Lines Composed A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey

Samantha Wong
Professor Jennifer Riske
English 2323
15 June 2016
Writing Assignment One: “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” In William Wordsworth’s famous poem, “Tintern Abbey”, the poet deemed nature as valuable because he regarded nature as a moral guide, mentor throughout his life, and as well as restorative existence. When Wordsworth was child, he passionately reflected and cherished his time of isolation from the world as he pondered life in Wye River Valley as a youth. He inscribed: “But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din / Of towns and cities, I have owed to them”...... “His little, nameless, unremembered, acts / Of kindness and of love” (lines 26-26; 34-35). This transcript is an example that nature encouraged
him as an individual to become more earnest and compassionate throughout his lifespan. Wordsworth correlated his viewpoints when he was an adolescent with his perceptions as a mature adult.
When he grew older his view on nature sculpted more into a spiritual aspect, and he realized that without nature there would be no living as the two go hand in hand. Although Wordsworth realized the world was more corrupt than he imagined as a child, his love for nature never vanished. Wordsworth stated: “Therefore am I still / A lover of the meadows and the woods / And mountains; and of all that we behold”. He later wrote: “In nature and the language of the sense / The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, / The guide, the guardian of my
heart,
Wong 2 and soul / Of all my moral being” (lines 103-105; 109-112). As Wordsworth began to transition into adulthood, his perceptions of nature altered. As seen in his writing, “Faint I, nor mourn nor murmur; other gifts / Have followed; for such loss, I would believe, / Abundant recompense” (lines 87-89). The passion he once had for nature as a youth was bygone and left in the past. In the poem “Tintern Abbey”, it is clear Wordsworth did not observe nature in an imaginative perception like he once did, but he was still grateful for his reformed way of thinking about nature from a more logical, reflective, and abstract standpoint:
“For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes
The still sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue.—And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,” (quoted in lines 89-97) The Lyrical Ballads were a colossal success, and ultimately altered the game for every poet who would follow after Wordsworth.
The preface that Wordsworth wrote will be remembered not only for the profound language and vocabulary use, but the characters he would introduce in
Wong 3 his writings. For example, in “Tintern Abbey”, Wordsworth relates his characters to himself and the common people rather than royal individuals; he was known to contrive characters that people could relate to on a daily basis. Wordsworth fought for the belief that poetry should convey a sense of pleasurable emotions, and it was not necessary for a poet to use confusing vocabulary. His ultimate goal was that the reader would be able to connect to his poetry on a deeper emotional level, while being able to smoothly read and understand the
poem.

Wong 4
Works Cited
"Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour. July 13, 1798 - Poetry Foundation." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 June 2016.