"On Fame"

Fame, like a wayward girl, will still be coy
    To those who woo her with too slavish knees,
But makes surrender to some thoughtless boy,
    And dotes the more upon a heart at ease;
She is a Gipsey,—will not speak to those
    Who have not learnt to be content without her;
A Jilt, whose ear was never whisper’d close,
    Who thinks they scandal her who talk about her;
A very Gipsey is she, Nilus-born,
    Sister-in-law to jealous Potiphar;
Ye love-sick Bards! repay her scorn for scorn;
    Ye Artists lovelorn! madmen that ye are!
Make your best bow to her and bid adieu,
Then, if she likes it, she will follow you.

            In Keats’ poem “On Fame”, Keats mentions fame, and compares it to a woman.  He also compares people’s want for fame to a man’s lust for a woman.  Keats’ begins by saying Fame is like a shy girl, and will be hesitant to follow those who try too hard to attract her attention; but will succumb to the humble boy who doesn’t try to “woo her with too slavish knees.”  Keats goes on to compare fame and popularity to a woman who doesn’t settle, a “Gipsey.”  The men who shame her for not pursuing them, and become spiteful of the woman, are compared to people who are all too concerned with their social prevalence.  Keats says the woman is “Sister-in-law to jealous Potipher” and calls the men mad, and “love-sick bastards”.  The poem ends saying to give the lady your best bow, and “if she likes it, she will follow you”, meaning if you are patient and humble, things you desire will come to you.

            I think this poem can be related to pop-culture in the way it talks about fame, and how people seem to loose their minds over it.  People seem to push boundaries, social norms, and moral values, to shock people and be remembered for something.  One example of this would be Lady Gaga; she always has some funky new outfit, outrageous hairstyle, or scandalous video that contorts most ideals of what is appropriate.  She shocks people with the things she publicizes.  In her music video, “Paparazzi”, she even addresses how far people will go for fame.  In the beginning of the video, a man pushes Lady Gaga over a balcony, and the headlines of various papers are shown with Lady Gaga’s name in them; she had made headlines by doing something shocking, or by being a victim of something tragic.  In today’s pop-culture, tragic, shocking, offensive, and sexual material, even if doesn’t say much of anything but “Birthday Sex”, become popular.  Although today’s pop-culture somewhat contradicts what Keats is saying in his poem about Fame following the humble, it supports Keats’ idea of people getting caught up in the idea of fame, and taking possibly taking things too far.