Ode Intimations Of Immortality Essay

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Essay on “Ode: Intimations of Immortality” Kelsea Brewer Professor Flynn English 232 March 21, 2014

In William Wordsworth’s "Ode: Intimations of Immortality" the speaker laments the passing of his youth and the disappearance of “that dreamlike vividness and splendor which invest objects of sight in childhood” (179). As children, he explains, we lack knowledge of mortality and are closer to God and nature. With time, however, Earth’s pleasures weaken this link and children become mere imitations of adults. In this essay, I will argue that the narrator’s crisis is resolved by the realization that he can still be “enlightened” as an adult. Our youth is regarded as a superior time because we feel invincible and in awe of our surroundings. We are also most connected to our original home and have not yet assumed the role of a “little actor.” However, maturing too has its benefits. Through our experiences we gain “a philosophic mind” (186) and our acknowledgment of death deepens our appreciation for nature and it’s restorative effects on the mind. Our memories or “hints of immortality” provide a window into our childhood and imbue us with the feelings of glory we once experienced.
In this poem, the narrator views the spiritual and natural worlds as being intimately connected. In his childhood he was completely in awe of nature and viewed it as being “Apparell’d in celestial light” (4). While the speaker associates his childhood experiences in nature with joy and happiness he feels a sense of loss in adulthood. He claims that because “Heaven lies about us in our infancy!” (66) we are closest to God, and thus to nature, when we are young. The terms used to ...

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...ence, children are more intimately linked with God and as thus possess philosophic truths that are lost in adulthood. However, our souls have access to memories that allow us to re-live what the wonder and invincibility we felt. In addition, aging brings a maturity and an awareness. There are lessons to be learned from our experiences- even the most difficult ones can become sources of strength. By the end of the poem the narrator has stopped questioning what he has lost and has come to view his situation positively. He says,
We will grieve not, rather find Strength in what remains behind; In the primal sympathy Which having been must ever be; In the soothing thoughts that spring Out of human suffering; In the faith that looks through death. (179-185)

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