring together. Which literary device or technique does this description use?

From this extract in the Keats poem, choose two words which suggest that there is an abundance (lots of) food to go around.

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

swell

gourd

plump

hazel

shells

Match each summary below with the correct poem.

Column A	Column B
Keats' 'Ode to Autumn'	There is so much to go around, it will never end.
Blake's 'To Autumn'	Now is the time to celebrate!

ANSWERS

Question 1

Both of the poems refer to how much there is to eat and drink during Autumn. Which two of the following quotations mention wine?

CORRECT ANSWER

blood of the grape
fruit the vines

ANSWERS

Question 2

In both poems, flowers are important. Which word from the Keats extract suggests that new flowers are still growing, even at this time of year?

CORRECT ANSWER

budding

EDDIE SAYS

The word 'budding' suggests that some flowers are still just coming to life.

ANSWERS

Question 3

Shady roof (Blake) and thatched eaves run (Keats) both refer to what?

CORRECT ANSWER

a cosy house or cottage

ANSWERS

ANSWERS

Question 5

In his poem, John Keats says:

For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells

The word over-brimmed is archaic (old fashioned). What do you think it means in today's language?

CORRECT ANSWER

filled up to the top

EDDIE SAYS

'Over-brimmed' means to fill something right up to the top or brim, so that it spills over.

ANSWERS

Question 6

In William Blake's poem, there is a celebration happening. Tick the four words that work as evidence for this.

CORRECT ANSWER

tune
dance!
lusty song
jolly voice

EDDIE SAYS

Tune, dance, lusty song and jolly voice all tell us there's a celebration.
Using short quotations like this within your writing will provide strong evidence when writing an essay.

ANSWERS

Question 7

Re-read this quotation from the John Keats poem:

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

Is the word conspiring used in a positive or a negative way in this extract?

CORRECT ANSWER

positive

EDDIE SAYS

It is positive because the Sun and Autumn are 'conspiring' how to 'load and bless', i.e. how to give lots of food for the people to have at harvest time.