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Romanticism Essay (Fighting Temeraire and Westminster bridge)

“Earth has not anything to show more fair:” What more do we want? We have been

living in the beauty of the environment yet we can almost see the end of it’s life and do nothing.

For the emptiness we give, the awe of nature still provides us with strong, mixed emotions and

unlimited space for imagination.

The beauty of nature is something we need to embrace; it is all around us and maybe that

is why we look past it all the time. In the poem Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September

3, 1802 by William Wordsworth, he expresses his full emotion about the awe of morning. He

says,“The beauty of morning; silent, bare, ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie open

unto the fields, and to the sky” which clearly shows his admiration for the calmness and silence.

The painting, The fighting Temeraire by Joseph William Turner, is also a great example. It

shows the elegance of the sky with clouds that feather against the array of soft orange, pink and

blue colors that fills you hear with refreshment. What I take from both these pieces is the idea of

a new era or a new beginning. There is an eagerness for us to understand their appreciation for

the environment and to share it with those around us.

Wordsworth's poem talks about how deep the calmness of dawn reaches. He describes,

“Never have I felt at calm so deep”and“All that mighty heart lying still” as he stands and looks

down at Westminster bridge. He emphasis his feeling for the scenery and his senses. Of his

whole poem, he never once says what he is thinking; only his emotions. Additionally, from the

painting, the blue colors of the sky and the still, silent water show a strong feeling of relaxation
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that puts your mind at ease. It sweeps away any thoughts that can cloud someone's mind. To me,

these components of the painting and the poem both push the importance of feelings more than

the need for rational thoughts and calculation.

Another integral part of these pieces is imagination which allows your mind to create new

pictures and sensations. “The very houses seem asleep” says Wordsworth. He knows houses can

not sleep, but he imagines it and writes it with personification. Giving the tangible objects human

characteristics are essential for any type of imagery. It lets the reader paint a picture and

experience what Wordsworth wants to get across. It also does not limit the amount of imagery

someone receives when they read the poem. In Fighting Temeraire, the painting can be a sunrise

or sunset depending on what you want it to be. Through imagination, everyone has the power to

believe in what they want to. It is like a new world where you shape things into the way you

want. In this context, people have the capability to comprehend what the painting is about and

what the story is behind it.

We need to give credit to how much allure nature holds, its ability to give emotion and

the sentiment it allows for the things we see or hear. The painting and the poem both share many

similarities that connect to the components of romanticism which lead to the main idea of

embracing what we have around us and to care for it.