Practice exam 1 "Response"

"Musee des Beaus Arts"  by W. H. Auden is a complex poem of Auden's depiction of a painting titled "Landscape with the fall of Icarus" where the author writes this poem comparing his view of human suffering to the story told in the painting of Icarus. Auden informs us in this piece how human suffering is tragic but is often ignored and people tend to adhere to their own agenda as opposed to tending to the needs of others.

In "Musee des Beaus Arts" W. H. Auden does not shy away from informing his readers his perception on human suffering. The author clearly addresses the fact that he believes human suffering to be tragic, this is suggested by the authors diction when he relates that suffering with terms such as "disaster"(Auden 16) and "dreadful martyrdom" (Auden 11). The author states "They never forgot that even the dreadful martyrdom must run it's course" (Auden 10 11). Perhaps W. H. Auden finds human suffering to be such a tragedy simply because it is an inevitable way of life which is also suggested from the statement he makes in regards to suffering in the beginning of his piece "it's human position; how it takes place" (Auden 4).

Not only does the author relate the fall of Icarus to tragic and inevitable everyday suffering, but he also magnifies his perception of this tragedy by suggesting that human suffering often goes unnoticed or even ignored. W. H. Auden expresses this perception of his by painting a very graphic and unsettling thought in his readers heads by stating "In Brueghel's Icarus for instance: how everything turns quite leisurely from disaster"(Auden 13 14  15). A statement such as this suggests that someone may have knowledge of an occurring  disaster, but choose to turn away from it and  not even be emotionally or psychologically effected by another persons suffering, which Auden seems to find troubling, and rightfully so.

Thirdly, not only does the author suggest that modern day suffering may not only be unnoticed or ignored, but Auden seems to believe that the reason society does not regard one another's sufferings is because they simply do not care. This point is suggested when the author states "The ploughman may have heard the splash, the forsaken cry but for him it was not an important failure." (Auden 16 17 18). Notice the authors diction when he describes the cry as "forsaken" meaning abandoned or deserted. This would suggest the knowledge of somebodies cry for help, and turning away from it selfishly because it's not you that requires assistance. This point is farther re enforced when the author writes "The expensive delicate ship must have seen something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on" (Auden 20 21 22).

In conclusion, "Musee des Beaus Arts" is W.H Auden's relations to the story of the fall of Icarus to modern day human suffering in that members of a society tend to ignore legitimate disasters and would rather adhere to their own agenda than tend to the needs of others, almost suggesting that there is no longer good in the world. Though some may disagree, this piece by W. H. Auden gives you a chilling realization that it may be true in some areas of the world, while it should be giving the readers motivation to be more aware of the needs of others and tailor to those needs as one can.