–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?
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I believe Wordsworth gives “Tintern Abbey” such a detailed and precise sub-title and title because of their significance and connection to the poem. The sub-title “On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye During a Tour, July 13, 1798”, uses the word “revisiting” and the date to show the detailed remembrance of this very moment. When a person revisits a place, they usual reflect on how things have changed and how they themselves have changed and evolved as a person, and this is exactly what leads us into Wordsworth’s poem. The title “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” shows how he is over looking and above ‘Tinder Abbey’ and has a far sight perspective on it.
Tintern Abbey offers readers a religion of nature because of the descriptive the way Wadsworth describes his feelings and emotions when thinking of nature. Wadworth describes his first experience with Tintern Abbey as complete euphoria, however when he returns he sees it as a “religion”. Just as people use religion as their hope and guide in life Wadsworth uses his memories of Tintern Abbey to guide him through the days in the city. Specifically, people like Wadsworth use worship nature and the serenity that comes with it. Wadsworth uses Nature to guide him through his life and to develop his character to be the man he wishes to be. For example, he says that he was like a Roebuck the first time he visited, however, after much thought his next time he returns as a Pantheist.
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 believe Wordsworth gives “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey: On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye During a Tour, July 13, 1798” such a precise and detailed subtitle because the poem has a deeper meaning that the title suggests. The exact location and time indicate when he was inspired to write the poem. The title states that this is not the first time he has visited this particular location and he is revisiting the place to relive the good memories he had the last time. The title also suggests that Wordsworth has a different perspective about both the place and himself from when he was last there.
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 he refers to is his sister, who the speaker has taken along on his trip to Tintern Abbey once again. By bringing his sister/friend, the speaker can share the experience and emotions he had built up with nature on the trip with his sister. The significance of bringing along someone else is so the speaker can see how he has changed and things around him have changed, he now sees things differently with the passage of time. What the speaker hopes to experience from his revisit is to instill this overwhelming feeling of emotions of nature in his dear friend, who is his sister.
“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?
Sonnets provoke a certain emotion to readers. Sonnets are also a well known form of poetry. Even if they are highly structured they are able to convey a poets message to it full potential. It allows poets to give detailed distributions as well as keep readers attentive. Readers are usually concentrating on the words of the poem which also enables them to stay interested as well as be able to recognize the poem if they see it multiple times.
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?
Wordsworth composes “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey: On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye During a Tour, July 13, 1798.” He gives the poem such a precise title because he wants the reader to feel the place where he is revisiting. In the title he is giving us specific location, perspective, and date. Abbey was a building that was built to house religious monks, priests, etc. but later was demolished. The title shows the importance of Tintern Abbey to the author. He’s showing an important date for him in this title and how important the place was to him.
When Tintern Abbey states “dear friend”, he is speaking to her sister as her dear friend. Tintern decides to bring his sister on the trip he is taking, so he can use her as a recognition marker and as a person to experience the trip with her. He brings his sister, in order to see change over time and to show how nature can change someone emotionally. Tintern already understands the significance of nature, but his sister doesn’t. By bringing his sister, he can see how it can change a person other then him.
Nature can be a substitute for religion because in nature there is no aspect of time. This is crucial because religion is there to connect us to a higher power that will lift us from the evil in the world. The idea of time ties into this because when there is no sense of time one can just be and there is no need to worry about the future or the past and they can just react to the now. It offers the same bliss religion would.
He is giving such a detailed title because he is trying to be as detailed as possible when writing this. From his words to his tone everything is detailed. He also focuses on things that were important to him during that time because it is his point of view,