Why do you think Shelley chose to write an ode to the wind? Does the wind represent some larger concept?
The way she speaks of the wind resembles how people pray to god. She praises the wind earlier in the poem, “Destroyer and preserver; hear, oh hear!” (Shelley 14), and proceeds to ask of it to hear her out. The rest of the poem sounds like she is describing the current state of nature followed by here asking of the wind to do a favor, “to quicken a new birth” (Shelley 64). She is asking for a new, more enlightened era to be brought upon the world, and for the old world to be destroyed. The wind and nature representing a force that is capable of great destruction, but great creation as well.
I was taken aback after reading your response, you make a good point about the wind and nature being a force that can both destroy and create. I think Shelley uses wind to represent prayers also due to the fact that wind is everywhere, which are similar with prayers. A prayer can be made anywhere and at any given time and even nonreligious people can make a prayer subconsciously.