Percy Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind” should not be taken literally, as the poet is not truly writing just about the west wind, but instead about change. There are numerous references in the poem to the themes of death and rebirth, and they are connected to the wind. In one instance, Shelley writes, “Drive my dead thoughts over the universe/ Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth!” The wind takes something that is dead, which no longer works for the benefit of anyone, and gives it a new life. Through metaphor, Shelley thus asserts that change is both inevitable and good, especially when considering the poem’s final lines, “O Wind,/ If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” Overall, Shelley equates the wind with change, likely emanating from Western society (thus the “west wind”), which the poet sees as creating a better world.
I agree that the poet, Shelley associates the wind with change because she has the desire for new beginnings. The “winter” that Shelley talks about signifies death or the end of old ideas while “spring” is a fresh start. I also noticed that the poem is different from the others in the form that it is separated into five sonnets.
I agree with you that Percy Shelley’s poem uses the description of the west wind to express her mind of change. She uses her imagination in poetry to praise the West Wind for removing decay and encouraging new life. As in the first part, Shelley likens the west wind to “Wild Spirit” which is both “Destroyer” and “preserver”, destroying all the old and decaying things, it is also cultivating all new things that have vitality. It also gives the author an expectation for the future.