1. In Shelley’s “A Defence of Poetry,” he states that “poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the World.” What do you think he means by this?
2. Compare Shelley’s attitude toward nature with that of Wordsworth. What do these two Romantic poets seem to share and where do they differ in their relationships with the natural world?
3. “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?,” the concluding line of “Ode to the West Wind” is one of Shelley’s most frequently quoted lines. What do you think it means?
“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?,” the concluding line of “Ode to the West Wind” is one of Shelley’s most frequently quoted lines. What do you think it means?
I believe this line is just telling us to focus on the positive, and although things maybe difficult, but it is just a phase that will pass and there are better days ahead. Shelley expresses his sadness about his poetry not having the effect he will like it to have, he explains to us how he wants his poetic voice to be like the wind, and spread, or have the effect that prophets have on their followers. He then puts his hope in the coming of spring to be the birth of a new start for his poetic ability to reach a large number of people.
Compare Shelley’s attitude toward nature with that of Wordsworth. What do these two Romantic poets seem to share and where do they differ in their relationships with the natural world?
Although both of the two poets focus their theme on nature, their feelings differ a lot. For William Wordsworth, nature is just like a medicine to help him recover from the busy city life. He admires nature and tranquil, feeling love and sublimed when he stays with the nature. However, for Shelley, he is in dejection when he sees the “leaves dead”, falling in the “dark wintry bed” in the season of autumn. What Wordsworth writes is a state of spring and summer, representing positive, lively and hope, while what Shelley emphasis is a state of autumn and winter, when everything is in recession and so his mood. He is waiting for the spring and his “summer dreams”.
Percy B. Shelley concludes the poem “Ode to the West Wind” with “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” Through the beginning of the poem, he uses a lot of death language, such as using words like black, pale, corpse, grave, etc. Throught this last phrase, he ends the poem in a happy and upside moment. Through this, he is saying that things may be bad at the moment, but that means that it will eventually pass and things will get better. He portrays winter to be the bad and spring to be the growth of new beginnings. He believes things in life are cyclical, just like the seasons. When bad things happen, the good follows behind.
Both P.B. Shelley and William Wordsworth have the same view that nature is beautiful and mesmerizing. Both of them acknowledge the satisfying feeling of its beauty, but P.B. Shelley tends to focus more on the ‘dying’ part of nature by using themes of Fall and Winter when leaves are dead, therefore eliciting a sad and negative vibe to his poems. On the contrary, in my opinion, the last line “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” gives a more positive feeling and means that after death (Winter), there shall be life (Spring). To keep in line with his sad vibes, however, this may mean that Spring is heaven and that he is accepting his ‘death.’ Wordsworth, on the other hand, exploits the ‘living’ part of nature by using themes of Spring and Summer, and focuses on the positive feeling nature gives him. He imparts to his readers that they should come and experience nature to relieve the stress and any negativity they may have.
In Shelley’s “A Defense of Poetry,” he states that “poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the World.” What do you think he means by this?
I think he means that poets are not recognized enough or aren’t praised for making a big impact on shaping our world or culture. Perhaps he realizes that poetry has influenced many people like it has influenced him. “Legislators of the world” meaning poets passes laws? Laws that are for the collective good, holding a moral code. Poets create poems about one’s feelings, thoughts that everyone has felt and not everyone felt the need to express them in writing. Similarly to songwriters- both poets and songwriters reflect in their art an underlying truth of humanity.
Both poets , Shelley and Wordsworth were romantic poets who expressed their feelings through the use of nature in their poetry. however, both poets differ in the way they relate to nature. Wordsworth has a optimistic attitude towards nature. Wordsworth feels satisfied with nature and seems happy remembering his past experiences after revisiting Tinten Abbey with his sister. However, Shelley’s attitude towards nature was the complete opposite of Wordsworth. Even though, Shelley saw nature as beautiful and powerful force but he was very negative and didn’t see life to be as beautiful as nature.
In Shelley’s “A Defense of Poetry,” he states that “poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the World.” What do you think he means by this?
Shelley means poets are regarded as people with professions with an impact. At the time people who focused on the arts, weren’t regarded highly in their society and weren’t taken seriously. In my understand of legislators of the world, I would see it as poets shaping human culture through their writing and that impact their writing has on society and how it lives on throughout centuries. He wants artists to have an impact that transcends time and to get the people at this time to understand the level of importance that these poets, writers, artists , etc are making an impact on.