As mentioned in the foot notes of the poem, Wordsworth was sick "with a series of debilitating illness." Throughout this poem, Wordsworth describes her life she has experienced so far. For example, "Hath been enriched by kindred gifts, That, undesired, unsought-for, came, with joyful heart in youthful days when fresh each season in its Round I welcomed the earliest Celandine Glittering upon the mossy ground" (lines 7-12). Wordsworth seems to be painting the images of the wonderful things she has experienced, but yet, she has not always had a wonderful experience in life. She has sought out "known and unknown "(line 13) things in order to experience every aspect of life that she can experience. Wordsworth does a flashback and describes the "splendid flower" in which she never sought. I believe Wordsworth did not fulfill everything she would have liked to, but she does not regret any of her experiences. "No need of motion, or of strength, or even the breathing air;----I thought of Nature's loveliest scenes; And with Memory I was there" (lines 49-52). This powerful ending to the poem shows the beauty that sickness does not stop Wordsworth from experiencing her most desired things, but rather she fights to stay "alive" even if she is physically not present anymore.
I thought that the memories of nature were also her method of protecting herself from her illness. Her memories seem to keep her in good spirits despite her physical problems--unlike other authors of the time who become depressed with illness.
ReplyDeleteI thought her spirit was really good because in last lines (49-52) she thought about the fond memories she had experienced. I think that you captured the essence of the poem she didn't give up hope even though she was bed ridden.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed and posted a reading response on this Wordsworth poem. This was definitely a poem where the author was writing about herself as if putting thoughts of a diary entry in rhythm. Instead of feeling sorry for herself she truly wanted to see the beauty of life. Wordsworth wanted her memories to be filled with the good things and people she lived the best days of her life with. The imagery in this poem was very clear that you could close your eyes and feel what she was feeling when she wrote these words.
ReplyDeleteDorothy's poem is very personal and speaks of a life wracked with illness, but a mind that is still capable of recalling the beauty of the world she once explored and a mind that is still capable of producing beautiful poetry.
ReplyDeleteMarie,
ReplyDeleteGood poem to discuss, and one that clearly means a lot to readers (as indicated by the comments of your classmates). Good quotations here to analyze; be sure to indicate line breaks when quoting verse, using a slash (a /) to indicate the separation between each line, and also to provide a parenthetical citation with the line numbers you quote. Also, you need to provide some context or lead in for the quotations, and to follow them up with analysis and commentary. Here the quotations take up most of the space in the post, but there needs to be more of your own ideas and insights.