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Sophia Simo

Mrs. West

English 2 H

06 February 2017

Time and Society

W. H. Audens poem If I could tell you uses villanelle structure and a philosophic like

tone to convey how time is always moving even without society. The poem expresses the

questioning of time and it's true purpose, it bounces between confusion and the acceptance of the

vast topic.

The importance of the villanelle structure creates a repeating pattern that creates a loop

on the phrases, Time will say nothing but I have told you so.. The emphasis on this line creates

pressure on his own questioning on time and it's purpose. The line also has a stylized choice of

putting personification on to the concept of time. The use of an apostrophe for time creates a

back and forth between the writer and time, bouncing back from the silence of time and Audens

questioning its purpose in the world. The use of the villanelle style spotlights the battle between

time and society.

The philosophical tone expresses an air of question and can reflect onto the reader about

their own choices with time. The poem shows his thought process through his own existential

crisis. He craves a greater understanding of time and its function through the line, There must

be a reason why the leaves decay.. The contrast in the poem become more evident by the

structure of his thoughts. At first his complains he understands it and is telling its purpose, but
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the deeper he could he began to question his own thesis. The tone he chooses allows the reader to

see deeper into his own thoughts and ideas about the writing.

The meaning of the poem is a paradox within its, he wants an answers but nothing can.

Throughout the poem his own philosophy becomes destroyed and leaves him questioning time. It

reflects on how society perspectives time and how it influences everything around us. This

expresses the power of time, Auden goes through how nature is affected and how society is

pushed by time. In the last stanza it talks about how everything revolves around time and

humanity couldn't function without it.

Furthermore, the importance of this poem is how the pattern of time affects society. It

expresses the authors own questioning about his world and his purpose in life. The use of

villanelle structure and a philosophical tone creates a parallel within the own poem and allows

the author to express his own questioning.