William Wordsworth Analysis

1618 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Role of nature in william wordsworth poetry

William Wordsworth's poetry, though simple in language, has the ability to combine multiple elements in a way that can be related to everyday life. He mainly focuses on themes like love, loss, death, childhood and, most often, nature. Though his words are by no measure at the complexity of writers before him, he has the talent of writing thoughtful poetry that intertwines tragedy and hope all in the same piece of work. Though his topics may vary from poem to poem, all of them pay special attention to the power memory has in connecting the past to the present, as well as the comfort one can find in the recollection of song, nature and loved ones. Wordsworth's past holds great responsibility for his fixation on these different issues; memories and nature were key to helping him survive the trials he faced as a young boy. In Emma Mason's book "The Cambridge Introduction to William Wordsworth", she claims, "A longing for the company of others shaped Wordsworth’s life, one he met by forming a number of intense relationships" (1). It is these very relationships that both filled his need for affection, yet, at times, led him to feeling isolated and alone. At a young age his mother died of pneumonia and his sister, whom he was extremely close with, was forced to move in with an aunt. Half a decade later their father died, resulting in an even stronger relationship between the siblings until Wordsworth was taken to Hawkshead for grammar school. The separation from those so important to him play a significant role in the presence of memory seen throughout all of his poetry; in a time when he was surrounded by few, it was the remembrance of the past that entertained his present heartache. Despite his departure from old friends, he formed a ...

... middle of paper ...

...60)
Wordsworth realizes, though he is now an adult and has been exposed to the world of man, the heavenly child is still within him. The thing he felt as a young boy are responsible for shaping him into the man he is today, and even as an adult, the memories of his childhood can not be taken from him. He may not be able to connect with the nature as he once did, however his mind can provide a link to his past life, ultimately giving him peace of mind.

Wordsworth is able to stretch the importance of memory throughout all the different themes of his writing. Due to this talent, his works are often used in scientific studies of the mind, especially when it comes to the importance memory plays forming a person's own identity1. He proves that our recollection of past experiences have the power to connect the multiple stages of life, including past, present and future.

Show More
Related

  • Romanticism In William Wordsworth

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the most popular American poets is Walt Whitman. Whitman’s poetry has become a rallying cry for Americans, asking for individuality, self-approval, and even equality. While this poetry seems to be truly groundbreaking, which it objectively was, Whitman was influenced by the writings of others. While Whitman may not have believed in this connection to previous authors, critics have linked him to Emerson, Poe, and even Carlyle. However, many critics have ignored the connection between Walt Whitman and the English writer William Wordsworth. A major proponent of Romanticism, Wordsworth’s influence can be seen in Whitman 's poetry through a Romantic connection. Despite differences in form, one can see William Wordsworth’s influence on Walt

    Read More

  • Analysis Of 'Why I Went To The Woods' By Henry David Thoreau

    1404 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wordsworth visualized scenes while he was away, a way for him to feel a spiritual connection until he was able to return. Wordsworth states, “As a landscape to a blind man’s eye: But opt, in lonely rooms, and mid the din Of towns and cities, I have owed to them” (Wordsworth 25-27). Wordsworth gives a sense of conformity and loneliness while being in the towns and cities. That he had his memories of when he was younger to keep him hopeful to return to nature and all the memories he had grasped the memories of. As the society today focuses merely on what they can profit from cities, Wordsworth understood the true meaning of memories. Memories today are mostly captured through social media, and in return being taken for granted. Wordsworth had nostalgic bliss as he replayed his memories, and knowing that in the future he could look back on that day and have the same feeling again. Social media today is destroying our memories and what we can relive in our minds as memories. We can know that when things are posted within social media it will get likes and be shared. However, there are not many people in society today that will remember the true essence of what nature has given to

    Read More

  • Dorothy & William Wordsworth Analysis

    1832 Words  | 4 Pages

    ‘It is often suggested that the source for many of William Wordsworth’s poems lies in the pages of Dorothy Wordsworth’s journal. Quite frequently, Dorothy describes an incident in her journal, and William writes a poem about the same incident, often around two years later.’ It is a common observation that whilst Dorothy is a recorder – ‘her face was excessively brown’ – William is a transformer – ‘Her skin was of Egyptian brown’ . The intertextuality between The Grasmere and Alfoxden Journals and ‘I wandered lonely as a Cloud’ allows both Dorothy and William to write about the same event, being equally as descriptive, but in very differing ways. Dorothy writes in a realist ‘log-book’ like style, whereas William writes in a romantic ballad style. This can be very misleading, as it gives William’s work more emotional attachment even though his work is drawn upon Dorothy’s diary, which in its turn is very detached, including little personal revelation. When read in conjunction with William’s poetry, Dorothy’s journal seems to be a set of notes written especially for him by her. In fact, from the very beginning of the journals Dorothy has made it quite clear that she was writing them for William’s ‘pleasure’ . This ties in with many of the diary entries in which she has described taking care of William in a physical sense. In a way this depicts the manner in which William uses his sister’s journal to acquire the subject of his poetry, which makes it seem as though Dorothy is his inspiration.

    Read More

  • William Wordsworth Research Paper

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the onset of the Romantic Period to that of the Modernist Era, the author’s desire to connect with his audience has gradually increased with each passing century. Additionally, changes caused by the progression of time: technological advances, scientific discoveries, changes in social conventions, etc., altered the subject matter dramatically. Their writings became far more relatable in each era because of this and eventually resulted in relationships where the authors and their audiences could easily sympathize with each other. The turn of the 19th century began with the rise of the middle class caused by an industrial revolution and brought with it a new school of thought that promoted self-reflection and meditation which in turn caused

    Read More

  • Intimations Of Early Childhood By William Wordsworth Analysis

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this lyrical poem “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood,” Williams Wordsworth expresses how a child’s view on nature changes and becomes distorted the older the child gets. Wordsworth struggles with comprehending why humanity doesn’t appreciate or perceive nature in all of its glory. Why is it that as time passes, the less we value nature in a spiritual way?

    Read More

  • Theme Of Good And Evil In William Wordsworth

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wordsworth drew much of his inspiration from nature, noting that man, when in nature, could see Heaven again. The dichotomy of good and evil was less about the wars and angels and devils, and more about the external struggle of man attempting to conquer of nature. His thoughts and writings focus far more on the good elements of life, “[describing] poetry as the ‘breath and finer spirit of all knowledge’” (Hartman 555). According to Wordsworth, man was scorning himself in an attempt to play God. In his poem “The World is too Much with Us” Wordsworth illustrates his point of the sacredness of nature in the line “I’d rather be/ a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn” (Wordsworth). At the time, and even in the moral ideals of today, paganism was seen as evil, and the line was meant to shock the audience into realizing the wrongs of their ways. Likewise, Wordsworth’s reverence toward nature is more than apparent in “The Immortality Ode”. Interestingly, he states that the soul is in Heaven before birth and the longer the soul is living the body; the view of Heaven – or the good – becomes further out of reach. Wordsworth, more or less, attributes evil to aging and withdrawal from

    Read More

  • Wordsworth's Poetry

    1494 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wordsworth's Poetry A lot of literature has been written about motherhood. Wordsworth is a well known English poet who mentions motherhood and female strength in several of his poems, including the Mad Mother, The Thorn, and The Complaint of a Forsaken Indian Woman. This leads some critics to assume that these poems reflect Wordsworth's view of females. Wordsworth portrays women as dependent on motherhood for happiness, yet he also emphasizes female strength.

    Read More

  • William Wordsworth and the Mortality of the Imagination

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Primarily in Lines composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey the mortality of creativeness and imagination is expressed by Wordsworth. This is a poem about the beauty of an old cathedral called Tintern Abbey. He hasn’t been there in five years and he brought his sister along. Even though imagination isn’t immortal, there is a way to reclaim it, “That time is past, / and all its aching joys are ...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud By William Wordsworth

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Wordsworth is a British poet who is associated with the Romantic movement of the early 19th century. Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770, in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England. Wordsworth’s mother died when he was seven years old, and he was an orphan at 13. This experience shapes much of his later work. Despite Wordsworth’s losses, he did well at Hawkshead Grammar School, where he firmly established his love of poetry. After Hawkshead, Wordsworth studied at St. John’s College in Cambridge and before his final semester, he set out on a walking tour of Europe, an experience that influenced both his poetry.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge

    2505 Words  | 6 Pages

    There were two particular events that helped to give William a newfound sense of direction in his work and career. In January of 1795, a close friend of William died and in his will, he granted Wordsworth a legacy of 900 pounds; this money helped him to devote more time to his poetry. That same August, he met S.T. Coleridge and they quickly became close friends. In July of 1797, Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy moved to Alfoxden House, which was only a few miles from Coleridge's home in Nether Stowey. Speaking of Coleridge, himself and Dorothy, Wordsworth said, "we were three persons with one soul" (Hanley). Each day, Wordsworth and Coleridge would work on their poetry, discuss their ideas o...

    Read More

  • Analysis of Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although there had been a 'long absence'; from the abbey, the memories of his hurried time in the Wye had consoled him ' 'mid the din of towns and cities'; (lines 26-27). 'With tranquil restoration'; Wordsworth has changed from the state of observing to the state of recalling his 'unremembered pleasures[s]'; (31). He had many times returned in spirit to the Wye, to escape the 'fever of the world'; (53). These memories have produced emotions beyond his understanding; enlightening him and relieving his frustrations. It is the abbey, 'in which the heavy and the weary weight of all this unintelligible world, is lightened'; and makes him become a 'living soul';. (40-49) Wordsworth was claiming th...

    Read More

  • Childhood

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...lake and Wordsworth see the relationship between childhood and adulthood as one of difference in vision and state of mind. The two poets mirror each other in this assertion, but differ elsewhere. While Blake sees this dichotomy as one of conflict, Wordsworth feels that the two mindsets are able to coexist within the individual. The relationship between children and adults is one that is by no means new to human life. The two epochs of human existence are drastically different in their mindsets and their views of the world. In the poetry of William Blake and William Wordsworth, this difference between children and adults and their respective states of mind is articulated and developed. As a person ages, they move undeniably from childhood to adulthood, and their mentality moves with them. On the backs of Blake and Wordsworth, the reader is taken along this journey.

    Read More

  • The Role of Nature in the poetry of William Wordsworth

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    In William Wordsworth’s poems, the role of nature plays a more reassuring and pivotal r ole within them. To Wordsworth’s poetry, interacting with nature represents the forces of the natural world. Throughout the three poems, Resolution and Independence, Tintern Abbey, and Michael, which will be discussed in this essay, nature is seen prominently as an everlasting- individual figure, which gives his audience as well as Wordsworth, himself, a sense of console. In all three poems, Wordsworth views nature and human beings as complementary elements of a sum of a whole, recognizing that humans are a sum of nature. Therefore, looking at the world as a soothing being of which he is a part of, Wordsworth looks at nature and sees the benevolence of the divinity aspects behind them. For Wordsworth, the world itself, in all its glory, can be a place of suffering, which surely occurs within the world; Wordsworth is still comforted with the belief that all things happen by the hands of the divinity and the just and divine order of nature, itself.

    Read More

  • Nature in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    To conclude, William Wordsworth uses form and syntax and figurative language to stress on his mental journey, and to symbolize the importance of the beauty and peace of nature. In my opinion, the poet might have written this poem to show his appreciation towards nature. The poem has a happy mood especially when the poet is discussing the daffodils. In this poem the daffodils are characterized as more than flowers, but as humans “fluttering and dancing in the breeze” (line 6). In addition, the poet mentioned himself to be part of nature since nature inspires him to write and think. Therefore, the reason that the poet wrote this poem was to express the feeling of happiness in his mental journey in nature.

    Read More

  • William Wordsworth's Use of Nature

    1393 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wordsworth is deeply involved with the complexities of nature and human reaction to it. To Wordsworth nature is the revelation of god through viewing everything that is harmonious or beautiful in nature. Man’s true character is then formed and developed through participation in this balance. Wordsworth had the view that people are at their best when they are closest to nature. Being close creates harmony and order. He thought that the people of his time were getting away from that.

    Read More

More about William Wordsworth Analysis

Open Document