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What is Shelley’s intent when he compares humans to ephemeral clouds in “Mutability”?
If something is ephemeral, it is fleeting, short-lived, and highly changeable. To us, our lives are long and full of meaning. Within the scope of the whole universe however, a single human life is short and fleeting, much like the passage of a cloud through the sky. By comparing clouds to humans, Shelley wants to make a statement about the true nature of human life.
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Is there a political message in “Mutability,” or is it a purely philosophical poem?
The lack of words with explicit political connotations makes it seem that “Mutability” has no political commentary or message....
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