Christina Rocco
Thesis: The Prelude by William Wordsworth uses nature and connects it to three major aspects of life. The Prelude uses nature to first connect to childhood innocence, followed by self-growth of men, and most importantly the presence of the Devine.
TS Wordsworth connected nature to the innocence of childhood. ETS Wordsworth believed in childhood being the most innocent time in the life of a man. Children were born by an act of nature, and form an intense bond with the natural world based on their simplistic needs. Nature is also simplistic in it’s needs, therefore the connection between childhood and nature is strengthened. Children find joy in nature because they have access to a divine power and immortal world from which they most recently arrived. As children age they mature and lose this certain power. Through the power of mankind, and a return to their innocence spirituality with the help of nature, adults can regain youth. Children also learn from nature in more effective ways than formal teaching, according to Wordsworth. EX Wordsworth introduces the notion of nature as a child’s morality with the instructions and teaching of the natural world: “many are the joys / of youth, but, oh, what happiness to live / when every hour brings palpable access / of knowledge, when all knowledge is delight, / and sorrow is not there” (V 284-488). Sub Wordsworth speaks of the importance of learning in a natural setting. Its effects are more beneficial to a child, because they will eventually lead to a spiritual and person growth.
TS in the Prelude, Wordsworth describes the relationship between nature and its importance in spiritual and emotional growth of mankind. ETS Wordsworth presents nature as a subject, a metaphor, a character, and an inspiration. The poet begins by describing the breeze caressing his cheek, and he gives the breeze a human quality: A visitant that while he fans my cheek/ Doth seem half-conscious of the joy he brings (V 2-3). Ex He values it and appreciates it’s beauty, for it has been his home. Wordsworth pays homage to his long standing relationship with nature, “ye mountains and ye lakes…ye mists and winds / that dwell among the hills where I was born” (V 424-426). Wordsworth describes his deep connection with the river that he "loved/ To blend his murmurs with my nurse's song" (V 270-271). He personifies nature and speaks to it directly to express his feelings: And on the earth! Ye visions of the hills! / And Souls of lonely places! (V.464-466). Sub Wordsworth sees nature as a living thing with which the individual has a relationship. He values it as his home and appreciates its different aspects. Throughout Wordsworth’s poem, nature is an influence on not only the physical human, but the spiritual human. He believed every single part of nature was a manifestation of the natural world. This natural world inspired passionate emotions and a joyous outlook in its overall beauty and being. Elements of nature add to his experience, and teach him more about life, and connect him with the spiritual, for instance, and the voice of the river remains with the him and he dreams about it. The sounds of nature are described as music, and it is always a music that brings calm and peace. The poet's appreciation of nature and its effects is evident.
TS Wordsworth believed in the spirits within nature, and how they embodied a divine presence or connection with god. ETS The connection between nature and the divine, is based on the creation of nature itself. It was created by the divine; therefore the divine presence is evident. The relationship between nature and its creator is restorative and provides a fulfillment that a greater power exists. Wordsworth believed when communion with nature was occurring, earth and heaven connect