William Wordsworth Research Paper

Romantic Poet William Wordsworth Starting in the late 1700s, Romanticism was a movement accentuating the imaginative, the emotional, and the ordinary (Bickerton). In awe of the encompassing mysterious world, Romanticists sought to convey their proclivity for the natural world in various modes of art. Additionally, profound sentiments and the notion of internal struggles captivated the Romanticists, inducing them to elevate passions above reasoning (The editors of Britannica). In response to the Industrial Revolution, this movement rejected the brutal working conditions of the laborers, calling for “freedom from oppression” (O'Keeffe). As such, the Romantics aligned themselves with the revolutionaries, activists of the time who pushed for

Amidst miserable times that stemmed from dislike towards his relatives, Wordsworth found great comfort in nature and developed a profound love for the environs of Lake District. When he was a student at the University of Cambridge, Wordsworth traveled to France, where he experienced and admired the “revolutionary spirit and the principles of liberty and egalité.” In the succeeding years, Wordsworth graduated and became a poet in England (Pettinger). Around this time, he reunited “with his beloved sister, Dorothy, who ... began her long career as [his] confidante, inspirer, and secretary” and met Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a fellow poet (Greenblatt 1530). Over time, Wordsworth and Coleridge became close companions and influenced each other’s poetical works. Eventually, he married Mary Hutchinson, started a family, and lived with them and Dorothy. In the 1840s, he received the title Poet Laureate after years of growing acclamation and prosperity. A decade later, Wordsworth died, leaving behind his memory in the form of poetry

In the first few lines, the speaker uses “soul,” rather than “person,” in order to express that the view connects to him in an ethereal way, transcending the tangible plane: it doesn’t just satisfy his body, specifically his eyes and ears; the beauty penetrates his inner being, allowing the speaker to fully delight in his experience on the bridge (Wordsworth 2). Continuing, the speaker mentions the “majesty” of what he sees (2). The term not only relates to the power and influence of a sovereign, but also to the goodness and splendor of God. In regards to an almighty being, the speaker may be expressing that the sight before him is so great that it is worthy of veneration. By choosing these particular words, the speaker reveals how the scene from the bridge has an“almost religious effect on him,” showing the importance of the visual he sees; in doing so, the speaker is seemingly trying to convince the reader to feel the same way