William Wordsworth Analysis

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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 ...

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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.

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