Paired Texts > When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be

by John Keats

1848

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

10th Grade Poem
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
  • Robert Frost
  • 1923

Robert Frost (1874-1963) was one of the most popular and critically respected American poets in history. At first glance, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a rather simple poem — a man pausing his horse to observe a wintery landscape before moving on — but its carefully constructed lines, like the woods, hold a deeper power.

Pair “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” with “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be” and ask students to discuss any similar themes. Consider Frost’s repetition of the final stanza.

9th Grade Poem
I'm Happiest When Most Away
  • Emily Brontë
  • 1838

Emily Jane Brontë (1818-1848) was an English writer who is best known for her novel, Wuthering Heights. In this short poem, Brontë contemplates existing in a solitary, meditative state.

Pair “I’m Happiest When Most Away” with “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be” and ask students to compare these Romantic texts. Do they share any similarities in theme or structure?

9th Grade Informational Text 1290L
Pompeii
  • Mark Cartwright
  • 2012

This informational text describes the terrible tragedy of Pompeii in 79 A.D., when the Roman town was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. It details life in the town before the eruption and how volcanic ash has preserved the town for modern day archaeologists to explore.

Pair “Pompeii” with “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be” and ask students to discuss how the two texts approach death using different genres, tones, and techniques. What is the difference between approaching death in a literary or informational manner? Were there surprising similarities between the two texts?

9th Grade Poem
On the Death of Anne Brontë
  • Charlotte Brontë
  • 1849

In the poem “On the Death of Anne Brontë,” Charlotte Brontë discusses the death of her sister, and how she feels about facing life without her.

Pair “When I Have Fears that I May Cease to Be” with “On the Death of Anne Brontë” and ask students to compare the two poets' views on death. How does Keats’ fears regarding his own death compare to Brontë’s fears concerning her sister’s death?
9th Grade Short Story 1030L
The Devil
  • Guy de Maupassant
  • 1903

In Guy de Maupassant’s “The Devil”, Honore Bontemps bargains with a nurse to take care of his dying mother.

Pair “The Devil” with “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be” and ask students to compare and contrast how the speaker in the poem and how Mother Bontemps face death? Is either afraid of death? Why or why not? How do Madam Bontemps and the speaker view death differently?
10th Grade Poem
Ode on a Grecian Urn
  • John Keats
  • 1820

In the poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” Keats describes elaborate images on a vase.

Pair “When I have Fears that I May Cease to Be” with “Ode on a Grecian Urn” and ask students to compare the themes and forms of these two poems by the same author.

10th Grade Poem
When You Are Old
  • William Butler Yeats
  • 1892

In William Butler Yeat's “When You Are Old,” a speaker asks someone to reflect on their life and on lost love in their old age.

Pair “When I Have Fears that I May Cease to Be” with “When You Are Old” and ask students to discuss the different approaches each poet takes on the topic of growing old. How do Keats’ fears of not being able to accomplish his dreams before he dies compare to Yeats’ feelings of regret?