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nature

nature “The greatest and in the end the most influential of the English Romantics” ( Britannica 675 ). That is William Wordsworth. Wordsworth changed the style of English poetry. His poems are very well written and very beautiful. Many events that　took place in his life shaped Wordsworth’s poetic style. The most important of these　events was not one specific event at all, it was one that encompassed all of Wordsworth’s　life. The one aspect of his life that most shaped the poetry of William Wordsworth was　his love of nature. Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770, in Cockermouth, Cumberland. As a 　child, his father required him to study the works of Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton. His mother died in 1778, and his father in 1783. After his father’s death, he was sent to　live with his family in Penrith. Wordsworth entered the University of Cambridge in　1787. He studied the subjects that he would be expected to study, but he was more　interested in the nature that surrounded the university. “But more important than the　schooling was the Vale of Esthwaite and the surrounding fells, where nature herself now　began to take the leading part in his education” ( Britannica 675 ). He took a walking　tour of France in 1790, and after his graduation in 1791, he returned to France, becoming　a very enthusiastic supporter of the French Revolution. In 1792, Wordsworth had a　daughter with his lover Annette Vallon. Shortly after, he returned to England. 　Wordsworth was disheartened by the outbreak of hostilities between the French and　British, but he saw past his loyalty to his country and remained in favor of the French　cause. The first of Wordsworth’s poems to be published were An Evening Walk and　Descriptive Sketches. These were both published in 1793, and Wordsworth made little　money from them ( Encarta ). Although Wordsworth made little money from his writings, his financial　problems were taken care of in 1795, when he received 900 pounds from the will of a　close friend. Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy then went to live in Racetown,　Dorsetshire. Wordsworth was always very close to his sister, and she helped to　encourage him when his writings were not doing very well. Wordsworth would be　deeply saddened by her mental breakdown in later years. Wordsworth met fellow poet　Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and he and his sister moved to Alfoxden, Somersetshire, near　Coleridge’s home in Nether Stowey. The poets became close friends, and collaborated　on a book of poems entitled Lyrical Ballads. Wordsworth wrote almost all of the poems　in the book. Lyrical Ballads is considered to mark the start of the romantic movement in　English poetry. Lyrical Ballads represented a revolt against the classicism of　contemporary English poetry, and was therefore greeted with hostility by most of the　critics of that time ( Encarta ). In 1798 and 1799, Wordsworth and his sister accompanied Coleridge to Germany. It was here that wrote some of his finest lyrical verses, and began The Prelude. The　Prelude, an account of Wordsworth’s own development, was completed in 1805, and　published after his death in 1850. Wordsworth and his sister returned to England in 1799, and made their home at　Dove Cottage in Grasmere, the most beautiful spot in the English Lake District . Another　poet, Robert Southey, and Coleridge lived nearby. The three men became known as the　Lake Poets. For the second edition of Ballads, which was published in 1801, Wordsworth　wrote a “Preface” to defend his theory of poetry. He said that poetry originates from　emotion, and that form and intellectual approach only served to drain poetry of that　emotion. This idea only served to increase hostility toward Wordsworth. However, he　was not discouraged, and continued to write poetry in his emotional style.　 In 1802, Wordsworth married childhood friend Mary Hutchinson. In 1813 he　moved his family, along with his sister, to Rydal Mount, a few miles from Dove Cottage.　It was here that Wordsworth obtained the position of distributor of stamps for　Westmorland at a salary of 400 pounds a year. Except for a few vacations, Wordsworth　would spend the rest of his life here. Wordsworth was appointed poet laureate of England　in 1843. He died in 1850, and was buried in the Grasmere churchyard.　 “But it was Wordsworth who brought into English literature that deep, poetic　appreciation of nature, amounting almost to extravagance, that has since become　characteristic of much of it. Love of nature was not merely a decorative part of his verse;　it was its chief impulse and subject” ( The Book of Knowledge 2489 ). I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud is a perfect example of Wordsworth’s deep　appreciation for nature. The title has to do with nature, and suggests that the poem will　be about nature. The title also makes it very clear that the speaker, almost certainly　Wordsworth, is lonely.　 The repetition of the title as the first line of the poem serves to emphasize the fact　that the speaker is lonely. When the speaker says that he “floats on high,” it shows that　he is not only lonely, he feels separated from the rest of the world. While the speaker is　wondering around, he comes to a field full of daffodils. These daffodils are very happy. 　They are dancing in the breeze and having a great time. By saying that the daffodils are　dancing, Wordsworth personifies them. This makes it seem that the speaker is not alone　in a field of daffodils; he is in a field surrounded by little, happy people. There are not just a lot of daffodils with the speaker, the daffodils stretch out as　far as outer space, never ending. The speaker can see ten thousand by just glancing. 　Every single one of the daffodils is dancing. Wordsworth says that the daffodils are　dancing “sprightly.” Sprightly means that the daffodils are dancing like fairies. In　folklore, fairies were generally considered beneficial to humans, and Wordsworth is　describing the daffodils as fairies to show that good things are about to happen to the　speaker. The daffodils are next to a lake, and the waves on the lake are also dancing. However, the waves are not dancing nearly as happily as the daffodils are. This　emphasizes the fact that the daffodils are extremely happy, and that they have the power　to lift the spirits of the speaker. The line, “A poet could not but be gay,” does many things. It proves that　Wordsworth is indeed the speaker in more ways than one. The word “poet,” shows that　the speaker is indeed a poet, and that poet is probably Wordsworth, because he wrote the poem. By also saying that the poet could not help but be happy in these surroundings,　Wordsworth is shortening the list of candidates that this poet could be, because at the　time this poem was published, 1807, critics were still against him, and there were few　other poets who shared his views on nature and poetry. In the context of the poem, this　line again emphasizes the fact that the daffodils bring happiness to the speaker, and that　when he is around the daffodils, he can only be happy. Even if he was in a mood where　he was trying to be sad or lonely, he couldn’t, the daffodils would lift his spirits and keep　him company. Lines 17 and 18, “I gazed--and gazed--but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought,” are also very significant. They emphasize how special the daffodils　really were. Even though the poet had his spirits lifted while he was with the daffodils,　he had no idea that the daffodils would prove to be a very special gift that would keep on　keeping him happy even though he was not with them. Their power extended much　farther than the poet thought that it would. Even when the poet was at home, just lying on his couch, he would become　lonely and sad. Then something truly amazing would happen. The daffodils would　“flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude.” He would see the daffodils in　his imagination. He didn’t even have to be with the daffodils for them to have a　profound effect on him. He could lie on his couch, and the daffodils would help him. 　Even though he couldn’t be with the daffodils, he could dance with them in his heart, and　that was all it took for his mood to be lifted. William Wordsworth was a very talented and very influential poet. His poetry　was not immediately accepted, but he was recognized as a significant poet before his life　was over. Many things influenced Wordsworth’s poetic style, the greatest and most　important of these things being his love of nature. Wordsworth’s poems are beautiful　and meaningful. He is certainly one of the greatest poets of all times. (Carnegie Mellon Press, 1988) This paper is the property of NetEssays.Net Copyright ｩ 1999-2002 Bibliography:

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