"Musee des Beaux Arts,' by W H Auden is a poem portraying the ignorance of people toward individual human suffering. Through this poem, the poet successfully portrays his views and judgments of human suffering to the reader.

The poem begins with a strong opening sentence. "About suffering they were never wrong the Old Masters." The word "never," in particular is an example of a strong, emphatic word that the poet uses to make his point definite and authoritative.

The poet then describes how suffering happens; "While someone is eating, or opening a window, or just walking dully along." The actions mentioned are all normal, everyday and almost boring actions that put emphasis on the insignificance of suffering. Suffering is depicted as a dull, common, and predictable phenomenon; something that we humans do not care about.

Next the poet makes a contrast between the old and the young...