Ode to west wind theme. Theme Analysis of Ode to the West Wind by Guang 2019-03-09
Ode to west wind theme Rating:
8,1/10
1816
reviews
Percy Shelley: Poems Themes
Be thou me, impetuous one! When Shelley wrote this Ode he was not only grieving for his son but the lives lost in his home country of England as this was also written shortly after the Peterloo Masacre. Usually, the sea gets dry during the summer time but the here Mediterranean Sea has lain calm and still during the summer time too. Be through my lips to unawakened Earth The trumpet of a prophecy! And, by the incantation of this verse, Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind! The last two stanzas are Shelley speaking directly to the wind, asking for its power, to lift him like a leaf, a cloud or a wave and make him its companion in its wanderings. How true lovers live even after their death as the same here even if the west wind buries the seeds into the ground but the spring wind has the power to regenerate the seeds. Thus, the power of the human mind becomes equal to the power of nature, and the experience of beauty in the natural world becomes a kind of collaboration between the perceiver and the perceived.
The poet describes the West Wind as a stream on which the clouds are strewn across like dead leaves of the imaginary tree which has its roots and boughs in the oceans of Earth and heaven respectively. By uniting with nature, Shelley is the wind's vessel, and his words reach all of mankind. To further contribute to his theme, Shelley uses many metaphors throughout his Ode. It is also used to show a sense of fear which seems to be the most common mood and emotion in this poem. In this double role of 1129 Words 5 Pages pentameter in terza rima formation. This shows the unique style of Shelley. Be thou, Spirit fierce, My spirit! Yet, behind all of the skepticism and scorn lies a determined voice, full of hope, believing that people will eventually gather to overthrow various kinds of despotism.
They are not described as colorful and beautiful, but rather as a symbol of death and even disease. The poem commences with the imagery of the earth, shifting its attention to the air, then moving towards the water, and finally ending at the fire. Shelley also emphasizes the importance of words and their potential impact on a society if shared. The poet compares his thoughts to the ashes and sparks of hearth. In my research, I found that when Shelley wrote this poem he was visiting Italy. The rhyming pattern follows the form aba bcb cdc ded ee. Shelley also has a strong desire to be like the wind so that his words will be spread throughout mankind.
An ode is a long lyric poem, highly interested in a specific subject, tone, and style, often written to celebrate an event, person, being or power. He asks to be immortalized through his words and his poems to fertilize humanity's new insights. I fall upon the thorns of life! Stanza 5 Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere; Destroyer and Preserver; hear, O hear! The way a Shepherd drives sheep as the same spring wind gives rebirth the dead leaves. Shelley views winter not just as last phase of vegetation but as the last phase of life in the individual, the imagination, civilization and religion. Since his thoughts have become pale and hectic red due to the growing age, he wants the rebirth of his emotions just like the winged seeds.
Ode to the West Wind Analysis: Stanza by Stanza ~ Novelty Sense
On July 8, 1822, shortly before his thirtieth birthday, Shelley was drowned in a storm while attempting to sail from Leghorn to La Spezia, Italy, in his schooner, the Don Juan. He would love to be lifted up by the by the Wind in a wave or fly with the Wind as a cloud to behold the wonders of nature. He refers to an innocent time in boyhood and wishes he could had been a friend of the wind wandering over heaven instead of through the limited experiences of humanity. Yet, beyond his outcry against the oppressive elements of religion, Shelley saw himself as a radical voice for the people of his time in the broad fight against unjust governments and laws. The phrase also emphasises the supernatural power of the west wind. Mary's contribution to the contest became the novel Frankenstein.
This line also provokes the reader to think about the many beautiful sounds of the wind and its unique qualities, just as human voices are unique. The poem ends with an optimistic note which is that if winter days are here then spring is not very far. The poem emerged from Shelley's friendship with the British philosopher William Godwin, and it expressed Godwin's freethinking Socialist philosophy. Generally, a dead leaf looks in black or brown in color but here very strangely those dead leaves are in yellow, pale and hectic red color. In the final stanzas, Shelley has the wind transforming from the natural world toward human suffering.
Imagery in Ode to the West Wind by roundtaiwanround.comy Essay
The wind is thus a destroyer and a preserver. He has already described it as the Destroyer. Shelley compares his thoughts to the dead leaves. Shelley shows Christ not as a religion, but as a hero of sacrifice and suffering, like the poet himself. Like Prometheus, Shelley hopes that his fire, a free-thinking, reformist philosophy, will enlighten humanity and liberate it from intellectual and moral. He wishes that he could fully experience natures power, which although terrifying at times, is emotionally safe and soothing. When he was young he felt that it was possible for him to be faster and more powerful than the Westwind.
Imagery in Ode to the West Wind by roundtaiwanround.comy Essay
The combination of terza nina and the threefold effect of the west wind gives the poem a pleasing structural symmetry. If even I were as in my boyhood, and could be The comrade of thy wanderings over Heaven, As then, when to outstrip thy skiey speed Scarce seemed a vision; I would ne'er have striven As thus with thee in prayer in my sore need. Autumn is like a deadly epidemic, slowing sickening and sapping away the life of the leaves that are desperately clinging on. It is strong and fearsome. In my research, I found that when Shelley wrote this poem he was visiting Italy. Symbols Mont Blanc For Shelley, Mont Blanc—the highest peak in the Alps—represents the eternal power of nature.
Imagery in Ode to the West Wind by roundtaiwanround.comy Essay Example for Free
It is written in iambic pentameter in terza rima formation. He wants a guarantee of spring after the autumn and especially after the winter. In most of the cultures, there is the fifth element as well which describes something which is beyond the material world. He wishes that he could intimately be a part of it to defy time. Shelley Shelley deals with the theme of inspiration in much of his work. Shelley continues praise and admire the omnipresent Wind in its many forms. He wants to be like the dead leaves which fall to the ground when the wind blows.
What the wind has the power to do, Shelley couldn't have even strove for. V Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is: What if my leaves are falling like its own! It is described through his excellent use… 1102 Words 5 Pages The wind is one of the most powerful forces known to man. Thou For whose path the Atlantic's level powers Cleave themselves into chasms, while far below The sea-blooms and the oozy woods which wear The sapless foliage of the ocean, know Thy voice, and suddenly grow grey with fear, And tremble and despoil themselves: O hear! Percy Shelley is awed by nature's ability to have immense power without intentional cruelty. Drive my dead thoughts over the universe Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth! We can be one with nature and feel the freedom of our life as we transform to our spring season. Percy was in a relationship with Harriet.
