Great Works of Literature II

Before i start my blog about William Wordsworth’s poems, I have to admit I’m not one who understands poems too well.

Now that I got that out of the way, after reading Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey I picked up a sense of appreciation and admiration the poet has for nature. Wordsworth reminisces on childhood memories of nature. The way he describes the sceneries of nature and the effect they have on him allows me to see the importance of  the communication between human and nature. I was going to quote certain parts of the poem but I realized that there is not one short part I can quote. From stanza 130 to 155, when he writes of his connection of his past to his present about nature, it made me remember my own experience with nature. New York City, even Brooklyn is a lot different from my native country of Myanmar. It’s a coincidence because “5 years” ago I visited Myanmar and went on a road trip with my family to the mountainous regions. Reading this poem made me remember the beauty and tranquility of nature. And although that trip was in the past, living in such a industrious place like NYC now, I’m very appreciative of that time I had with nature. Everyday I’m surrounded by the modernization and the advancement of technology in city life that remembering the sight of green pastures and star filled night skies, the smell of fresh air, and the sound of waterfalls brings me back some lost sanity. I admit, at the time when I was experiencing nature, I didn’t take it in but after leaving it and coming back to reality, I actually see the importance of nature to human beings. Like Wordsworth mentioned in his poem, “Thy memory be as a dwelling place For all sweet sounds and harmonies.”

Aside from making a personal connection to the poem, it reminded me of a reading from my previous English course I took in the spring. I don’t remember the exact title but it was about Frederick Law Olmsted’s creation of Central Park. I’m relating the poem to the reading because I feel they both emphasize the importance of nature. Wordsworth sees the experience of nature in his childhood as a gift for his present life of towns and cities. Olmsted brings nature to the city so that nature doesn’t have to be just a memory. Central Park is a piece of wilderness brought to the center of a bustling city so that people can get in touch with nature without having to travel out of NYC.

I’m pretty sure all of us have had a vivid memory of nature, so feel free to share your experience =D