of the experience comes from his eye, while the other half comes from nature. That is, what has such an effect on him is not nature pure and simple but nature as filtered through his own “language of the sense.”From this green earth; of all the mighty worldOf eye, and ear, --both what they half create,And what perceive; well pleased to recognizeIn nature and the language of the sense,Seeing into the life of things, then, is seeing into the power of human reflection, which in turn rests on our capacity for recollection. Thus the form of the poem—the constant shifting of the author’s attention from one period of time to another—portrays the experiences and recognition’s that is the subject matter of the poem. It is in this shifting of attention that the author—and we—come to distance ourselves from those aspects of our lives that trouble us and turn to other experiences that nurture us and give us hope for the future. Moreover, this power of reflection gives us the ability to give shape not just to our experiences of the past but, also, to our expectations of the future. The author has learned that what he becomes is, in large part, the result of what he chooses to make of himself. Making oneself, for Wordsworth, however, comes not in building a career or seeking riches, but in coming to a better understanding of one’s own nature and situation. This gives the author tremendous power over his life, but also a great deal of responsibility for it as well. ...
