Musee Des Beaux Arts Poem Analysis

What is the function of the trope of the fall in literature? In W.H. Auden’s poem “Musee des Beaux Arts”, the trope, abiding by convention, illustrates a metaphoric fall. In his poem, Auden refers to both mythology and the bible to convey the suffering of man and humankind, exemplified through the tale of Icarus. Though Auden succinctly addresses the suffering of humankind, Auden most notably highlights the fallen nature of bystanders to said suffering. In his poem, Auden uses both rhetoric and poetic syntax to communicate the declining trajectory of human morality. Auden utilizes the trope of the fall not to illustrate Icarus’s physical fall, but to ultimately illustrate the witnesses’ fallen morality and lack compassion. Auden uses the …show more content…
Auden strategically uses transparent language to convey a widespread message to his audience. Not only does “Musee des Beaux Arts” fail to comply with traditional poetic syntax, but Auden chooses language that is both plain and objective. Moreover, the frankness of language notes the normality of the bystander’s behavior. In Transformative Poetry. A Case Study of Auden’s Musee des Beaux Arts, Sarot remarks, “Auden not only describes this situation, but he also depicts it, as it were, but using day to day language” (Sarot 89). By using “day to day language” Auden addresses the normalization of human passivity to human suffering. By this manner, Auden suggests an inability to reverse the effects of the fall of humanity. On the other hand, however, because the reader, is able to understand Auden’s objective in writing the poem due to the blunt language, Auden may be suggesting a possibility for humanity’s reclamation of morals. If the reader is able to understand Auden’s language, the reader is able to understand the nature of the fall and perhaps alter its consequences. Thus, the language in “Musee des Beaux Arts” further draws on the tension between redemption and