A Different Perspective on William Wordsworth's "The Thorn"

The article “Martha Ray’s Face: Life During Wartime in ‘Lyrical Ballads’” was written by Toby R. Benis in 1997. Benis believed that “The Thorn,” which was published in 1798, mirrored the problems occurring in England affecting the poet. Benis wrote, “Although critics have argued that the ‘Lyrical Ballads’ show Wordsworth abandoning history and political conflict, ‘The Thorn’ is an implicit analogy between Martha Ray, a women who abandoned her baby after being deserted by her fiance and how Wordsworth felt England failed to support it’s people during civil and political unrest.” (Benis page 2) Benis was convinced that Martha’s abandonment of her baby directly related to how the people of Britain felt unsupported by their government. Benis focused on the fact that the disappearance of Martha’s baby was an interest to the nearby villagers. The villagers were unable to figure out the where abouts of her newborn infant, as well as her strange actions. Without accurate information the villagers confusion leads them to the assumption that Martha Ray committed infanticide. Martha’s past behavior, as well as her relationship with Stephan Hill, cause the villagers to theorize what happened to the baby. The scenario assumed by the villagers, serves as an analogy to “the process by which communities persecuted suspect individuals during and after the invasion scare of 1797.” (Benis page 3) Aside from the analogy, Benis points out how Wordsworth associates the thorn with an infant as well as an elder. “Not higher than a two-years child” (“The Thorn,” line 5) would give the reader the idea that the thorn was a young age. However, “looks so old and grey” (“The Thorn,” line 4)  gives the impression of an aged thorn. The nearby heap of moss is thought to be the site of an infant’s grave. Beside the thorn and the moss sits Martha Ray crying out. Also Benis creates an analogy between the thorn and Martha. The thorn is infant yet ancient, and Martha is innocent yet morally unjust. One of Wordsworth’s many themes is creating characters difficult to classify. The moss heap, the thorn, and Martha all share characteristics deeper than what meets the eye. Earlier in Martha’s life her behavior was not as complex. After her abandonment by Stephen Hill her behavior becomes more complex, and in a sense she appears to go mad. At this point Benis believes her mental state is questionable. Through the poem Wordsworth is able to dramaticize how he was affected by the unsupportive atmosphere occurring in Britain.

Benis brought ideas that I had not previously considered. Curious about the concept of relating “The Thorn” to Britain in the 1790s, I researched the atmosphere in Great Britain that affected William Wordsworth. Events occurring in the 1790s include the French Revolution, religious movements, social reforms, political party reforms, and other governmental changes. Although I believe the thorn directly represents Martha’s grieving presence, I also believe that the analogy Benis made regarding Martha abandoning her baby and Britain failing to support it’s citizens could apply. Benis also noted how the interest sparked by the unknown whereabouts of Martha’s baby was driven by curious neighbors. Likewise, when Wordsworth’s characters are hard to classify, conclusions are jumped to.  Another theme I discovered in “The Thorn” is suspicion and accusation.  When Martha’s behavior changes, suspicion arises and accusations are made without accurate information.  My reflection of Toby Benis’ theme of “The Thorn” representing Britain may not be completely true, however the events and atmosphere that surrounded William Wordsworth at the time of his writing obviously influenced his work. The abandonment that represents Britain’s ignorance, is shown in the poem through Martha’s suspected abandonment of her baby.  However, I do not believe that Martha committed infanticide. There are no lines in the poem that directly accuse her of killing the baby; there is only suspicion from the villagers. I do not agree with Benis’ belief where Martha’s mental state is questioned. The verses in the poem shows Martha’s grief, sadness, as well as her perpetual cries, although her mental state throughout the poem stays constant. The literary criticism from Toby Benis helped me discover different themes as well as develop a new understanding of William Wordsworth’s “The Thorn.”

The Bosnian Monsta

In a land far away with grass the color of rotten fried liver and the smell of festering onions lived a Bosnian Monsta.  This was no ordinary Monsta, she had hair as tall as a sky scraper, and as poofy as a white, purebred, poodle.  She was known all across the world as a fashionable diva.  Zebra skirts as wild as the savanna, even leopard print boots as fierce as the hunter that stalks the prey.  This Bosnian Monsta walked across the land like she was the TBI.  She toppled cities like lumberjacks chopping down fir trees that touch the sky.  Leaving a path of destruction behind her like the remains of Hiroshima after the bomb, the Bosnian Monsta walks once again.  With that slick walk as smooth and graceful as can be nobody could take her down.  Yeah, she had her flaws, but the Bosnian Monsta was as confident and strong as a lion. As fly as a bird in the sky the Bosnian Monsta will destroy any city in her way in order to get what she wants.  This Monsta knows how to play the game and plays it ten times better than all the males after her.  A game full of skill, deceit, and no emotions. Yet a strange emotion has come upon the Monsta, one which she had once before.  An emotion that confused her like if she were a child lost in an unfamiliar place.  The game she once knew has taken an unexpected turn.  The Bosnian Monsta didn’t know what to with this strange feeling.  Like a lost child she wanders around city to city destroying all in her path trying to understand what this feeling might be.  Is this really something or is it just another game?  The Bosnian Monsta may lose this one, but the Bosnian Monsta will never stop ripping cities apart.

A False Hope

The cold, wet, and windy weather turns my face as cold as ice. When I step outside, the hairs rise up on my arms. I dream of the warmth that is hours away; the beautiful bright sun.

The weather man gives a false hope that the rain will stop and there will be sun.

I wake in the morning and the weather has not changed. It is not raining; there is frost on the ground. As time goes by it slowly changes. I feel the excitement rise along with the weather. The nice warmth I feel on my face. And the happiness from the spring flowers blooming. The sound of the birds and nature fill the air. The year goes on with the excitement still rising; the temperature increasing along with each season.

At last, summer is here!

I travel to a sunnier place, where the blue waves of water crash along the shore. I feel the sand between my toes and the smell of salty air from the breeze. The sun is as bright as the smile on my face. With everything so perfect, it was too good to be true. The beauty is overwhelming, but I know what is to come.

This was very enjoyable; although, I miss the wintery season. I imagine myself snowboarding down a freshly covered mountain; making snow angels with my family, then having snowball fights with my friends. After, when I’m frozen and my cheeks and nose are red, I drink hot chocolate and snuggle up in bed. The weather man tells of a snowy day, but he gives false hope. When I wake in the morning the snow is nowhere near.

Blogging Community: "The Life of John Keats; A Romantic Poet"

           The blog “The Life of John Keats; A Romantic Poet” by Andrew Torrey, Nicole Brown, Kylie Hutchison, and Darian Washington is a very well thought out and well laid blog.  At first glance I was interested right away in the topic because of the layout of the page and all the organized links they have.  I like how they have a poll and videos to keep things interesting while looking at the blog.  Most of the posts have pictures that relate to the poem to help create the mental image the poem is trying to create in the reader’s imagination.  I also enjoyed how they appropriately added humor into their blog by their group name and in their about me section.  Seeing the different interpretations of certain poems by different people was interesting because it shows the different perspectives of the poems.  Their blog posts are unique and enchanting to read like Kylie Hutchison’s blog post “On Fame”.  She related one of Keats’ poems to pop culture and made a lot of thought-provoking points about getting caught up in the thought of fame.  Also Darian Washington’s “The Rose” was very intense and well thought out.  The poem has a very deep message in it which I have yet to figure out.  This blog is a very important blog because not only is the content interesting but the layout of the blog keeps the reader engaged in the blog and it stays on the topic of John Keats.  It provides background information about John Keats for the reader and also provides some poems in links off to the left side of the page.  Their interpretations of the poems are concise and make sense.  For someone who knows nothing about Romanticism this blog would inform them of the kind of poet John Keats was and what Romanticism was about.  Overall this blog is worth the time to look at and actually read what the bloggers have to say about John Keats and his poems.  They spent a lot of time and effort into making it easy for the reader to understand their posts and get more information with other links if needed.  They also made it easy to share the blog on Facebook or Twitter and let others know about the blog.

"I Wandered Lonley as a Cloud"

          One of the most famous poems by William Wordsworth is “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”.  A simple poem filled with nature and joy, just the way Wordsworth liked it.  In the first stanza of the poem he tells of how he wandered around alone in the hills and came across a huge field of daffodils.   He paints a picture in the reader’s mind of the daffodils next to a lake “dancing in the breeze”.  The daffodils are described in his usual naturalistic way in the second stanza.  He sees thousands of flowers and relates the amount to the stars in the Milky Way to show an image through his writing of how many daffodils there were dancing next to the lake.  He uses personification to make the flowers seem more alive as they dance in the wind.  He compares the flowers to the lake by saying that even though the flowers move at the same time as the waves, the beauty of the flowers outshines the beauty of the lake.  The third stanza shows his undeniable joy as he stares at the daffodils.  While he is staring at the field of flowers he doesn’t think much of the effect it will have on him in the future, he lives in the moment of happiness.  In the fourth stanza he realizes that the image of the daffodils comes back to him whenever he is alone or sad.  The image of the daffodils swaying in the breeze by the lake in the hills brings him joy once again.  William Wordsworth is known for his light and joyful poems about nature and the happiness it can bring into one’s life.  This poem is especially famous for its simplistic approach to nature and the feelings it can bring to the reader.  From his descriptive style it is easy to picture the scene at which he is at and feel what the nature around him has to offer.  This poem would have to be one of my favorites of all of the William Wordsworth poems because it’s simple and calming yet the words are so powerful.

Wordsworth Vs. Science

The fast paced forward movement of science was not viewed as a good thing by William Wordsworth.  He didn’t agree with all the scientists just wanting to know the facts about everything and not seeing the true beauty within what they were studying.  Wordsworth was a naturalist and believed that science would soon lead to the destruction of the mystery in nature.  In “A Poet’s Epitaph” he writes “one that would peep and botanize upon his mother’s grave?” to express his belief that scientists are becoming too inhumane with their studies.  Wordsworth was not just angry with natural science but science in general.  He believed that we should appreciate the beauty nature offers us rather than tear it apart to find the answers to every question we can possibly come up with.  The pace of science was moving way too fast for Wordsworth’s liking and he wasn’t going to sit around without a complaint about it.  His anger is expressed in many of his poems like in “The Tables Turned” he even clearly states “enough of science”.  Wordsworth doesn’t specify what type of science he is bothered with in this poem so it seems as if he is referring to science as a whole.  He uses nature as a mysterious way to describe human emotions and the interactions between humans in his poems, so he believed that scientists were taking away the perception of joy in his poems.  However it is believed that science also had an influence in Wordsworth’s poems.  Newton’s third law of motion is mentioned in “The Preface”.  He tried hard to explain the difference between poetry and science, yet explained it in a somewhat hypocritical manner by explaining it with the use of science.  It is also believed that he did this on purpose to show that science can also have an artistic form to it without having to be limited to just answers.  All in all Wordsworth had a couple bones to pick with science and was definitely not quite about.  He voiced his opinions throughout his famous poems and took a stand for what he believed in.

Community Blogging

The blog I choose to evaluate was “The Headless Boyfriend.” When I first saw this blog I was curious how “The Headless Boyfriend” would relate to Romanticism. However, shortly after reading the blog by Lauren Fleskes, Geoffrey Braught, and Cody Schaffer, I realized they were referring to John Keats “Isabella, or The Pot of Basil.” In “Isabella, or The Pot of Basil,” Isabella’s lover Lorenzo, is killed by her brothers and buried in the forest. After she finds him, she chops off his head to take as a party favor. This would explain how the tittle “The Headless Boyfriend” fits. 

The part of the blog I enjoy is the layout, content, and pictures. The layout is very simple, which makes the blog easy to navigate. The white background, and black text provide a contrast making it easy to read without being distracting. The red tittles pop and make the blog catch my attention.  The content of the blog covers the information excellently. It covered a wide variety of the information regarding “Isabella, or The Pot of Basil.” Summaries, character analysis, and information on John Keats, all helped further my understanding on John Keats and his poetry.

I also really liked Lauren’s Poem “Growing Up.” As a teenager changing from a child to a adult I could easily relate to her poem. I especially liked the part where she was saying how hard it is to prioritize. There are so many activities and events to be a part of and its hard to put the work before the fun. Recently, we watched home videos and it made me think back to the memories I have made through my past 16 years of life.

The only thing I felt was missing was no one has posted the entire poem anywhere on the blog which would help further the understanding of the poem. Also the video was long and not identical to the poem, however the author addressed the changes. The video was weird and not really helpful for the understanding of Romanticism. On the other hand, it did provide entertainment and humor because it was awkward and had bad acting.

Overall I was impressed with the Blog “The Headless Boyfriend,” the content, layout and the further understanding of Romanticism that it gave me.

Prose Poem: The White Owl

The cold tree stood tall in the winter's eve. Swaying back and forth in the soft breeze of the night. The lights of the house down the road shined so bright, lighting up the frozen green needles of the tree. As the night went on, white flakes fell from the sky, turning the ground into a sheet of paper. Flying high in the sky, was a soft, white owl. It came closer. Closer, until it was no longer flying. The white owl now stood on the branch of the tall tree, warming it's branches. Using the tree for as much warmth as it could get, the owl just waited; waited for the sun. In the cold of the night, the owl found comfort from the tree and the tree found comfort from the owl. Waiting till morning, till the earth would warm up, giving the owl the strength to fly away. As morning came, so did the sunlight. The snow still glistened along the smooth ground, as white as the fur of a new born polar bear. Soon, the sun warmed the earth enough for the owl to once again take flight. The owl took flight. As it flew away, the tree went from having warmth, to being frozen again. The day went by and the lonely tree stood in the same spot. Small animals passed every once in a while, but none stopped to visit. There was no sound, there was no sight except the white of the ground and the house down the road. As the night approached, the owl came back once again. Needing a place to sit, the owl perched on the tree's branches once again for warmth. The tree turned from cold and lonely to warm again. As long as the owl would come back each night, that was enough for the tall tree.

Lucy Interpretation

William Wordsworth expresses his feelings for a lady whom he referred to as Lucy in five short poems.  These poems caused a lot of rumors to come up about who Lucy might be.  Many believed that Lucy was his sister Dorothy, however the true identity of Lucy was never revealed. In the first short poem “Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known” he describes Lucy and tells of his love for her.  Later in the poem he talks about a journey through orchards and hills on horseback.  Near the end of the poem while riding on his horse to Lucy’s cottage he stares at the moon in front of him.  “And all the while my eyes I kept on the descending moon.”  He seems to be concentrated on the moon quickly going down which can mean mystery or a change is coming.  The last line “If Lucy should be dead!” shows him mourning at the thought of her dying and once again expresses his love for her.

             The second poem “She Dwelt Among The Untrodden Ways” brings in Wordsworth’s famous use of nature to describe how Lucy kept to herself and not many people knew her.  He admired the innocence and beauty within her.  In the end of the poem it states that when Lucy was to die not many would notice, however it would make a difference in his life.

            “I Traveled Among Unknown Men” is the third poem in the series.  In this poem Wordsworth tells of how no matter where he travels his love for Lucy grows more and more.  Even though she has died he can’t stop thinking about her as he goes through the mountains.  He goes to a field that Lucy used to go to and thinks of her and misses her more and more. 
            "Three Years She Grew" is the longest of the five Lucy poems.  Wordsworth personifies nature in the beginning by making it seem as nature itself was talking to him and promising to take Lucy into itself and making her a part of nature.  Most of the poem talks about how Lucy is included into nature like the rocks and sky.  In the end nature speaks once again and declares that “the work was done”.  Nature had fulfilled its promises and now Lucy has died and left a peaceful scene behind her. 
            The last poem of the Lucy series is “A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal”.  He doesn’t realize what has really happened because slumber has kept him occupied.  Soon he comes to the realization that she has passed away and sees that even nature can cause harm in the world.

To see the full series of the Lucy poems click here. 

Article Response: Wordsworth's Response to Darwin

Robert M. Ryan's "Wordsworth's Response to Darwin" is an article that discusses two men's views about nature. This article compares and contrasts the different views while also teaching some background of the two different men. The main point of this article is to explain to the reader the approach that the men have. It also focuses on how this affected people. Darwin had a very scientific approach when he spoke of nature and William Wordsworth had a more relaxed, open-minded view. These different views had a huge impact on people of the world, it was hard to know who to believe after the Darwin theory came out. A quote that can support this is "Through his numerous and influential disciples the dead Wordsworth rose to offer a serious challenge to Darwinian thinking in the second half of the 19th century." This article has a lot of information in it and was a great way to learn about how Wordsworth saw nature. The majority of the article explains Wordsworth's theory. Only a little part of it goes over the Darwin theory. Charles Darwin is the man responsible for creating the theory of natural selection. This is a process of evolution where organisms best adapted to their environment are the ones that survive. 

People were shocked after hearing this different approach to nature. They had always believed that nature was an innocent place, because that's what Wordsworth and all the other Romantic poets had taught them. The only way people learned of nature was through poetry. After years and years of believing Wordsworth's theory that nature is god, conflict arose because people no longer knew who to believe. I think it was hard for people to know who to believe because for so long Wordsworth was a very well trusted English poet, no one wanted to believe he was wrong. His religious approach to nature showed in every poem he ever wrote. In some complex way, he always added in something that symbolized nature or God. Conflict began when science proved that Darwin's theory was correct. To the people that had been Wordsworth believers, they felt betrayed that for so long they believed something inaccurate. To this day, some people still pick the Wordsworth view over Darwin's. Religion plays a huge role when it comes to deciding who to believe. Religious people are mostly the ones that follow Wordsworth's word because he was a man that never doubted God's energy, he just accepted it. In this quote, Robert M. Ryan illustrates this point. "Wordsworth rarely concerned himself with questions of the origin or history of creation. He was interested in testifying his own experience of divine Presence immanent in Nature, whose reality, benevolence, and moral intent he never doubted." I think Robert Ryan wrote this article, not only to explain the different ways of seeing nature, but to also show the passion that William Wordsworth had toward nature and God. Romantic poetry was his whole life and he helped to start it. Wordsworth could go anywhere and see anything and he would come up with a beautiful poem to explain how he viewed it. There is few spots in this article where it focuses all the attention on Darwin. I think this is because one of the the main reasons for writing this article was to talk about Wordsworth. People saw Darwin's theory as "insulting, brutal, and godless" so to the world, Darwin was the bad guy for announcing his theory. After all this time has gone by, most people have accepted Darwin's theory because science has proved it to be accurate. But there are still some people that have a religious, innocent, spiritual and creative view of the world. Those people don't want to accept Darwin's way of thinking. This article was a great way to learn about the effect that two opposite views can have on people. It is also a great article to read to learn about how William Wordsworth thinks. The main point that I took from this article is that people still feel connected to nature because of Wordsworth's influence. Even when Darwin's theory has been proven, Wordsworth's view is still the right one for some people.

Lord Byron; c'est la vie Blog

The “Lord Byron; c’est la vie” blog is a very helpful and interesting blog. The blog is created by Valentine Protsenko, Selina Chart, Amanda Reed, and Sydnie Janes. Their posts are all about Lord Byron and they contain a lot of information about his poetry. Because I did not know what c’est la vie meant, I was interested and wanted to read their blog. The group’s layout is nice because it is pleasing to the eye, but yet also easy to read, has pictures, and shows videos.

There is a lot of really good information on their blog but I especially liked how they went through some of Lord Byron’s poems such as “Darkness” and “And Thou Art Dead, as Young and Fair.” They explained what the poems were about and gave a clear understanding of what Byron was trying to convey. I found The Byronic Hero post really interesting. It explained what a Byronic Hero is and where it appeared in Lord Byron’s work. Amanda Reed stated, “A Byronic Hero is an idealized, but flawed young man who is often haunted by their past.” She also explained how “The Byronic Hero is merely an extension of Byron himself.” The five videos about how Lord Byron was a sexual magnet were really interesting and stood out to me. The videos told about how Byron’s work was so explicit and crude that they could not publish some of them. Also the biography of Lord Byron was excellent because it provided a lot of information on his life, family, and poems.

This blog is very important because it explains how good of a poet Lord Byron was and brings you through some of his work. For those who do not know about Romanticism or Lord Byron, it is very educational. When looking at Lord Byron’s Biography post, I found that it teaches a lot about who he was and gives an idea about the topic of Romanticism. The site was easy to explore and look through. Overall, the group did a very nice job, gave great information, and showed much knowledge on Lord Byron.

Reading Response: Comparing Wordsworth and Blackwood

In “A Wordsworth Source for Algernon Blackwood’s The Sea Fit” the author Terry W. Thompson explains how closely related Wordsworth’s and Blackwood’s poems are. Algernon Blackwood and William Wordsworth were both romantic poets that used nature in so much of their work. The article portrays that Blackwood’s poems have a lot in common or directly quote some of Wordsworth’s work. Most of all, In Blackwood’s “The Sea Fit” the theme seems to be directly from Wordsworth’s poem, “The World is Too Much with Us.” Also Blackwood’s poems “Ancient Lights” and “The Wendigo” have the same related theme to “The World is Too Much with Us.” In those poems a force comes upon the modern world where noise and bustle are normal and nature is ignored or abused; this is the same with Wordsworth’s opinion in “The World is Too Much with Us.” While going through “The Sea Fit” Thompson says “Just like the speaker in Wordsworth’s sonnet, Ericson (the captain in the poem) never concerned himself with getting and spending during his adventurous career, did not lay waste his powers. Rather, he lives in the seaside cottage with just a few meager possessions; and most of those are but sentimental reminders of a way of life that he is now too old and too frail to pursue.” Thompson clarifies this because it is related to Wordsworth’s poem so much. The poem also goes on repeatedly about how Ericson doesn’t care about the tangible or material things, but how he always looked for the transcendent in life. Later Thompson explains that “this old sailor declares he would rather be a pauper at sea,” “than make a million on shore” (Blackwood line 188). It is later in the poem that Ericson is having “one of his queer sea fits” (Blackwood 189) and the priest quotes Wordsworth: “My uncle’s such a pagan, you know […] that as I flew along those deserted sands from Studland I almost expected to hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn” (Blackwood 197). When the captain was washed away by the sea Thompson explains that Blackwood “has achieved what the speaker in “The World is Too Much with Us” could only dream of doing: becoming one with nature.” In “The Sea Fit” Just as in the one that inspired it by William Wordsworth, Algernon Blackwood makes an atmosphere that shows the reader what it’s like to become one with nature.

In the article, Thompson describes how Algernon Blackwood’s “The Sea Fit” is inspired and related to William Wordsworth’s “The world is Too Much with Us.” Blackwood loved nature and his poem is just like Wordsworth’s. By looking at both poems you can see how closely related they are. In “The World is Too Much with Us” Wordsworth is disappointed with the modern age losing its connection to nature. It talks about how people are distracted with material things and how nature is going to waste. “Late and soon” means now and in the future we waste our powers. “Little we see in nature” is saying we do not notice of care about the beauty of nature. For all of this “we are out of tune” and Wordsworth would “rather be a pagan suckled in a creed outworn” then be stuck in an industrialized world where everything is based on material things. He would rather stand o this pleasant spot and “Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; / Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; / or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn” (Wordsworth lines 12-14).

In “The Sea Fit”, He “owned nothing in the world on land except this tumbledown, one-story bungalow-more like a ship’s cabin than anything else” (Blackwood line 188). Ericson didn’t care for the material things but he always looked for the transcendent in life. Thompson explains “This old sailor has made great fortunes for others during his long career, but none for himself; and he declares he would rather be a pauper at sea,” “than make a million on shore” (Blackwood 188). When he is having a sea fit the priest states almost exactly what Wordsworth said in his poem. He says “My uncle’s such a pagan […] I almost expected to hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn” (Blackwood 197). Because of all the resemblance and the quotes that are the same, it is obvious that “The Sea Fit” was inspired by William Wordsworth’s “The World is Too Much with Us.”

Wordsworth's Perception of Nature

William Wordsworth is categorized as a Romantic poet because he is very drawn to nature and sees it in a different way than anyone else does. Wordsworth's poems all have something in common, no matter what they are about you can always find something relating to nature in them. Wordsworth has a very different view of nature compared to many other people. He sees nature as something that is very innocent and pure. Most of Wordsworth's poems speak on a time when nature has spoken to him. His view of nature is open-ended and there is not just one answer to sum up how he feels about nature. Wordsworth poetry is never simple, he makes all his poems very complex to make the reader think and do a lot of interpreting. Another thing that Wordsworth poetry suggests is that man and nature are one. Instead of putting them in two different categories, he views them as being equal and the same. Wordsworth's poem "The World is Too Much With Us" is a great example of how Wordsworth sees nature. He explains in this poem that the world used to be so pure and now it's turning into "too much." He explains towards the end of the poem that he would rather "Be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn." He would rather have all these things happen then go on treating nature how we have been treating it for a long time. This is not the only poem that Wordsworth expresses these feelings. Most of his poetry reflects this same feeling after interpreting it. Wordsworth has a deep view of nature, it can't be summarized in one sentence, or even two. To him, the world is an innocent place without humans. But when you ass humans in, it becomes "too much." As he states in the above poem. Man and nature become one in Wordsworth poetry, and this can be seen in almost any Wordsworth poem.

Prose Poem: A Family Adventure

Visions of a fun family vacation, excitement, love, shared laughter, trips to the slopes, a campfire beneath the falling snow, memories that would last a lifetime, and a great start to 2011.

Alas, the reality of life slams into my dreams and visions and disfigures them so they are no longer recognizable or achievable, like a meteor slamming into the earth.

An evening snowboard outing with friends prior to our trip leaves me face down in the snow crying, coupled with an unexpected method of getting down the mountain via ski patrol.

Delayed start to the trip leaves us in miserable weather conditions, a swirling blizzard, slick ice, fallen trees, and a long, treacherous journey to our destination.

The planned fun filled vacation now filled with pain, rest and frustration.

Overtired, cranky college brother blows up like a bomb, at a simple question.

He’s more interested in his computer than playing games and entertaining his bored injured sister. Also, eating all of the food, he’s a pig. 

Aging parents equal no fun, early bed times, intolerable rules, no loud music, and especially terrible jokes.

Everyone is “too tired” for an crazy, exciting, and entertaining evening with games and movies.

Hours in the ski lodge at uncomfortable tables, loud children and fried food, yuk.

Wishing I was able to snowboard, but instead stuck with a bruised, swollen wrist in a splint.

New Year’s eve party? I think not. Parents asleep at nine, grumpy brother and a quiet  house before the new year can  even begin.

So much fun I didn’t know what to do with myself.

Home videos show how nothing has changed, brother torments sister, dad thinks he is funny, and mom is exhausted.

More traffic when we return back home, ice on the roads, an overcrowded car, terrible radio station,  bags flying on top of me, fighting, and dropping off my disengaged brother back at college.  

Pick up the dog, unpack the car and resume my comfy, predictable life in 2011.

Back to the grind.

My Summary/ Interpretation of Wordsworth’s “The Thorn”

William Wordsworth’s “The Thorn,” tells a story about a woman’s hardship dealing with her incredible loss and grief.  The poem starts with a large, wretched, old, grey thorn standing erect on a mountain top. Also on the mountain top is a muddy pond of water, a heap of moss, and what is understood to be an infant’s grave. At this location, a distraught woman in a scarlet cloak is crying out. The woman, Martha Ray, cries and cries day and night, sitting beside the thorn.  Previously, Martha had experienced immense happiness while in a relationship with a man named Stephen Hill.  However, on their wedding day, before their vows, Stephen abandoned her. Martha was pregnant with their baby, but what later happened to the baby is unknown.  The villagers in town are curious to the whereabouts of her baby; some say it was hung, others say she drowned it in a pond, but no one even knows if the baby was born alive. However, the villagers believe the baby is buried beneath the fair moss that laid on top of the mountain. Martha sits on the mountain top next to the wretched thorn and the assumed grave of the baby and continually cries. One curious and brave man climbed the mountain to find Martha sitting on the ground crying out, “Oh misery! Oh misery!” 

In “The Thorn,” found in the poetry collection “Lyrical Ballads,” nature is incorporated into the poems.  I believe the thorn represents Martha’s grieving presence. After being jilted and left pregnant, Martha’s incredible sadness and subsequent loss is expressed through her continual cries. The thorn which is short, dark, old, and grey represents distraught Martha and her sadness. The beautiful mossy area which Wordsworth references to be the grave of the baby, represents the beautiful baby Martha Ray was pregnant with. A question that arose when reading “The Thorn” was did Martha Ray kill the baby? I do not think that Martha killed the baby and I believe something happened to the baby while it was still in her womb. 

Wordsworth incorporates nature into all of his characters and all aspects of his poetry making it possible for readers to make a connection to his poetry through their daily contact with nature. 

William Wordsworth's use of Nature

Nature is a huge part in romanticism. Many romantics viewed nature as a healing power and a source of subject and image. It encompasses how nature can touch and change one’s life for the better. They view it as organic and don’t like scientific views. Wordsworth uses nature in so much of his work.  For example, in “The World Is Too Much With Us” Wordsworth said, “This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon, The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers”.
In the poem “I Wander Lonely as a Cloud”, the whole poem is about nature. It talks about clouds, vales, hills, trees, the breeze, stars, the Milky Way, a bay, waves, and most of all daffodils. Nature brings a state of imagination. It brings people into a different state of mind, an ambiance to encompass the world and make it a better place.  In this poem, a host of daffodils stops the speaker while traveling through nature. The word “host” makes it transform into a vision, which is imagination. In “The Thorn”, Wordsworth also uses nature throughout the whole poem. It talks about a thorn overgrown with lichen, rocks and stones, moss, mountains, a stormy winter gale, clouds, a muddy pond, a hill of moss, spikes, branches, and stars. In “Ode on Intimations of Immorality” Wordsworth uses nature to explain his perception on the beauty of nature. He uses meadows, groves, streams, the earth, rainbows, roses, birds, lambs, seasons, mountains, seas, valleys, the sun, flowers, and stars. In “To a Skylark” he uses clouds, the sky, a nest, sloths, mountains, rivers, dusty winds, and heaven to portray nature. And in “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge” nature is described by the earth, the sky, fields, valleys, rocks, and beautiful hills. The romantics believe that nature makes people know what they truly are. It is a source of sensations and people can discover emotional health in nature.  In romanticism, nature helps people feel there worth in society, a feeling for what and who they truly are and also what God wants them to be.  It helps them transform and discover their emotional health with nature.

William Wordsworth's "The Prelude"

“The Prelude; or, Growth of a Poet’s Mind” is an autobiographical poem by William Wordsworth. There are three versions of the poem. “Two-Part Prelude” was the first version of the poem that Wordsworth wrote when he was twenty eight years old in 1798 to 1799. The second version was found and printed by Ernest de Selincourt in 1926. This version is thirteen books long. The third version was published after Wordsworth’s death and is fourteen books long. “The Prelude” was a poem of a lifetime and Wordsworth never gave it a title. He called it “Poem (title not yet fixed upon) to Coleridge.” Wordsworth planned to write this with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poem was unknown to people until after Wordsworth’s death. His wife Mary gave the poem its final name, “The Prelude; or, Growth of a poet’s Mind.” The poem contains fourteen books: "Introduction – Childhood and School-Time," "School- Time (Continued)," "Residence at Cambridge," "Summer Vacation," "Books," "Cambridge and the Alps," "Residence in London," "Retrospect- Love of Nature Leading to Love of Man," "Residence in France," "Residence in France (Continued)," "Residence in France (Concluded)," "Imagination and Taste, How Impaired and Restored," "Imagination and Taste, How Impaired and Restored (Concluded)," and "Conclusion."

In book one Wordsworth is speaking with a mature point of view. He experiences relief with coming back to nature. He feels optimism and creativity and recalls his past. Wordsworth wishes to create some work of art. He finds that he has a vital soul, knowledge of the underlying principles of things, and a host of painstaking observations of natural phenomena. Instead of historical and martial themes, he is looking for some philosophic song. He then doubts the maturity of his views and decides to review them to see how much they have changed. Wordsworth remembers some of his childhood, like river bathing and climbing to rob bird nests at night. Also he sets a tone in a discussion of education by speaking religiously of nature. Wordsworth describes how when he was young he stole a boat and went across Ullswater Lake. He then imagined that a peak beyond the lake came close and threatened him for taking the boat. This brought him to address what he terms the spirit of the universe. He tells more of pastimes he use to do, but he explains that he tried to be outdoors at all times of the year so the nature could educate him.

Walking Through "The World Is Too Much With Us"

“The World Is Too Much With Us” is a sonnet written by William Wordsworth in the early 1800s. It is about nature going to waste and people wasting their powers. William Wordsworth is disappointed with the modern age losing its connection to nature. This talks about people being distracted with material things and being disconnected with nature. Society is encompassed with the materialistic side of life. They do not care about what happens in the world. They are so involved in their materialistic life that they forget about the reality of the world and what the effects of their actions are and how they impact the future. When it says “late and soon”, it means, now and in the future we spend and waste.  People in society are looking at the here and now.  They are not looking at what and how their actions are going to impact the world of tomorrow.  “Little we see in nature” is saying we do not see much or care about the beauty of nature.  Society takes advantage of the beauty of the earth and is not concerned with the fact that their actions are impacting the future of today.  They are making purchases and buying foods and then throwing it all away because it went bad. There are countries that would die for a meal but America throws it away like it’s nothing.  “A sordid boon” is a shameful gain and “This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon” is showing a woman exposed to the heavens. For all of this we are out of tune, and because it does not change anything, William Wordsworth wishes, or would rather be, “A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn.” It is saying that he would rather be raised of the Roman and Greek religion so that he might be able to stand on this pleasant meadow, and see the gods Proteus and Triton. It would make him less forlorn if he could have sight of Proteus rising from the sea or hear Triton blow his horn. He would rather live in the past then live in the here and now when people do not care about the future.