The winds are "driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing" (4) and the poet's thoughts are like "winged seeds" (7) of each passing season. The poet writes, "Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere; / Destroyer and preserver; hear, oh, hear!" (13-4). Critic Jeanine Johnson notes that "Ode to the West Wind" "returns to the idea that human development and nature follow parallel cycles. If the seasons correspond to the ages of human life, spring being a time of new birth is childhood, summer is young adulthood, autumn is middle age, and winter being the time nearest death is old age" (Johnson). Each stanza represents a stage of life that is seen as if it were an aspect of nature and when examining the stages of life, one cannot overlook death. Johnson contends, "Human death is permanent. The poet tries to counter his sadness at the thought of dying with an optimistic vision of spreading his words among mankind" (Johnson). Just as Keats wished to fly away with the nightingale, Shelley, too, wishes to become a part of the experience that is surrounding him. Critic Ian Lancashire notes, "Poets prophesy, not by consciously extrapolating from past to present, and from present to future, with instrumental reason, but by capitulating to the mind's intuition, by freeing the imagination." (Lascashire). "Ode to the Western Wind" demonstrates these extremes and brings them together in perfect harmony. The poem explores the positive and the negative aspect of life while being inspired by nature. The sky, the clouds, streams, and leaves are points of inspiration as the poet contemplates his life through the prism of the seasons. Shelley's poem represents the heart of the Romantic Movement in that it attempts to explore and experience all aspects of life and death with an open eye. The poetic eye, if you will, is open and looking into life as art. Just as Keats, Shelley reaches from within and without to experience the fullness of life. The elusive wind represents life itself. The Romantic writers were filled with a passion that dares to reach beyond the...
Being alive was not good enough -- to appreciate life fully, one must be open to the smallest aspects of life and allow those aspects to influence experience. Desire to attain a greater experience through simple appreciation of life, color, sights, sounds, and emotion drive Romantic writers to pursue excellence through art. John Keats and Percy Shelley provide compelling examples of the poetic experience in ways that are decidedly Romantic in approach and form. "Ode to a nightingale and Ode to the western Wind explore an experience that is outside the poet's realm of being. A simple birdsong and an autumn breeze become prompts that bring each poet to a place that is surreal and sublime. Through their ability to break free from the constraints of traditional poetic methods, they were setting trends that opened the door for a new and provocative movement. Life is something to be experienced and the smallest aspects of it can be the most powerful if we allow ourselves to pay attention to them. These Romantic poets demonstrate exactly how to accomplish this with simple observations that allow them to transcend their immediate surroundings.
Romantic and Modern Design Styles Comparing the Ornate and the Natural: A Study of Two Theories of Design History often dictates societal mentality more so than current climate, yet in times of peace, it seems that the beautiful and the artful flourish. This very concept is debatable, especially in interior design, where the fashions of the time very often have a much-felt impact upon design theories and the way in which they
Music-Romantic Period 'ROMANTICISM' is a concept that can be easily recognized but is probably just as difficult to define. Like all other movements, Romanticism also emerged as a reaction to general idea, practices, social norms and political problems of the time. The general concept of romanticism sees music as an expression of intimate and sublime emotions. The period that can be categorized as romantic varies but generally covers the decades from
The Sense of Self and the Omniscient �I� in Whitman�s �Song of Myself�IntroductionWalt Whitman\\\'s \\\"Song of Myself\\\" is an epic poem that celebrates the individual self while exploring the interconnectedness of all things. The poem is filled with imagery and symbolism, and it is characterized by an omnipresent \\\"I\\\" that seems to encompass all of humanity. Whitman\\\'s conception of the self in this poem is one that is both public
The work expresses with clear honesty the need to express, reality and pain, in Wordworthian values. The expression of the work is poignant and clear, as the washerwoman goes through the process of noticing nature, as a guide for time rather than as something she is able to explore at leisure. The woman and the poet explored leisure, in only those available times when she was not otherwise needed
" (Hendricks) Truth and culture are therefore seen to be created and destroyed by others for their own ends. In conclusion, the three literary works discussed above are in many respects very different but also indicate certain continuities of intention and discourse between romanticism, modernism and postmodernism. What links them all is the search for reality and truth that exists beneath the facade of everyday life and reality. As we progress
Romantic Lit Romantic notions in Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that occurred during the second half of the 18th century. During this time, a shift from previously established Enlightenment ideals to more natural, emotional, and personal themes was seen. Opposing forces within Romantic literature were Nature and the Self; Nature was seen as the source of goodness and it was through society and civilization that
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now