William Wordsworth's Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey

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William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey"

Whereas most individuals tend to see nature as a playhouse that should alter and self-destruct to their every need, William Wordsworth had a very different view. Wordsworth perceived nature as a sanctuary where his views of life, love, and his creator were eventually altered forever. The intensity of Wordsworth's passion for nature elevated him from a boy into the inspiring man and poet in which he is recognized to be today. One of the most compelling works Wordsworth ever devised was that of "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey." The poem enlightens the reader on the awesome power and depth of nature, which Wordsworth has discovered in his trials and tribulations upon the earth. Thus, to fully understand the significance of nature in all lives told through "Lines Composed A few Miles Above Tintern Abbey" one must understand the setting and mood, as well as comprehend the rhyme scheme, and use of many diverse poetic devices that interact within the poem.

One is able to gain insight into "Lines Composed a Few Lines Above Tintern Abbey" by first trying to understand the mood and setting of the poem. Although it "is a miniature of the long poem Wordsworth never quite wrote" (Robyn Young p.409) it lacked nothing as far as depth and intensity goes. Wordsworth was very skilled in such areas, although his writing may be come very complex it is said that it was a result of "the spontaneous overflow of emotion" (Gale Net). Wordsworth wrote this poem, as cited by Wordsworth without "any part of it was written down till I reached Bristol" (F.W. Bateson p.191). Wordsworth was a firm believer that man should ?find an immanent force that unites them with their physical and spiritual environments? (Jan Shoemaker p.1). As Wordsworth revisits this beloved place of his (Tintern Abbey) he is reminded of how he once perceived this sanctuary. Wordsworth attempts to compare and contrast two worlds, Brian Barbour states ?Wordsworth?s basic strategy is to appeal to the spiritual while remaining entirely within the natural order?(Barbour p.154). When he was a young child he came to this valley using it as his own personal playground. He never gave nature the respect and praise that it so deserved. He just saw nature through a young child?s eyes; he saw a tree in which to climb, grass in which wa...

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...pt. The reader viewpoint of nature in a sense is altered, as Wordsworth is erudite about the wonders of our mother nature. One must learn to live in harmony with nature to fully understand our true character and to enjoy the gracious gifts of natural world that have so graciously bestowed upon us all.

Works Cited

Barbour, Brian. "Between Two Worlds." Nineteenth-Century Literature. California Press (1993): 14 7-168

Bateson, F.W. Wordsworth a Re-Interpretation. London: Lowe and Brydone (Printers) Limited, 1956.

Bloom, Harold. Bloom's Major Poets. Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999.

Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1985.

Gill, Stephen. A Life. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.

Hartman, Geoffery H. The Unremarkable Wordsworth. Vol. 34. Minnesota: University of Minnesota, 1987.

Shoemaker, Jan. Bill and Gus. [Online] http://FirstSearch.oclc.org. Jan 27, 2000.

Wordsworth, William. Detroit: Gale Company, 1999. [Online] Exploring Poetry. Feb 22, 2000.

Wordsworth, William. Lines Composed. [Online] http://www.library.com/poems, Feb 29, 2000

Young, Robyn V. Poetry Criticism. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale Company, 1992

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