Attitudes Towards Nature in Poetry

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Attitudes Towards Nature in Poetry

Discuss Wordsworth's and Coleridge's attitudes to nature in Their

poetry with particular reference to Resolution and Independence

(The Leech Gatherer) and This Lime Tree Bower my prison

Coleridge and Wordsworth are both now referred to as Romantic poets,

during the romanticism period there was a major movement of emphasis

in the arts towards looking at the world and recognising the beauty of

human's emotions and imaginations and the world in which we live.

From the 18th century some saw imagination as a disease of which most

poets suffered, for others imagination was the ability to remember or

draw something that wasn't directly present.

Coleridge speaks of the imagination as

'The distinguishing characteristic of man as a human being' (In his

'Essay of Education') Wordsworth defines imagination as the 'clearest

insight, amplitude of mind, / an reason in her most exalted mood' in

book fourteen of the prelude.

One of the characteristics of Romanticism is exploring the

relationship between nature and human life. Both Wordsworth and

Coleridge focus's on this strongly in there poems. They examine nature

and how it effects mans imagination and mind. For this they were

highly criticised. They looked inside mans imagination rather than

intellect. This was a concept others could not understand. Their work

contrasted with the earlier 18th century poets of whom had a

structures intellectual reasoned approach to their work. They had

classical characteristics such as proportion and dignity.

Romanticism concentrated on Passions and Sublimity used frequently in

the poets work (a grand spectacular landscape that can stimulate

spiritual awareness,) the infinite and indefi...

... middle of paper ...

...ound him. There is a small image of nature right infront of him

which he was too blind to see at first through his anger and

frustration. The Bower is filled with radiance and sublimity and as he

feels happy and content he is sure Lamb will feel the same. Nature has

stimulated and revived his spirits.he is impressed by what surrounds

him and the silence which is aiding his reflection: "Wheels silent by,

and not a swallow twitters, Yet still the solitary humble-bee Sings in

the bean-flower!" Coleridge realises that nature has never deserted

him and he was stupid to think so. HE describes nature as a power that

can influence peoples lives and something that links together

everything. Nature has linked him with his friends on their walk and

at the end of the poem Coleridge is sure that Lamb will have seen the

sunset too. There for joining them in matrimony.

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