In the inconspicuous sonnet, “What the Thrush Said,” John Keats asserts that we should not despair in the face of adversity, but hope for a better tomorrow. To develop his claim, Keats begins by first using imagery to describe the harsh conditions of winter -- such as “winter’s wind” and “supreme darkness” -- which the reader is said to have faced to show that surviving adversity is a feat in and of itself; second, the author repeats the phrase, “O fret not after knowledge—I have none,” to emphasize the fact that even though the speaker is lacking, things still worked out for him or her, so, too, will things work out for the reader; last, a proverb is used to encourage the reader to let go of his or her worries when the speaker states, “And
