Interpreting Tintern Abbey
William Wordsworth existed in a time when society and its functions were beginning to rapidly pick up. The poem that he "Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye..." gave him a chance to reflect upon his quick paced life by taking a moment to slow down and absorb the beauty of nature that allows one to "see into the life of things". Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" takes you on a series of emotional states by trying to sway "readers and himself, that the loss of innocence and intensity over time is compensated by a gathering of knowledge and insight." Wordsworth accomplishes to prove that although time was lost along with his innocence, he in turn was able to gain an appreciation for the aesthetics that consoled him by incorporating all together, the wonders of nature, his past experiences, and his present mature perception of life. Wordsworth begins his poem by describing the landscape of the abbey as unchanged during the past five years. He emphasizes the lapse of time by stating, " again I hear", "again do I behold", and "again I see". He seemed to be overwhelmed with emotions that he, though up on a very far away cliff, was certain that a hermit was in his
Wordsworth stood on the cliff "not only with the sense of "present pleasure" but he joyfully anticipated the moments "for future years". He came back to reality and began to analyze the situation. Wordsworth realized that he had lost some guidance and was searching for the presence of nature when returning to the Wye. He remembered when he used to wander and roam as free but as he matured he felt satisfied with tapping into his memories of his youth because as Wordsworth stated, "That time is past...other gifts have allowed; for such loss, I would believe, abundant recompense". He realized that he was involved with more mature things in life because he had become more intelligent through the years and saw nature in the light of his intelligence. However, he insisted that he was "still a lover of the meadows and the woods, and the mountains; and of all that we behold from this green earth" but indeed, in a more composed way. Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" is the poetry of being aware of consciousness, and the understanding of where one fits into the scheme of everything within the world. Wordsworth looked into life as an active participant ready to grasp all knowledge and understanding that was available to him. So although he missed the abbey and lost some of his youth, he had gained ten-fold by being able to interpret his feelings through his own perception and knowledge. He had found a way to comfort himself; he had found a basis for hope in "Tintern Abbey". Wordsworth had become more thou
Some common words found in the essay are:
Tintern Abbey, Abbey Wordsworth, Banks Wye, William Wordsworth, tintern abbey, Wordsworth's Tintern, wordsworth's tintern abbey, own perception, life wordsworth, returning wye, wordsworth's tintern,
Approximate Word count = 1019
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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