–In what sense does “Tintern Abbey” offer readers a “religion of nature”? What are some of the specific ways in which nature works as a substitute for traditional religion?
–Why do you think Wordsworth gives “Tintern Abbey” such a precise and detailed sub-title? What is the significance of this poem’s full titile?
–In the final portion of “Tintern Abbey,” the speaker turns to his “dear friend.” Who is this friend and what role does he/she play in the poem?
–“Composed upon Westminster Bridge” and “The World Is Too Much with Us” are both sonnets. Why do you think a poet might choose to work with such a highly structured form?
–Describe some of the ways in which Wordsworth’s poetry conforms to some of the features of Romanticism that we’ve discussed. What evidence can you find to illustrate this?
William Wordsworth
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In the final portion of “Tintern Abbey,” the speaker turns to his “dear friend.” Who is this friend and what role does he/she play in the poem?
This friend is William’s sister Dorthy and she played the role of his past self. The younger sister is significant in this poem because she causes the speaker to have a wave of nostalgia. She perceived nature the same way William perceived it five years ago, appreciating the view but not understanding nature. It’s her first time visiting and he is thrilled to be part of her experience. The speaker sees that his sister acts the same way he did years ago when he first visited. He says a prayer saying she will be blessed and have the same view of the world after this experience.
A way that Wordsworth’s poetry conforms to some of the features of Romanticism is the inclusion of emotional life and how one feels about something. In particular, “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” focuses a lot on how Wordsworth views nature and in the first few stanzas, he talks about how he feels when thinking about nature. For example, he writes, “Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,/In hours of weariness, sensations sweet, […] And passing even into my purer mind,/With tranquil restoration: – feelings too/Of unremembered pleasure…” (26-31). What this quote is saying is that when Wordsworth was living in cities or when he was feeling tired, the idea of nature and its beauty soothed him. Thinking about nature gave him tranquility and in describing nature in such a way, it demonstrates how Wordsworth’s emotional state is often impacted positively by his memories of and experience with nature. This inclusion of emotions and how nature impacts him mentally aligns with some of the ideas of Romanticism, where the focus is primarily on the individual’s self and there’s an emphasis on one’s emotions and mental being.
Wordsworth gives “Tintern Abbey” a precise and detailed subtitle to show readers how beautiful the place was back then. Before five years, he traveled through the mountains to reach Tintern Abbey and witnessed how beautiful it was by nature. Wordsworth admires how the Tintern Abbey was before and not something made up. As he writes this poem to the audience, he expresses his view of when God created nature. Wordsworth includes Tintern Abbey in the subtitle to explain his views on nature and his adventure traveling the Tintern Abbey. Also, he wants the audience to see nature as beautiful as he did to explain how the Tintern Abbey was his best memory.
“Composed upon Westminster Bridge” and “The World Is Too Much with Us” are both sonnets. Why do you think a poet might choose to work with such a highly structured form?
A poet might choose to write a sonnet since it might be more structure with its own rhyme scheme. Also, since it is only fourteen lines, a sonnet helps the poet write out their thoughts quickly.
In what sense does “Tintern Abbey” offer readers a “religion of nature”? What are some of the specific ways in which nature works as a substitute for traditional religion?
Tintern Аbbey offers a religion of nature through Wordsworth. Аs he is reexaming adulthood he feels god is everywhere through Tintern Аbbey. In this time many people believed in one or many prophets. Аlthough this poet found god through the beauty in nature.God correlates with nature because it makes us believe in mental peace and mortality.
In the final portion of “Tintern Abbey,” the speaker turns to his “dear friend.” Who is this friend and what role does he/she play in the poem?
The “dear friend” in the poem is Wordsworth’s sister. Wordsworth’s sister plays an important role in the poem, because she heightens Wordsworth’s powerful emotions due to his reminiscences. This powerful emotion aligns with the Romantic influence on Wordsworth’s writing. Furthermore, Wordsworth sees his younger “animal” self in his sister, because she does not yet see the divinity of nature. Wordsworth expresses his desire to pass on his beliefs to his sister and for her to learn from his mistakes in not seeing the divinity in nature; he even proceeds to cite a prayer for her. Ultimately, the role Wordsworth’s sister played in the poem was to reminiscence the sibling bond, and increase the level of emotions, a common characteristic of Romantic writers.
In the final portion of “Tintern Abbey,” the speaker turns to his “dear friend.” Who is this friend and what role does he/she play in the poem?
– In the final portion of Tintern Abbey, when the speaker refers to his dear friend, he is referring to his younger sister Dorothy who accompanied him in this trip. He describes her as being in the same state he was in when he visited 5 years ago, unaware of how beautiful nature was and instead acting child-like. He describes that in moments he was struggling in those 5 years, he would reminisce his time in nature to remind him of good memories and hopes his sister can carry the memories she has made now with her like he has.
The “dear friend” in “Tintern Abbey” is Wordsworth’s sister. The role she plays is the past image of himself. What I mean by that is his sister believes everything that Wordsworth used to in the past. He used to believe that God wasn’t all around him, and he couldn’t see God in nature. He also didn’t have this strong sense of happiness and the feeling of relaxation when he remanence of the past at Tintern Abbey. However, that all changes, now when he remanence of Tintern Abbey, he imagines himself be back at that place where it is calm, surrounded by nature, and it is healing him. He believes God is everywhere, even in nature; that is why he feels relaxed when he thinks about that place. He wants his sister to think in the same light. I think he wants her to use that memory to help her calm down when times are tough, but also, it could be that he wants to share this memory bond with her. In addition, I think he wants her to know that she has a brother that wants the best for her and that God is there to support both of them.
“Composed upon Westminster Bridge” and “The World Is Too Much with Us” are both sonnets. Why do you think a poet might choose to work with such a highly structured form?
I believe “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” and “The World Is Too Much with Us” might choose to work with such a highly structured form is because a sonnet consists of a pattern, almost like a rhyme, poet contemplate with what their conclusion will be. For example, “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” we can talk a look at how Williams Wordsworth uses this sonnet to contemplate with his conclusion. In the beginning he starts out giving the reader a sense of where this sonnet will go and in the end he ends it with a turn, catching the reader by surprise. This could be another reason as well because using this highly structured form is because it can help with a plot twist as well.
Why do you think Wordsworth gives “Tintern Abbey” such a precise and detailed sub-title? What is the significance of this poem’s full title?
I think Wordsworth gives “Tintern Abbey” such a precise and detailed subtitle is because he wants the readers to know the exact location when he visits the same place for the second time. Secondly, I believed that the subtitle was very precise and detailed is because he wants to evoke the idea of childhood and memories. And lastly, I think it’s because this visit was one of the happiest moments in Wordsworth’s life, and so, he remembered the location precisely.
In the final portion of “Tintern Abbey,” the speaker turns to his “dear friend.” Who is this friend and what role does he/she play in the poem?
The friend in the final portion of “Tintern Abbey” is his sister. He says that she has “the language of my former heart” and sees his “former pleasures” in her eyes. She is the basis from which he is able to reflect on himself and see who he once was. Like he was reflecting on his past experiences with nature at the beginning of the poem, he knows that this experience that he is having with his sister will give them both memories that will last, and then his sister can reflect on this memory in the future, similar to how he is reflecting on his past experiences with nature now. Talking to her, he says ‘Nor wilt thou then forget…these steep woods and lofty cliffs…were to me more dear, both for themselves and for thy sake!”‘ Here he is basically telling her to not forget how important this specific area of nature is to him and how she won’t or shouldn’t forget how it made them both feel when they visited it together.