Importance of the last leaf in O. Henry's short story "The Last Leaf" and the title of the story.

Introduction :  "The Last Leaf" is a short story written by O.Henry,the noted and famous story writer in America. O.Henry is the pseudonym  of William Sydney Porter. This great literary master has written a short  story on the last leaf of an Ivy vine and has named  his story as  "The Last Leaf". The last leaf in this story is not an ordinary one as it bears much significance. The story of the last leaf makes durable and strong impression on the mind of all sorts of readers. Let us take a look on the subject matter of the story "The Last Leaf".

Story in brief : The plot of the story revolves round the three main characters : Johnsy and Sue, two  young artists and Berhman,the old one.They all lived in a "squatty three-story brick" building at Greenwich village where the poor artists generally settled. Johnsy and Sue started a joint studio. Berhman ,a man of past sixty,lived on the ground floor. This apparently unsuccessful artist loved these two young artists very much and also protected them like a guardian. 

     Pneumonia attacked severely Johnsy who lay helplessly with a strange premonition of her impending death. She could see from her bed an old  decaying ivy vine on the rough brick  wall which was distinctly seen through the window, just few feet opposite. It was raining  incessantly augmented with hard storm and consequently the leaves of that vine were dropping down one after another. This decaying of the leaves is somehow affected the weak mind of Johnsy who began to fancy that she must die with the falling of the last leaf of that ivy vine.  Johnsy lost all sorts of interest of life and living and started counting the leaves backward. Doctor of physic who visited Johnsy declared that she might survive if she could regain the interest of living. Strangely enough, in spite of fierce gusts of wind during whole night the last leaf of that  vine was hanging bravely on its position. Another strange thing happened - Johnsy got back the love and passion for life and living, she realized her mistake and admitted that " It is a sin to want to die." Johnsy recovered from her illness, vivified herself and the aspiration for painting 'the Bay of Naples' came back to her again.

Discussion : Such is the story of the last leaf and this story appears to be an improbable one. The matter of the last leaf may not come in the centre of such grave discussion. The question 'why is the last leaf so important' may arise. There is a story behind this story and the hero of this story is none other than the seemingly failure old artist Berhman. The last leaf of the ivy vine could not stand the might of the rain and storm of that ghastly night, it fell like the other ones. The old artist Berhman, defying the inclement and adverse wintry weather and at the cost of his life, painted a same leaf on the wet wall. He had to face the consequences of it. This old  artist caught severe cold , could not avoid pneumonia as well as death. 

      It is known from the story that Berhman is trying to paint his masterpiece for twenty five years and for it  the canvass, the colour and the brush are kept ready. Is is not  Berhman's masterpiece. The last leaf painted by Berhman is no doubt his masterpiece. The last leaf declares the triumph of the old artist and his devotion to art. The last leaf servers as the cure-all as it saves the life of Johnsy. One thing I can not help mentioning that the last leaf has taken the life of another artist, the life of Berhman.  

       The last leaf at once manifests may things. It proves that art has the life saving power, art can vivify the dying artist. It is the proof of the sacrifice of an artist as it brings the message that an artist can even bet his life to save the life of another artist. We get the maxim from the last leaf that a true artist cares little for his life for the sake of art. 

    The last leaf remains at the centre of the story. The dramatic tension is created with the last leaf and the tension is also resolved with the last leaf. The last leaf shapes the theme of the story , steers it towards the completeness and ultimately sponsors the very lesson of the story. The subject matter and the theme of the story revolves round these two words "last leaf ". In a word, the "last leaf " forms the key-note of the story. So, The Last Leaf is definitely the most befitting and appropriate title for this story of O. Henry.

Thematic similitude between John Keats' poem "The poetry of Earth" and Thomas Hardy's poem " In time of the breaking of Nation " .

    Introduction  :-

 John Keats (1795 - 1821) , the poet of Nature,was one of the Romantic Poets of the younger generation.  Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928) was a Victorian realist who was famous for his Novels as well as poems. What I am going to present here are   two  poems of these two poets : one is John Keats' poem "The poetry of Earth" and the other one being Thomas Hardy's poem " In time of the breaking of  Nation ". Though these poems are composed in different time, though these are from the pens of two different personalities, these poems carry a similar message. John Keats' poem "The poetry of Earth" and Thomas Hardy's poem " In time of the breaking of  Nation " are , as if, tuned in the same tone ; the same theme is reflected from the centre of these two eternal songs.

"The poetry of Earth"  ( The text)

The Poetry of earth is never dead:    

 When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,    

And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run    

From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;    

That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead      

In summer luxury,—he has never done    

With his delights; for when tired out with fun    

He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.    

The poetry of earth is ceasing never:    

 On a lone winter evening, when the frost     

 Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills    

The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,    

And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,    

The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.

"The poetry of Earth"  :-  The poem starts with a very fascinating line : " The poetry of earth is never dead." The rhythm of the poetry of the earth keeps the earth alive.Crisis and catastrophe may come at any time with all annihilating powers , hard times may strangle the life, but the soul of the earth can not be buried deep. Some agent of the earth must survive amidst danger to continue the song of the soul of the earth. 

     Let us take a peep into the subject matter of  John Keats' poem "The poetry of Earth". In the octave of this sonnet (Petrarchan type) Keats has presented the music of the Summer which is hold firmly in the voice of the 'grasshopper'. All singing birds are exhausted in the extreme heat of the Sun and they , discontinuing the song of life - the music of  the earth, are taking rest in the 'cooling tree' . It does  not mean that the poetry of earth is dead. The grasshopper,the denizen of the 'new-mown mead', comes forward to take the lead and he wanders from hedge to hedge with the inspiring anthem of life. The grasshopper is never tired with the hot sun and has never done with his delights. Being tired out with excessive fun " He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed."  Life or poetry of earth  seems to be stopped, but the reality is that even a tiny insect continues the poetry or song of life when all others who are assigned  to this specific job take the heels away from this arena. 

  

      Like the first stanza (octave) the second one , the sestet, starts with a tone of optimism :

" The poetry of earth is  ceasing never." The poet has presented the music of the Winter in the vioce of 'cricket' . In a lonely winter evening frost has caused a profound silence as each and everyone ,almost all creatures are inside the shelter. Is the  poetry of earth dead then ? No, obviously not.Some shrill sound is prominent from the stove and it is nothing but the cricket's song. This music of the earth is increasing the warmth of the world. 

      This beautiful earth is created by God and everything is so neatly arranged that balance would be maintained every where and every moment. The motion of life, the rhythm of life, is the poetry or song of the earth and this rhythm is perpetual. What does it matter, if the singing birds, the singers of the earth, fail to come and perform their duty ? The tiny creatures like the 'grasshopper' and the 'cricket' , the tiny representative of God, are ready to 

to take the responsibility with a view to continuing the poetry of the earth. 

 

In time of " The breaking of  Nations "  ( The text)

                        I

Only a man harrowing clods

    In a slow silent walk

With an old horse that stumbles and nods

    Half asleep as they stalk.

                       II

Only thin smoke without flame

    From the heaps of couch-grass;

Yet this will go onward the same

    Though Dynasties pass.

                       III

Yonder a maid and her wight

    Come whispering by:

War’s annals will fade into night

    Ere their story die.

In time of " The breaking of  Nations " :-  The subject matter of this poem is very simple one that draws some simple rustic pictures, but the theme of the poem is not limited to the simple and local matter. A man, only a  man, is harrowing  clods silently with his old horse. The horse is so old and exhausted that it nods and stumbles of and on . The movement of these two lonely creatures creates an effect of their half-asleep state. The second picture like the first one is obviously that of the cultivation. A thin smoke is rising from the heap of the burning weeds. The poet says that this smoke-rising from the cultivated land will be going on though the Royal Families will taste the bitterness of annihilation. A lover and his sweet-heart are coming whispering. Their story  of love will continue, will  never end. Love story must achieve the perpetuation ,but the history of war will go to the land of oblivion for ever.

           These three simple rustic pictures jointly emanate a grave and impressive theme of the poem. We find a list of what will go on and what will not.The primal occupation of human life like the cultivation and love making will go on for good. The 'dynasties' or royal families are not perpetual and the war's annals or the record of the war will go to oblivion. Actually, any action  or agent related with destruction can not stand before time. Time's decimating force will turn them to dust. On the other hand, the constructive force and activities are supported by god so that the earth would go on to be peopled. Love making and cultivation are two primal and original activities for the continuation of the nations.