Final Thoughts Inspired

My final thoughts about the power of nature and the relationship of human kind with the force of nature came after reading a great blog post by Nicole Noelliste, entitled The Destructive Power of Nature. Up to this point, therefore, throughout the whole semester I focused on the strict relationship and evidence of the inevitable human connection with nature. However, I looked at the relationship through the prism of positive background and sort of "sunny side" of nature's existence in human characteristics. Lines like "This poem reminded me of how powerful nature is in comparison to human kin" made me realize one thing. I have failed to even think about that aspect of nature throughout the semester. However I would have to kindly disagree with the statement made in Nicole's blog. Even though her work made me realize the destructive aspect of nature I cannot abandon the notion of nature being a building block of human character. Nicole shows us the inverse relationship: most of the time the ballads talked about the negative human impact on the natural world and the separation from it and Nicole shows the negative impact of nature on what is human. Noelliste reminds us of the natural disasters in her blog for example: The earthquake in Haiti or the hurricane Katrina, which are undoubtfully great examples of nature's fury. However, I would like to point out that human nature is closely realted to the natural world. Humans, despite the modern separation from nature, are a mirror image of the characteristics of the natural world, even the destructive side of it. Let's look at a very current event like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Due to human activity and the never ending need to make money, thousands of species are in danger. This is just a relatively mild example, which can be contributed not necessarily to deliberate activity due to human nature. However I do have a more aparent one. Nature can be destructive at times but so can humans. Best example is World War II. Human fury and madness had caused destruction and death on a scale which is uncomparable to Hurricane Katrina and Haitian earthquake combined. Countless wars and conflicts represent the dark side of human natural heritage. The characteristics of nature, the good and the bad, are a building block for human behavior and tendencies. Despite the fact that we get to be more and more separated from the natural world and trapped in the synthetic human environment we behave like nature because we are a part of it. Whether we like it or not, we are the reflection of what is natural. I can only hope that people will realize that one day, and try to emphasize the beautiful aspect of our natural heritage, so far the human kind is great at showing off it's fury and destructiveness rather than the beauty and peace. One can only hope that the earth won't have to look at the terrible scenes like the one above ever again. The picture was taken in Poland after the German invasion; it depicts the outcomes of human fury in the most drastic way possible.

Johnny: The "Idiot" in all of us.

William Wordsworth in his poem The Idiot Boy, chooses a bizarre story to convey a message. The story makes me wonder whether The Idiot Boy was really so idiotic... . Lines : "All like a silent horseman-ghost, He travels on along the vale" indicate something deeper than just a mentally challenged boy unconsciously running away. The meaning of the word "vale" can be interpreted as a valley or mortal, earthly life. Johnny is somewhat like a ghost to the rest of a society because of his differences from the regular people. He is sort of a "unnatural" being even to his mother. Johnny uses the situation in which he has a horse to throw himself at the natural world and let the natural help him forget his mortal life on earth where he might not experience the sense of belonging. In this dangerous, in his case, situation he rides on the ridge of life and death to experience freedom and the sense of belonging among what is natural. By taking the horse and riding into the forest and through the town Johnny expresses his will to leave all the troubles behind, the dying neighbor, the worrying mother, the, probably not very understanding, society. Johnny wanted to leave the world in which he is an "idiot" and be in a place where he could explore himself without the prism of idiocy which is forced upon him by the society. Many people can relate to Johnny, not because of his disorder but because of his dream of getting away from the problems, opinions, the society and experiencing own understanding of who we really are as individuals.

The Natural: Where our ancestors live

"Stately pleasure-dome decree", the temple of the godly Kublai Khan, the grandson of the great Genghis Khan, stretches its wise rule over the empire and benefits from the natural world instead of spreading total destruction. The poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Coleridge has two sides to its meaning. Coleridge is truly mesmerized by the beauty of the kingdom and the achievements of the Mongol empire, and the magnificence of the tribute temple which was a reflection of Khan's vision of future of Mongol cities. On the other hand, Coleridge is trying to show the relationship of the empire with nature. Through lines full of symbolism, like:"The shadow of the dome of pleasure floated midway on the waves" Coleridge is trying to show the harmonious rule of the Khan over nature instead of barbaric and cruel alteration of nature. Also, the fact that the sacred river brings the voices of the ancestors to the emperor shows the meaningful relationship of the Mongol culture and nature. Coleridge is trying to show this beautiful notion of civilization and nature coexistence. It is a definite contrast to the British empire from Coleridge's times. Coleridge's "vision" or a dream of the appreciation of the natural by the civilized world corresponds to most of the poems in Lyrical Ballads. By creating Kubla Khan Coleridge shows that such relationship between the natural and the civilized is possible and was once achieved by The Great Mongol Empire.

Multifaceted Diamond: Love of men.

"Most musical, most melancholy" ! We see those words again in the Lyrical ballads and Coleridge uses them in his Effusion XXIII : To the Nightingale for a good reason. Coleridge writes about his experience with love. He writes about his encounters with the strangest and the most beautiful of human feelings. I think Coleridge, pushed around by his troubles and challenges of love life, compares love to a song of a nightingale. It is beautiful, pleasant or "musical" and brutal, sad, "most melancholy" at the same time. The author shows in this poem that the most beautiful and the most meaningful thing in human life can also be the most hurtful and sad. Just like the beauty of the Nightingales song or the beauty of a rose with sharp thorns, love is a multifaceted diamond. The deeper meaning dwells in the reason for which love is beautiful or the melancholic song of a nightingale is musical. Without the violent storms which tug the sail of love with its strong winds one wouldn't know how strong love can be and how beautiful it shivers when the winds of trouble calm down. Without thorns the beauty of the rose would be too easy to get, too common to experience up close . Without the melancholy in the nightingale's song no one would realize the beauty of his singing. This poem is a magnificent example of how the natural, or the wild can help with understanding something very human in nature, love.

The guide: Blindfold for the people

The work of William Gilpin is a good addition to the Lyrical Ballads. The text entitled From Observation on the River Wye shows an absolute contradiction of the message which Wordsworth is trying to put forth in his work. Gilpin uses a lot of words which are meant to create an opinion in the mind of a reader. " Elegant", "vulgar", "beautiful" are only few of the manipulative adjectives which kill the whole purpose of experiencing nature for oneself. This, sort of, guide created by Gilpin creates a barrier for the potential traveler. A barrier which separates man from nature. The irregular shapes, vastness, beauty of nature along with sensetions of thetouch of wind, the smell of air, should be the primary factors which should arise feelings and emotions in the traveler's own mind. While reading the "guide" one can clearly see what Wordsworth didn't like about the way it is written and the way it serves the traveler. Author, with his colorful, but subjective descriptions ruins the notion of intimacy of the traveler's encounter with nature. Instead of directing to a perfect place where one can develop his own unforgettable emotions from observing nature, Gilpin dictates the emotions. Such dictatorship crates an invisible barrier between the traveler and the natural. Instead of harmony the traveler will feel frustration in the pursuit of the feelings described by the author. Indirectly the "guide" takes the eyes of the wanderer off of the well of emotions, nature, and focuses the traveler on the book,creating a mental blindfold. It is fascinating, yet very sad how easily people can drawn in the sea of our own ignorance and lock ourselves out from something far greater the the human being and its creations.

Envy of the "Gloomy Rest"

"Envy" is the absolute highlight of the sonnet by Charlotte Smith Written in the Church Yard at Middleton in Sussex. Mrs. Smith envies the dead for their rest and, so to say, peace of mind. Why would that be? The author through the descriptions of nature describes her life or perhaps just an episode in her life which is overwhelming, rapid, and violent. She uses the depiction of the raging sea at night, storming through the caves to raise the emotions of fear and helplessness, perhaps. She makes the meaning of nature equal to the meaning of her life. Overwhelmed and scared of the reality that surrounds her and does not give her rest Charlotte wishes she was dead just so she would not have to face those raging waves of life and the dark ocean of troubles. Envy of the rest, silence and carelessness shows the result of detachment from nature by the human being. Smashed with the everyday darkness of stress the author shares the feeling of envy with many other products of civilization, people.

Humanity: Prisoner Happiness

The expression "second spring" which is used by Charlotte Smith in her Sonnet II Written at the close of spring underlines the meaning of the poem. First, the author depicts the beauty of nature while it is going through it's rebirth in the spring. This makes a connection to the theme of the Natural World which can be seen throughout the Lyrical Ballads. Being inspired by the beauty of the event and all the colors Charlotte Smith is comparing the depressed, sad, and "poor Humanity"
to the natural world which rises from the dead after winter. By making the comparison the poet highlights human incapability to be happy. She says that it is impossible for humanity to through sort of a Resurrection and be happy again. By the natural standards the humanity is not able to wake up from the winter stage of grayness, sadness and sleepiness go through the "second spring" and become green and flower again along with the rest of the natural world. It is a definite indication of the human detachment from the origin, nature. It is also a definite indication of the state which the detachment is causing. Tyrant and corrosive human is imprisoned in his sad world and the heavy shackles of civilization do not allow him to blossom with happiness ever again.

Emotional Flow: Erotic Encounters

"Flow" is the word that in my opinion best reflects the core meaning of Wordsworth's work the Sonnet on seeing Miss Helen Maria Williams weep at a tale of distress. William Wordsworth in this work focuses on his platonic relationship with his beloved author. As he sees Miss Helen weep he gets engaged in a closer encounter which is based on forming the emotional connection, and energy flow between him and Miss Helen. Wordsworth, by developing the strong emotional connection, is allowed to become one with his beloved author. He feels what she feels, they share the emotion and tears. They get entangled in this beautiful, erotic, emotional spiral which makes their bodies and minds work and exist in harmony. Carried away by the heavenly cloud of sensibility, Wordsworth's heart stops beating for a sweet moment just to start beating again and to carry the sensible, dreamlike experience in his veins. Wordsworth doesn't want it to end. He doesn't want the night to end, by expressing that he also shows the fact that he realizes that it is just a moment, and their bond is only visible in those special moments like the one in the sonnet. Their bond is only visible for a moment just as the stars are visible with the absence of the sun.

The Pleasures: Natural Vibration

"Pleasure", the word which is extensively used in the work of David Hartley puts the best emphasis on the point that he is trying to make which in my opinion is the backbone of the Lyrical Ballads. Hartley's idea of connection to nature through the vibrations on the molecular level gives the backbone for the despair which is presented in some of the poems. Despair which is caused be the loss of that connection. The idea is clearly seen in poems like the "We are seven", where the character shows the graves of her siblings and is confident in the fact that they are alive because of her awareness of the close connection and of the human and the natural world. Hartley also shows the conflict of the two worlds,the natural and civilized, which is reflected in almost every poem in the Lyrical Ballads. He describes the natural world as an inspiration for the arts, as the spring of pleasure from contemplation, as the ultimate destination in the human quest for pleasure, which is the one of the most natural human needs. In opposition, the description of the civilized world includes words like Offensiveness, corruption and dangers. This, in my opinion is the backbone for the human struggle which is presented in the poems by Coleridge and Wordsworth. Also, the philosopher makes a very important argument which states that pleasure is enhanced by the pain. Without experiencing the painful civilized world human kind would never be able to realize the beauty of nature. Hartley gives the main principles for the poets, the philosophical stem for the smaller arguments which are made in individual poems. That philosophy has its reflection even in today's world, which makes me wonder. How much more pain do we have to suffer to finally and truly understand, appreciate and drink from the spring of pleasures of the natural world?

Closing the gate: The Story of the Shepherd

Word "Lamb" highlights Wordsworth's poem best. The Last of the flock is a poem about sacrifice and that is why lamb, the symbol for sacrifice in western culture, is a good directing word in the poem. In my opinion Wordsworth's general point for this poem is to show the sacrifice that is being made so the new, civilized, developed world could thrive. First of all, the choice of a shepherd as a main character, in this not very happy story, is not random. Generally Pastoral poems in Wordsworth's era pictured shepherds as people with great connection to nature and sort of careless individuals whose love of nature fulfilled every need. However, Wordsworth takes this well known symbol of harmony with nature,the shepherd, and pictures him as a confused, frustrated, desperate and melancholic individual who is loosing what is closest to him, his sheep. In my opinion, the shepherd looses a big part of himself, which allowed for this beautiful contact with nature, along with the sheep. Also, he is being torn to pieces by the confusion caused by double meaning of the sheep. On one hand the sheep are his portal to the conversation and relationship with nature and on the other hand, from the civilized, capitalist point of view they are just a commodity which should serve the shepherd in making profit. I think the shepherd desperately tries to hold on to the old ways and looks for the doorway to nature through his everyday work with the sheep. However, the world has changed, and the passage to the natural is getting more and more narrow along with his narrowing flock. The last of the flock is a great metaphor for the detachment from nature, the idea which characterizes the Lyrical Ballads.

Mourning for the Old Ways

Mourning is the best word to highlight William Wordsworth's poem. It is the very last word in the poem but in my opinion the most meaningful. I see this poem as a way to mourn for the old ways that are passing with time and are replaced with the new which are not necessarily better. The poem Simon Lee is a one big symbol for this process. As the beginning lines are read one can feel a sense of a dignified harmony. Those were the times when all the people were necessary and close to nature and the closeness to the nature was necessary for humans. The way the author describes those times is very peaceful and arise warm feelings. And then comes mourning. Mourning shows up because the author realizes that the old ways are dying along with Simon Lee. The old Huntsman who is surrounded by the industrial farming symbolizes the leftover piece of the times when people could coexist with nature and themselves in harmony in places like the village commons. Poor, old Simon Lee and poor, old natural ways are struggling to survive which is symbolized by the Huntsman's struggle with the root of the tree. However the new ways are coming which I think are symbolized by the narrator himself. The ease with which the narrator does Simon's work makes the old man realize how weak he is already, but also grateful for doing his duty for him. Which makes the narrator realize what is being lost along with Simon Lee and perhaps the narrator sees himself in Simon's shoes many years down the road. This poem fits into the whole collection perfectly. Its metaphorical meaning of the diminishing connection with the natural world and alienation from nature and one another is the essence of the Lyrical Ballads so far. Also, the dead tree on the picture is a proper symbol for passing time, the death of the old ways and a symbol fo human perception of nature.

If we could listen as a child does

The word "melancholy" which is used throughout Coleridge's poem in my opinion is the best description of the tone of the poem as a whole. Coleridge starts by criticism towards using that word towards the songs of the Nightingales and from my standpoint he is right about the fact that there is nothing melancholic about it. Through the use of that word in the chain of thought in Coleridge's poem the author is showing us how the civilized, or else human, world has impacted our perception of nature. The development of the criticism, in my opinion, culminates when author writes about the aeolian harp. The harp could be understood as a civilization's attempt to interpret nature and also as a symbol for poetry. The harp takes the sounds of the blowing wind and transforms them into sounds which are an outcome of human development, the harp. There is a visible connection between the harp as a interpretor of nature and poetry as a interpreted of nature. Poets can only hear melancholy in the bird's singing because poets just lake the harp are a product of the civilized human world which, as it appears can only interpret nature in a broken way, and mirror its melancholy, depression and overall feeling of being detached to everything around it. The biggest symbol, however, appears at the end of Coleridge's poem. It is the child. Child which a symbol of purity. Not yet diseased by civilization and the human world, the child can listen and hear nature in a way that it is meant to be heard. Only the child can engage into a conversation, or a close connection with nature.I think that the image above illustrates nature through the twisted and mislead eyes of the civilized man best.

In the poem entitled "The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge one can find many words which depict the nature of the poem. In my opinion the word "Marinere" ,which is even a part of the title, highlights the adventurous side of this work. Marinere is a word that almost instantenously brings adventure and quests to most people's minds. It is a great indicator of the era in which the poem was written, since those elements were one of the characteristcs of Romantic Ballads. Also, the word Marinere can indicate the separation or almost the fight of civilization with the natural world. Marinere is a person who takes a product of the civilization, a ship, and tries to face the wild natural world. As the poem and the story progress it becomes evident that the author is trying to show the encounter of civilization with the natural world and the magnetism that humans feel towards the wild. The journey of the Marinere could be understood as an attempt of the human being to express himself in nature and bind to nature, but also the journey of the Marinere shows how hard it is for a modern human to go out to the wild and not try to fight it. In my opinion the artwork atteched to this entry depicts this struggle in a clear way. In the distant plane one can see the beauty and enjoyment of nature which would be symbolized by the rainbow and the Albatross, however in the first plan one can see almost angry icebergs which are ready for the fight with civilazation, the ship, the crew, the Marinere.

In "Lines Written in Early Spring" William Wordsworth uses some words which by themselves
can be interpreted as a way to portrait the meaning behind the poem as a whole. In my opinion the word "made" ,which is used twice in the most crucial lines of his work, can serve as indicators of meaning. The word "made" is used in a line that reads "What has man made of
man?". Even though the line by itself has lots of meaning, the context in which it is used gives it a whole new level of tragedy. The word "made" can be understood as a regret for what a human being has done to himself. Considering the context of the poem as a whole, it is clear that the
character from the poem is regreting the separation from nature which is caused by the constant development of the civilization. While reading the poem one can get an impression that the author is blaming human kind for separating of man from nature and causing the diminishing of obtaining the feeling of pleasure from simple things in life. While observing nature, the character realizes how the impact of what is made by man, in this case civilization, had made a human being a more complicated than it is in a natural state. The more I read the poem I realize that the author assumes that once people were capable of obtaining pleasure from simple natural things, but as a result of what man had made, people robbed themselves from that capability.