William Wordsworth

Romanticism in poetry arose in response to the morals and beliefs that prevailed in the 18th
century. This form of poetry, which began somewhere around the end of the 18th century,
focuses on emotions rather than reason. Some of the important romantic poetry
characteristics are imagination, emotions, nature, pastoral life, symbolism and individualism.

The phenomenon of imagination is the essence of romantic poetry as it attains an excellent
experience by means of imagination as it takes us near to the spiritual truth.

When it comes to romantic poetry, the influx of emotions portrayed through romantic poetry
surpasses the boundaries of logical reasoning reason. The one thing which regulates the world
of romanticism is emotion. Romantic poetry is one of the best ways to let loose one's
emotions through words.

Spontaneity in romantic poetry arises from an emotional outflow, and sometimes pain is the
inspiration for composing a good piece of poetry.

A romantic poet is imaginative in interpreting natural phenomena. It is said that romantic
poetry associated with nature is a meditative practice. Nature is also viewed as a setting or
place which offers relief from the artificial world that we inhabit.

The pastoral life, culture and traditions are mentioned on a frequent basis in romantic poetry.
Romantic poetry makes use of this feature in order to present before readers the complexities
of life in a simple manner. Contrasting features of country and urban life can also be depicted
by the portrayal of pastoral life.

Symbolism is a way of expressing so much in so little. The use of symbolism in literature
allows inferring different meanings from a single expression. Symbolism provokes the
curiosity of readers and also adds a kind of mystery to the expressions or thoughts of the poet.
Representing a particular thing symbolically, lies at the core of symbolism.

Individualism is one of the important romantic poetry characteristics. Heroes are depicted as
personalities which exhibit boldness. This quality boldness is in contrast with that of restraint
depicted in ancient classics.

My choice of poet, William Wordsworth, fits into this era after careful evaluation of two of
his most profound poems, Three Years She Grew and Composed upon Westminster Bridge,
September 3, 1802 and his past which played an influential role in his work. Wordsworth,
who together with his four siblings was an orphan, embarked on a walking tour of Europe
which influenced his poetry and his outlook on politics greatly. Having experienced the
French Revolution first hand, he became a lot more sympathetic towards life, its troubles and
the voice of the common man. Both of the poems which I have selected encompass the main
characteristics of Romantic poetry which one can argue is the result of his life experiences.

The poem, upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802, depicts many characteristics of
romantic poetry such as concern with being in harmony with nature in Earth has not
anything to show more fair. Though exaggerating, he means that at that particular moment,
he could not imagine anywhere being more beautiful than the place at which he was standing.
It is almost more a manifestation of his mood than what he is seeing.

Nature imagery is also very prominent throughout the poem. This City now doth, like a
garment, wear the beauty of the morning; hint that maybe the morning, not London itself, is
responsible for the stunning quality of the view. Never did sun more beautifully steep; In his
first splendour, valley, rock, or hill specifically compares the morning sunlight falling on the
city to the sunlight that might cover more remote parts of the countryside, such as a valley, a
boulder or mountainous cliff or a hillside. The river glideth at his own sweet will engages in
the personification of various elements of the picture. Here the river is described as a patient
person who takes his time and doesn't allow himself to be rushed.

Dear God! the very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still! depicts
nature as divine as the speaker gets more excited about this view after declaring it the most
beautiful thing on earth and cries out to God as if he has just recognised something
astonishing he had not noticed before.
Emotional connection to visual stimulus Earth has not anything to show more fair and
Never did sun more beautifully steep; In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; the
speaker elaborates on his bold statement that he has found the most beautiful scene on the
planet which is indicative of Wordsworths emotional state towards the view he sees.
Similarly, when looking at the poem Three Years She Grew, we see that the poet writes about
real life and we also see that nature takes on an interesting role in this poem - she is beautiful
and giving, and yet ultimately dictates the circumstances of Lucy's death.

Concrete situations in a natural setting where nature promises to make Lucy into a part of
nature itself. She will be a part of the rocks, the earth, the heaven, the glades, the mountain
springs, the clouds, the trees, and the storms. Supernatural imagery, which might be
interpreted as individualism and solitude, are also evident in this poem. A strong example of
this is In earth and heaven, in glade and bower; Shall feel an overseeing power.

William Wordsworth made a valuable contribution to literature as he was one of the
forerunners in developing romantic poetry in the Romantic Era as the basic traits of
romanticism such as the love of nature, the belief in humanity; mysticism and revolutionary
spirit were early developed in his poetry. He also wrote many great sonnets which allowed
awoken England from a deep slumber to denounce Napoleon and record some of his own
moods. These sonnets aroused a sense of responsibility in international affairs and also
created a sense of immortality. Thus, Wordsworth stands apart as the pioneer of Romantic
Movement by his great contribution in English literature.