William Wordsworth Research Paper

The Romantic Movement of early 19th century England was built on ideas of change and revolution. Romanticism stressed the importance of the common man, rejecting the traditional belief that power should be in the hands of a select group of elite individuals. These Romantic values can be seen, in their earliest form, with the French Revolution. The Revolution inspired many people throughout Europe, giving them hope that their ideas could become influential. William Wordsworth was one of the people who embraced this belief in revolution. Through his poetry, Wordsworth used nature as the means of rejecting traditional Enlightenment values. In turn, Wordsworth’s poetic works became the model for Romantic poetry. Wordsworth uses nature as the central theme for the majority of his poetry. To Wordsworth, nature provided a state of mind that one could only experience when in its presence. This feeling can be seen in Wordsworth’s

Wordsworth’s description of the scene is peaceful; he describes being alone, watching the calm waves “danc[ing]” across the bay. This description contrasts the reality of the situation. In his sister Dorothy’s diary, she describes a scene very different than the one portrayed in “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”. The main difference between the two scenes is the presence of Dorothy. In William’s rendition, he removes Dorothy altogether, allowing for the scene to seem more secluded. In essence, he removes his sister to transform an ordinary experience into one of deep tranquility. Furthermore, in reality, “the bays were stormy, and [they] heard the waves at different distances and in the middle of the water like the sea” (D. Wordsworth 109-110). Again, Wordsworth alters reality to add a deeper meaning to an ordinary experience. Dorothy’s description of “stormy” waves connotes a gloominess absent from William’s