Three_Claims_Of_A_Grecian_Urn

Three Claims Of A Grecian Urn Three Claims of a Grecian Urn John Keats makes three claims at the end of his poem, “Ode on a Grecian Urn.” Who is the speaker of these claims of intellect' Is it the urn, or is it the speaker of the poem. That seems to be the real question at hand. The first claim of being “a friend to man,” seems to be related to the urn (48). By being a friend to man, the speaker refers to the urn being able to withstand the aging elements of time so that the urn will always be available for all mankind to reflect upon. By being this kind of friend, the urn will last through eternity and through generations to “tease us out of thought” (44). We can then reflect images captured in time within the urn’s beauty. If the speaker of the poem is trying to be the friend to man, it just doesn’t make sense. The speaker is physically unable to pass through generations and “remain, in midst of other woe” (47). The idea that the urn will eternally live on through generations leads us into the next claim. I urn, claim, speaker, poem, man, truth, claims, friend, being, beauty, time, through, making, keats, important, believe, upon, trying, three, therefore, reflect, mankind, look, generations, actually, words, try, teaching, simple, seems, reader, piece, one, merely, life