Coleridge

To understand the story behind Coleridge’s poem called Kubla Khan, one has to understand the circumstances and language techniques it has been written in. Not only that, we have to look at the Coleridge as a poet as well, for some may say he was a mental case, while the other will seek explanation in his medical conditions. At this point all I can promise is that I will seek evidence and explanation on this poem as best as I can and that all the references will be taken from

As a poet Coleridge has released masterpieces on few occasions but in my opinion none better than Kubla Khan. Almost everyone that has read Kubla Khan has found the poem as extraordinary. Also the acknowledgment goes to the poet himself, for stepping out of Romantic period and to write a poem about barbaric times. The other reason that I find this poem so fascinating is its length. For such a short poem it has evoked so many critical commentaries. This poem has spawned on hundreds of pages of analysis and discussions. Simply no poem with such length has been studied more thoroughly in any language known to human kind. Despite all its fame the poem does not have critical unanimity and there is little agreement on numbers of really important issues. Such issues are structural integrity, its meaning, sources in Coleridge’s reading and observation of nature, date of composition and relationship with Preface that has been introduced in Coleridge’s first publication in 1816. Kubla Khan is considered as a brilliant work with no particular theme. Despite its complexity poem can still be described as exposition on human genius and art.

However the real meaning of the poem lies behind Coleridge’s medical condition. It is known that Coleridge has been taking opium as antibiotic which helped him with his health issues. It is believed that Kubla Khan has been written by Coleridge after he has taken opium and fell asleep in his home. The sleep has produced the dream set Coleridge on a journey through barbaric land of royal personnel called Kubla Khan. As I said earlier that there is no unanimity in a critical sense about this poem is correct as many critics believe that Kubla Khan has been written in the same fashion as Coleridge’s poems named “Christabel” and “The Rime of Ancient Mariner”. That fashion is known as mental mind of Coleridge. And I could agree with both the theories. In a history of human kind there has been evidence that people with slight mental disorder have been “gifted”. Such persons are Einstein and Coleridge. In fact I can’t imagine a sane man writing such extraordinary poems. But what fascinates me the most is that in the hour of madness he still refers to religious beliefs as Xanadu refers to fabled Garden of Eden.

After examining the circumstances in which the poem was written and Coleridge as a poet, it is time to talk about the story behind the Kubla Khan and language techniques that Coleridge has used to create the poem. Coleridge has used next techniques to convey images from his dream/imagination. Vocabulary, tone, imagery, use of contrast, rhythm and techniques such as alliteration and assonance to make poem sound better are some of techniques used in the poem.

The vocabulary used by Coleridge to convey his imagination is of great importance to this poem. Lines of Kubla Khan sound as a chant or incantation, which help to depict the mystery and supernatural theme of the poem. One of the biggest themes portrayed by Coleridge in this poem is theme of good versus evil. This theme has been described through vocabulary. First two lines of poem depict “pleasure dome” in Xanadu . Xanadu depicts the sexual side of the barbaric ruler of Kubla Khan. Coleridge states that Kubla Khan did not just order to build dome in Xanadu. He decreed as only kings and rulers of country can decree something to be done. This dome in Xanadu is proof how unnatural place of Xanadu is, as it has a ruler who rather ignores unpleasantness that life itself brings.

Use of vocabulary in this poem challenges and almost teases the imagination into seeing what Coleridge saw in his dream. There are no small streams in Xanadu, but sinuous rills . And walls and towers do not enclose the gardens but rather girdle them round.

In the poem of Kubla Khan imagery is an important technique as Coleridge through imagery conveys his dream to reader. Imagery of paradise is depicted in this poem and these images of paradise are combined with references to darker, more evil places. An example of this is a “demon lover” that has bewitched the women. Again demon is depiction of a dark side of supernatural world and is also a religious figurine. Also Coleridge’s image of Xanadu is mystical, and this reference to Xanadu means that there is no restriction to realism. Xanadu is a place where pure good and pure evil are much more evident than they are in real life.

Structure of Coleridge’s poem Kubla Khan is really in two parts. First part is first three stanzas in which Coleridge describes Xanadu through his own eyes, like he was there instead of dreaming about it. The second part of poem’s structure is filled with Coleridge’s desire to be in Xanadu, which Coleridge is not able to capture the same experience again after waking up.

The first stanza has a precise rhythm and beat and identifies the beauty and sacredness of Xanadu with rich, exotic and sensual images. The second stanza has completely different depiction from first stanza. It depicts the untamed and barbaric violence of living outside the pleasure dome. The chaos and primitive recurring sequences of nature are mixed with images of evil and the dangers of war are brought up in the second stanza as well. Third stanza tells about the life forces that are tied together to prove that the beauty and risk can not be separated one from another, despite what the ruler of Xanadu wishes. The character of Kubla Khan is a self portrayal by Coleridge who in this stanza believes that it is he that controls the land of Xanadu, a sunny pleasure dome with caves of ice.

The dome is a contrast itself. It is shown through a contrast of sun and ice. In this case sun being everything that is good while ice represents death and destruction.

There is a certain change of tone between third and fourth stanzas. The fourth stanza no longer describes Xanadu but Coleridge’s desire to control his dream or imagination, to be able to control region