Opium-Eater And Dequincey's Poetry

Thomas Dequincey’s life was a series of unfortunate events, with him experiencing much death, poverty and depression. Also known as “the opium eater”, Dequincey was a writer who, during hard times of poverty and loss, became addicted to the drug opium, leading to the publishing of his autobiography Confessions of an English Opium-Eater in hopes of earning money. In contrast, Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived a much more respectable life, being regarded as “the best poet of the age” by William Wordsworth and was accredited with (along with Wordsworth) launching the Romantic Age. After becoming addicted to opium, Coleridge was said to be unmotivated and lethargic, and his addiction to opium led him to write poems “Dejection: An Ode” and “The Pains

In Coleridge and Dequincey’s writings, tone and mood are used effectively, as both accomplish these goals. Without these elements, their writings would not be complete and the power of their writings would essentially be taken away, which was substantial because they were writing on the effects that opium had on them, something that most readers would not understand firsthand. Coleridge’s title, “The Pains of Sleep” is the first indication of tone. Since sleep is usually regarded as peaceful and stress-relieving, the irony of the title sets the initial tone and mood for readers to understand his perspective. His choice of words for the title reveal that he is not having a good experience, but instead a painful one. This first stanza of lines resonates with a tone of laziness and lack of motivation yet there is also a sense of longing and desire. The mood is very calm, graceful, and stagnant. Usually the tone and mood are similar, if not the same, to each other, but with the tone and mood contrasting, readers are revealed to something about the

It informs readers that his addiction to opium was helpless and extremely difficult to escape. With, “only a sense of supplication,” and his belief that, “eternal strength and wisdom” surrounded him, it is apparent that he is barely grasping on to reality (lines 9, 13). The drug is so addicting that he knows it is bad for him to continue on, which is why he is calling on God, but he simultaneously has no passion or motivation to actually fix the situation. Joseph Cottle, a contemporary of Coleridge spoke on the accounts of Coleridge and how he would, “cheat the doctor,” by distracting a friend guarding the drugs on a ship and, “as soon as his back was turned, [Coleridge would step] into the shop, [and fill his bottle] with laudanum, (which he always carried in his pocket) and then expeditiously [place] himself in the spot where he was left” (Cottle). These kinds of actions prove how desperately addicted he actually was during these times. In the second stanza, the tone and mood are transformed into a sense of urgency. Readers are able to understand the confusion and guilt he experienced because of the opium, with him not knowing whether he was really suffering