An Analysis of Kubla Khan

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Kubla Khan is a poem written by one of the most famous English poets, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is know that he was on opium, and that he got a vision when he was under the influence of drugs. After he got back to his senses he wrote his visions down. In the first two verses of his poem he talks about the Mongolian emperor Kubla Khan, who orders the construction of a Pleasure-Dome, which is a kind of palace. He then describes the environment in the palace. In the third verse there is a turning point; Samuel begins describing the surroundings of the palace. The surroundings are less lovely and almost haunted (“A savage place!” and “haunted By woman wailing for her Demon Lover”). In the fourth verse the writer takes the pleasure-Dome and the chasm together, and describes it as a whole. He says: “It is a miracle of rare device: A sunny Pleasure-Dome with caves of ice”. It means that it is rare to have such lovely place so near an awful chasm. Before the writer could begin writing the fifth verse, he was interrupted; this explains the change in subject. He then tells us about a maiden he saw, who played an instrument and sang about a mountain. I think the mountain is the same place as where the chasm and Pleasure-Dome are. He says: “Could I revive within me Her symphony and song, To such delight ‘twould win me That with music loud and long, I would built that dome within the air!”. I think he meant that if he could remember his previous vision (the song of the maid), he could write it down so that the readers could try to imagine the things he had seen (“build that dome within the air”). I personally think the air is a metaphor for the mind, thought or imagination of the readers. He then once again changes from topic. There is someone from who people warn each other for. I think that Samuel himself is the one from who people have to beware of. I think he
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