William Wordsworth as a Poet of Nature With Reference to Tintern Abbey

Willi illiam am Wordswort Wordsworth h As A Poet Of Nature With Reference To Tintern Abbey Posted Date: 09 Aug 2011 |Updated: 09-Aug-2011 |Category:  Education  Author: Bru  |Author: Bru |Member Level: Gold| Level:  Gold|Points: Points: 10  10 |

William Wordsworth is considered as the High Priest of Nature. His works are characterized by his credo of reflecting a great admiration and love towards Nature.  William Wordsworth devoted his life to poetry

and used his feeling for nature to express him self and how he evolved. Wordsworth had two simple ideas that he put into his writing of  poetry. One was was that “poetry was the the spontaneous spontaneous overflow overflow of  of  powerful  powerf ul feelings.” feelings.” The second second idea idea was was that poets should should describe describe simple scenes of nature in the everyday words, which in turn would create an atmosphere through the use of imagination (Compton 2). Wordsworth is deeply involved with the complexities of nature and human reaction to it. To Wordsworth nature is the revelation of god through viewing everything that is harmonious or beautiful in nature. He launched his poetic career with the publication of An Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketches. He is also known for his collaboration with Samuel Taylor Coleridge in the publication of Lyrical Ballads which heralded the Dawn of Romanticism in the history of English Literature. Childhood [edit] Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth, the second of five children .[6] Wordsworth's parents were John Wordsworth, and Ann Cookson..William's mother mother died when he was 7 years old and he became an orphan at the age of 13 years. His sister, the poet, and diarist Dorothy, to whom he was close all his life, was born the following year, and the two were baptized together. They had three other s iblings: Richard, the eldest who became a lawyer; John, born after Dorothy, who would become a poet and enjoy nature with William and Dorothy until he died in an 1805 shipwreck; and Christopher, the youngest, who would become a s cholar. Although he lived at his father's mansion, Wordsworth, as with his siblings, had little involvement with their father, and they would be distant with him until his death in 1783 .[7] Wordsworth's father, although rarely present, did teach him poetry, including that of  Milton, of  Milton, Shakespeare,  Shakespeare, and Spenser. and  Spenser. In  In March 1778, Ann died of an illness, possibly pneumonia, at Penrith., he was taught to read by his mother and attended a tiny school in Cockermouth of low quality . [11]

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

Willi illiam am Words Wordsworth worth And His Love Of  Nature Considered one of England's greatest poets, he was a key element in the Romantic Movement; know especially for his love of nature, his poetry also resonated with deep philosophic questions. Although often viewed as a 'nature poet' his poetry is not simply concerned with scenic and descriptive evocations of nature, but also with the issues of Man, Human Nature and Man's relationship with the natural world.Wordsworth's monumental poetic legacy rests on a large number of important poems, varying in length and weight from the short, simple lyrics of the 1790s to the vast expanses of The Prelude, thirteen books long in its 1808 edition. e dition.

"Wordsworth argues that poetry should be written in the natural language of common speech, rather than in the lofty and elaborate dictions that were then considered poetic."Many of Wordsworth's poems such as "Tintern Abbey" and the "Intimations of Immortality" deal with the subjects of childhood and the memory of childhood in the mind of the adult, childhood's lost connection with nature, thus which can be preserved only in memory.

“Tintern Abbey”: William Wordsworth considers Wordsworth considers himself as a Poet of Nature or Nature  or rather a pantheist. His poem, Tintern Abbey which is an autobiographical work throws light on the poet's love for Nature. He describes the plain beside the River Wye in Tintern Abbey as well as his state of mind and perception about Nature. His devotion and love towards Nature is expressed without any barrier or restraint coming in between. The poet considers himself as a worshipper of nature in nature  in Tintern Abbey. It seems nature brings out the best that's inherent in the poet. The sight of the "sportive woods run wild" gives him a sense of freedom and sublimity. According to the poet, nature is an all engulfing entity, and he considers himself as a follower of nature. The poet believes in the restorative power of nature and says that, nature can restore and mend the sick with her 'soothing palm'. Amidst the 'dins' and noise of the 'hectic city' the poet conjures up the image of the 'serene Wye' which always unfailingly revives his tired limbs and soul. He feels the healing power of nature in nature  in his 'heart' and senses it flowing through his blood. He is a part of nature and at one with her. Nature has a way of repairing and restoring herself when damaged and bruised, and Wordsworth as a devoted follower of nature has succeeded in losing himself in perfect in  perfect harmony  with  with her. In the poem, Tintern Abbey he Abbey he also describes his growth and development along with

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

These experiences of free-spiritedness and submission to the lure and beckons of nature gave him immense enlightenment and relieve from the stress and burns of reality. His love for nature during his youth went a notch higher. It was more like a man's love for his sweetheart. Nature was like a beautiful maiden and Wordsworth, no doubt, sported a healthy blush on the cheeks whenever he is in the presence of nature. "The sounding cataract" and the deep and dark woods haunted him "like a passion". This love for nature still went another notch higher when he attained manhood. The love and interpretation of nature grew more profound at this stage. He discovered nature as a living entity 'whose dwelling is the light of the setting sun, the round ocean, and the living air' . Nature, he realized was an omnipotent force. What he experienced during his youthful days was replaced by the 'serene mood' and the 'sublime feelings'. He began to see nature as his source for emancipation and deliverance, 'knowing that, nature never did betray the heart that loved her'  .  . “The Tables Turned” (1798) : (1798) : In view of the economic and social changes of the Romantic period, society was often regarded as repressive and controlling force dominating both man and nature. Writers of British Romanticism such as Shelley, Coleridge and Wordsworth incorporated and worked out themes of nature and its beauty and an d relationship to man in their writings. . Having been published more than 200 years ago, the ideas and concepts the poet formulated are still of great importance, in particular in current times of progressing globalization, environmental pollution and degeneration of n ature. Therefore, the lyrical ballad “The Tables Turned” (1798) was chosen, in which the poet not only on ly represents the facets of nature, but also demands to stop analytical thinking and investigation in order to get deeply engaged in the splendour nature offers. Subsequently, the focus is on the sacred and divine qualities Wordsworth attributes to nature and on his idea of nature being a moral educator of man and source of ultimate truth. His poem “The Tables Turned”, is characterized by the veneration the poet shows in nature.It is His poem salient that Wordsworth enhances the word “nature” b y capitalizing its initial letter, an act that can be ascribed to the importance the poet attached to nature: ”Let Nature be your teacher. She has a world of ready wealth,” wealth,” Moreover, one notices that the poet genders nature as “female”, which shows he looks upon nature as the great mother of all comparable to Gaia, the Ancient Greek goddess of Earth who

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

feelings and emotions he experienced in nature, Wordsworth intents to let the readers participate in this sublime emotional state and in the uplifting up lifting power of nature, considering his poetry to function as mediator between nature and man. Furthermore, the setting sun, the wide fields and t he singing birds are described in a wa y that show the deep emotional impact and an d movement Wordsworth experiences in nature and in exploring its wonders and richness which seem to overwhelm him. The idea of nature na ture not only  being a place where one is able to find tranquillity, awe, wis- dom and transcendent experiences  but also as poetic inspiration can to my mind be perceived es- pecially in the illustration of the sun setting behind a mountain. The T he sun (l.5), symbol of creative and divine power (Battistini 2002: 192) spreading its splendour and vigour vi gour through the world emphasizes the interpretation that it is nature and its impulses that vest Wordsworth with the in- spiration and strength for writing poems. Furthermore, since the sun is additionally associated with eternity and  permanence, one can regard its “freshening lustre mellow” (l.6) as a constant factor in the poets’ life, giving hope and guiding his wa y, even in times of darkness and sorrow. . “Daffodils”:

According to Wordsworth, nature nature is the relevation of God through viewing everything that is harmonious and beautiful in nature. Daffodils by Wordsworth is a poem which celebrates the beauty of nature along with the bliss of o f Solitude. William Wordsworth developed his love for nature when he went to the hawkshead grammar school. It is that place when he experienced total freedom with which he roamed the Hills and valleys . He relied on his memory and reconstructed reconstructed his experienc experience e of his feelings. He wrote "Daffodils" after a long time by getting inspired by the beauty the cheerfulness of the Golden Daffodils .According to him poetry is spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings arising from emotions recollected in tranquility .He tells us that the Impressions of the nature are so strong that even a memory of them had made him cheerful when he was downhearted.

The main theme of the poem is nature. Daffodils ordinary flowers outline with remarkable qualities. The Daffodils appeared to be Golden in colour which symbolised love ,compassion and the magical effect that it creates on the poet's poet's mind. The poem Daffodils is one of the finest example example of poets true love for nature .He has compared himself to a cloud and Daffodils As human beings dancing and waving in the wind .He also referred the Daffodils as the continuous shining and twinkling stars in The Milky Way .The daffodils out do the glorious, shinning waves in happiness. This depicts the Unity between man and nature and that influence of nature on man is everlasting .

“Stray Pleasures”:

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

 proper delight, Each Each leaf, that and and this, his neighbor will kiss; Each wave, one and t’other, speeds after his brother: They are happy, for that is their right! In the previous passage Wordsworth touches several different aspects of nature. Wordsworth writes of leaves, rain and waves. These things are typically considered nature, but things such as the birds are typically not. This is what Wordsworth does so wonderfully, considered everything everything a  part of nature and conveys this to to the reader. Another Another talent that Wordswort Wordsworth h has is convincing convincing the reader that everything is alive. Ordinarily the reader would consider such things as showers a  part of nature but but not alive. Wordsworth Wordsworth gives nature to things that are not nature and life to things that are not alive. He writes of the waves as they come in to shore and as one crashes another one follows. He calls the second one the brother to the first. This is amazing use of words and imagery Conclusion:

Hence, in Tintern Abbey we Abbey we see that, Wordsworth had the right knowledge about nature which gave him enough reasons to become a pantheist or a "Worshipper of nature". There is no doubt that, nature happened to be the force and inspiration in moulding and creation of a legendary figure in the History of English LiteratureLiterature William Wordsworth. The circumstances under which Wordsworth wrote the poem “The Tables Turned” Turned”, are described as “years of hardship” due to the poet’s separation from from his wife Annette Vaillon and his daughter, nature can be seen as perennial, reliable element in his life, o ffering joyful emotions and wisdom as well as inspiration and h ope.In contrast to this negative illustration of culture and of human society, the poet portrays nature as its counterpart.

In the poem “Daffodils”, which is based on the theme of nature shows how nature influences man and also that Wordsworth was a poet of nature.

Wordsworth has secured the reputation of being one of the great Romantic poets. His verse celebrates the moral influence exerted by nature on human thought and feeling. Wordsworth's images and metaphors mix natural scenery, religious symbolism (as in the sonnet "It is a beauteous evening, calm and free, in which the evening is described

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour. July 13, 1798." It opens with the reader's declaration that five years have passed since he last visited this location, encountered its tranquil, rustic scenery, and heard the murmuring waters of the river. He recites the objects he sees again, and describes their effect upon him: the "steep and lofty cliffs" impress upon him "thoughts of more deep seclusion"; he leans against the dark sycamore tree and looks at the cottage-grounds and the orchard trees, whose fruit is still unripe. He sees the "wreaths of smoke" rising up from cottage chimneys between the trees.

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.

Trusted by over 1 million members

Try Scribd FREE for 30 days to access over 125 million titles without ads or interruptions! Start Free Trial Cancel Anytime.