Blake, Wordsworth, and Coleridge in Nature

In my opinion, the Romantic poets we have been reading so far use the natural world as much of their imagery in their poems because there is a lot of symbolism in Nature that has been generally understood by many others. Also, Nature holds a special place in their poems because it reminds them of their childhood and how free it felt to be near natural environments. Nature symbolizes the youth and innocence that they once held dear. Their creativity was deeply inspired by the unrestricted breezes, the intellect of the rivers, the strength of the mountains, and the solace of the woods. For example, in Wordsworth's "Lines,"

'Therefore let the moon/Shine on thee in they solitary walk;
And let the misty mountain winds be free
To blow against thee: and in after years,
When these wild ecstasies shall be matured
Into a sober pleasure; when they mind
Shall be a mansion for all lovely forms'

He suggests that we allow nature to envelop us and blossom our imagination and creative thoughts.

In Blake's "Introduction," the idea of Nature and Innocence is entwined. The subject of the poem is playing a pipe as he strolls in the valley. This is also where he has the vision of the child in the cloud, suggesting an illusion. Then the vision tells him to write, and this hints of creativity. However, Blake also uses Nature's scenes to illustrate a sense of hopelessness:

'It is a land of poverty!
And their sun does never shine,
And their fields are bleak & bare,
And their ways are fill'd with thorns;
It is eternal winter there.'

It is a sad image indeed when we imagine the sun not shining, ever. The sun is the key to our survival, it is mostly the key to the survival of nature, so if it does not shine, then life cannot be continued. As are the fields, if they are bare, then there cannot be much food. Bleak fields remind me of fruitless pastures, or a metaphor for an unlived life. Thorns are like the harsh and unyielding obstacles in one's life. Winter in this case does not sound like a wonderland; it is a cold and desolate place. Nature is naturally supposed to be a miracle, fruitful and awesome. It is a way of expressing their innermost feelings and thoughts, a projection of their passions.

Coleridge's "Frost at Midnight" describes nature in this way:

'Which image in their bulk both lakes and shores
And mountain crags: so shalt thou see and hear
The lovely shapes and sounds intelligible
Of that eternal language, which thy God
Utters, who from eternity doth teach
Himself in all, and all things in himself.'

He is saying that Nature is the medium through which God communicates with man. So Nature not only represents Innocence, it also serves as divine revelations.

These examples and interpretations help explain why I believe Nature is important to these poets.

~Kim

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Status: Graded on September 14, 2007 12:35 AM (Attempt #1)
Grade: 10 out of 10

Most Recent Comment:
Yes. you are hitting it on the head. Your observations that

"the Romantic poets we have been reading so far use the natural world as much of their imagery in their poems because there is a lot of symbolism in Nature that has been generally understood by many others. Also, Nature holds a special place in their poems because it reminds them of their childhood and how free it felt to be near natural environments. Nature symbolizes the youth and innocence that they once held dear"

really cut to the heart of these poets' ideologies. You chose excellent quotes and are showing a real grasp of these poems. Keep it up. You could easily expand something like this into a larger piece, which will bode well for the longer papers.