Dorothy Wordsworth

After reading the works of Dorothy Wordsworth several times each, I actually found the most depth in the short poem When Shall I Tread Your Garden Path?. I enjoyed this poem because even though it is quite short, it seems to be so meaningful to me. The way that Dorothy Wordsworth describes the activities that she wants to do makes them seem so wonderful even though they are simple things like walking up a hill.

I really enjoyed the image that she painted with her words in the beginning of the second stanza in which she states:

A prisoner on my pillowed couch
Five years in feebleness I’ve lain,
Oh! Shall I e’er with vigorous step
Travel the hills again?

I enjoyed the first line of this stanza most of all because Wordsworth makes the simple image of the couch and so elegantly makes me see someone who is confined to this object like a person held in a prison. I like the way that she speaks of these normal, everyday activities and common images in such a way that it makes each thing so much more than what one commonly thinks of it as and that is why I enjoyed this short poem so much.

William Wordsworth

I recently had quite a lot of time in which I was sitting around, so I decided to read over some of the earlier writers that we discussed. One of the writers that caught my eye was William Wordsworth. In particular, I found his poem We Are Seven to be the most intriguing his works that I read. I found that this poem was easy to read and follow along with because of the rhyme scheme that is used by Wordsworth. I like the fact that even though the poem is actually about the death of two children as viewed through the eyes of their sister. I really found the first stanza to be very interesting.

A simple child, dear brother Jim,
That lightly draws its breath,
And feels its life in every limb,
What should it know of death?

I liked the way that Wordsworth speaks of the innocence of a child as it relates to the idea of death. I also enjoyed the way that William Wordsworth continues the idea that death has a different effect on children throughout each stanza. The girl in the poem seems to refuse to acknowledge that her brother and sister are gone from her, but she is not in denial. Rather, the small girl knows that her siblings are deceased, but she holds on to the fond memories that she has of each of them and therefore it seems to me that her brother and sister are still very much “alive” to her.

John Keats

After reading over the works of John Keats, most of them a couple of times, I have taken the most interest in the poem Sonnet: When I have fears. I liked the fact that even though Keats is clearly contemplating his own mortality, each line is beautifully written and each word is heartfelt. The last two lines of the poem strike me as interesting because even though the poem is expressing the idea of death, those lines seem to be still looking toward the future. When Keats says,

[then on the shore]
Of the wide world I stand alone and think,
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.

it gives me the feeling that he understands that death is before him and though that is a difficult subject, he is anxious to see what is still to come. Everyone has fears that affect them every day, but it seems to me that Keats realizes that the fear of death is unnecessary and will only hinder one’s life, possibly in a negative way. There are many more relevant topics that face us on a daily basis that we must confront, such as not performing to our highest potential at everything that we do. Keats seems to realize that when death is immanent one will slow down and take on a new perspective. When things appear to be at their darkest, there is always some ray of light, no matter how insignificant you may think that it is, it is still there. Keats speaks of the clouds that we see almost everyday as “symbols of a high romance” and in doing so reveals how he feels that unavoidable death will change his perspective on the life that he is living. The most important thing that I felt after reading this poem is, when we feel that we are losing our grip on life and death is approaching, we should all stop, and take a look at what has always been right there in front of our faces.

Felicia Hemans

I have found that I take a great deal of interest in Felicia Hemans’ work, The Homes of England because I see it as somewhat parallel to the feelings that have been present in more modern times of war. I find the quote that precedes the work very interesting because I feel that there are a great deal of people who, when facing difficult times with their country, share the sentiments “Where’s the coward that would not dare...To fight for such a land?”-Marmion.

I enjoyed the way that Hemans described “The Homes of England” because she seems to place the same amount of thoughtful love into the descriptions that she provides within each of the stanzas. Hemans speaks, with great care, of “The stately Homes of England...The merry Homes of England...The blessed Homes of England…The Cottage Homes of England…The free, fair Homes of England”. She provides such warm, comforting images in each stanza that I found myself reading over each line with great care, and I also found myself giving each word careful examination and consideration. I really enjoyed the images that Hemans painted with her words, especially the last stanza:

The free, fair Homes of England!
Long, long, in hut and hall,
May hearts of native proof be rear’d
To guard each hallowed wall!
And green for ever be the groves,
And bright the flowery sod,
Where first the child’s glad spirit loves
Its country and its God!

I feel that I took so much interest in this stanza because of the patriotic feel of each line. I am very proud to be an American and I hold a great deal of respect for others who also hold patriotic values about their country. After reading The Homes of England I feel that Felicia Hemans was proud of her country, even if she was not particularly proud of the government, and she felt that it is important to fight for what one believes in worth while.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

After reading Mont Blanc by Percy Bysshe Shelley several times, I found that I was taken back by the profundity of this work in particular. Though I love poetry, I do not find myself taking a great deal of interest in most of Shelley’s works because I often find them to be a bit “out there” with the imagery that he uses. I feel that Shelley is a very intelligent person whose work is often difficult to understand because of his intelligence, but like most writers there are things that are less difficult to grasp. I think that because of my love for poetry I am able to appreciate certain things about each of Shelley’s, but I find myself drawn to Mont Blanc more than any of the other works mostly because of lines 1 through 11 and the image that Shelley creates about the universe and the way that it flows.

Percy Shelley opens Mont Blanc by saying:

The everlasting universe of things
Flows through the mind, and rolls its rapid waves
Now dark—now glittering—now reflecting gloom—

From these three lines I begin to create my own image of human life and mortality. To me, line 3, “Now dark—now glittering—now reflecting gloom” clearly illustrates the average human life. I feel this way because everyone has dark times in their life, everyone has great times and memories in their life, and there is constant gloom that surrounds every single life, and that gloom is the ever-present knowledge of death or human mortality. From the very moment that our heart starts to beat as a child still in the womb, we begin our journey of life that will eventually result in death at some point; no matter what we do in our lifetime, we are know that we will eventually pass away into death. I feel that Mont Blanc is in a way Percy Shelley’s illustration of life and mortality. In my eyes, it is not the way that we die, but rather the way that we live that is truly important.

Lord Byron

After reading the assigned texts and going back over it a few times I find myself drawn to the poem So, we'll go no more a-roving. I really enjoyed this poem because of its simplicity and how easily I was able to relate to it. Yet, I find the end of the poem somewhat confusing, but I find that most poetry is just that way. I enjoyed the way that Byron speaks of the eternity of the human spirit and the way that some things are almost everlasting. I feel that Byron conveys this when he says,

"For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast.
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And love itself have rest."

I really enjoyed this particular stanza because, to me, it clearly shows that the soul that is contained within us all will continue into eternity even after our bodies have gone. I liked the way that Byron used the image of the sword outlasting its sheath to help illustrate his point as well. The only real issue that I have trouble understanding is why in the end he seems to be saying that he will take no more risks in life by saying "Yet we'll go no more a roving...By the light of the moon." I feel that Byron is saying that even though there is eternity for the soul he will not take risks that he does not view necessary.

The French Revolution and Edmund Burke

On the topic of the French Revolution, I found the background information that was provided to be very interesting. The French Revolution completely changed French society, though only for a brief period of time. I found it interesting how much the French Revolution and the American Revolution had in common. The American Revolution was over taxation without representation and likewise the French Revolution was over harsh taxation and the social inequalities that were present in France. I had no idea that France was a country of such injustice during that period of time and now I see the reason for the revolution. Revolution moves things in a society along, it forces change, but that may not always be a good thing. The French Revolution overthrew the hierarchy, the monarchy, and the aristocracy almost entirely and out of that came great change such as a new government, new street names, and even a new calendar. All of this change seemed to be for the betterment of French society, but things took a drastic turn when King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were put to death. William Wordsworth said of the time before these executions "Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive!" (p. 36) After the executions of the King and Queen, France plunged into to turmoil. In a retrospective writing Wordsworth said of this period of the revolution "The scenes that I witnessed during the earlier years of the French Revolution when I was resident in France...come back on me with appalling violence" (p. 36)

Edmund Burke had his own ideas about the French Revolution as well as French society in general. Burke was a member of Parliament for nearly thirty years and was probably best known for his oratory skills. Burke, though allied with the Whigs, was essentially very liberal in his views of society. He was against the slave trade and was a strong supporter for the emancipation of Irish trade, Irish Parliament, and Irish Catholics. Though Burke was liberal in most views, he was a strong supporter of taxation of those in France, whether they felt it was fair and just or not. I feel that Burke supported this taxation and was an opponent of the revolution for one reason, he was a member of Parliament. He saw all of the benefits of the taxation and he also stood to lose a great deal if the French Revolution brought about too much extreme change.