John Keats is not only one of the greatest poets of English literature, but he is also one of its few heroes. Despite being relatively unknown during his lifetime, Keats became the defining symbol of the late Romantic period in which he lived. Even after his early death at the young age of twenty-five, Keats's poetry was scrutinized. If it had not been for several profound events in John Keats's life, and without the friendships he made, he would never have been able to address the political issues of the time or find a way to release his feelings of heartbreak. John Keats was born on October 31, 1795 on a small farm in London, England, to Thomas and Frances Keats. He had a relatively stable early childhood, losing his father at the age of eight when he fell from a horse. This death had a great impact on his early childhood. He had no father figure to guide him through the crucial stages of his life's development. Through research conducted into his life and poetry, it was concluded that this could perhaps be the reason why some of his early poems had somewhat depressing titles. One of them is "In Drear Nighted December", which at one point was about how a boy and a girl have no joy in their life. This is perhaps a reference to how sad and lonely he became during the cold English winters. Not only did he lose his father at a young age, but just six years later, his mother became ill with leukemia and died. This forced his grandmother to look after him and his four brothers, but she could not do so, so she asked two London shopkeepers to look after them. This no doubt left Keats feeling abandoned by his grandmother. His grandmother was the last known family member he had left, and she... mid-paper... invited him to go to Italy, where she said its warmer climate would ease the pain he was feeling. He traveled by boat from England to Naples with his friend Joseph Severn. Joseph cared for John until his death on February 23, 1821. He was 25 years old. John's life was filled with numerous difficulties that many people would not be able to handle. However, Keats managed to move on with his life and, instead, wrote his article on the emotions and thus produced 19th century classics. When he writes, Keats puts all his feelings and emotions into his work. Those emotions can be traced throughout the poem and contribute passion to his works. Using this style, Keats created some of the best poetry ever created. It is for these reasons that the once heavily despised poems of John Keats have become a staple in English lessons and some of the most studied English-language poems.