Two Views of England: A Comparison and Contrast of Wordsworth's Poems:

Saturday, July 23, 2011

"Tintern Abbey" Further Explained

To further explain Wordsworth's glorification of nature in "Tintern Abbey," a bit of analysis is needed. According to Patrick J. Kennedy, "the poet depicts the ardour and intensity of his love for nature when a youth, the solace he was afforded in return, and the change in his feelings toward nature and beauty in his maturer years" ("Introductory Note" 91). Kennedy also states in his "Introductory Note" that "[f]urthermore, we find in them an exposition of 'that serene and blessed mood' of mystical rapture when the poet is enabled to 'see into the life of things,' and also some glimpses of Wordsworth's creed and philosophy of life" (91). He experiences this solitude "amid the bustle and din of crowded cities, by calling up before his mind the images of these beautiful scenes [and how] their soothing power acted as a healing balm bodily and mentally by restoring his tranquility of soul" ("Introductory Note" 91-92). Wordsworth glorifies nature in his poem, "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey." Without delving into his state of mind, the poem simply enlightens the audience that he returns to nature again and again in order to bring back the feeling which he lost. "His decay of genial spirits" needs to be enhanced (Wordsworth "Tintern Abbey" 113-14). The war that was going on between the country which he loved (England), to France, and the war in his mind between nature and city, conflicted with his love for England; therefore, he felt he needed to escape, back to tranquility, back to a time where he could "see into the life of things" ("Introductory Note" 92).

Patrick Kennedy's "Introductory Note" also analyzes lines 102-111 of the poem: "Accordingly, he is still a lover of nature. Formerly, he loved her for delighting his eye and ear; now he has additional reasons for loving her, as he recognises in her his nurse, his guide, his guardian and his teacher" (92). Wordsworth recognized nature as "his nurse, his guide, his guardian and his teacher" ("Introductory Note" 92) because, for him, it regarded a positive consideration of his country: a country he longed for, as well as loved. It restored a feeling of tranquility which he had previously. Nature taught him to appreciate the city, as well as remember his love for it ("Introductory Note" 92). This compares to his poem, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge . . ."; he can now pause and reflect upon nature with the guidance that it has afforded him.

My visit to Hyde Park reminded me of the country which I came from: the United States. London is a wonderful city; I glorify this place and this country of England, much like Wordsworth did. My visit to Bath, however, conflicted my love of the city because Bath was how I envisioned England to be, with its cobblestone streets, and sense of calmness amongst its exterior walls. When I went to the parks, particularly Hyde Park, I saw and reflected upon the Memorial Fountain for Princess Diana. This visit returned me to a tranquil state of love which I had known, and always had, for England. In this instance, the glorification of nature was a teacher, and has served as a guide for my emotions, and like Wordsworth, reinforced the myth of England as an island nation ("Introductory Note" 92). The glorification of nature led to the return of tranquility in a time of unsettled peace, even with conflicts of interest for myself, as it did for Wordsworth. Thus, it reflects upon one view of England for Wordsworth: one which suggests it was a place of tranquility, even in a time of unsettled peace.

Hyde Park: Princess Diana's Memorial Fountain. England.

Patrick J. Kennedy analyzes lines 83-102 of the poem:

But his attitude toward natural beauty has undergone a change. His
former love of Nature or the pleasures it gave his eye and ear has
produced in him a chastened mood, and led him to the love of
humanity as well, and to sympathy with its woes. Besides, he has
become aware of a "Presence" that permeates everything- the
heavenly bodies, the ocean, the air, and 'the mind of man'- an active
principle that circulates through all creation, 'the soul of all the
worlds'." ("Introductory Note." 92).

Through this, Wordsworth begins to return to a love for his country; his love for a place, which is England. Nature brought him the tranquility that he needed in order to be brought back to the myth of England as an island nation. Much like his visit to Westminster Bridge in his poem, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802," Wordsworth returns to a city which is the depths of glorification for him. Tintern Abbey restoreth his soul, or his glorification of England whereas in "Composed upon Westminster Bridge . . .," he already has this restoration, or tranquility, for a city, or place, because of Tintern Abbey.

Patrick J. Kennedy analyzes Lines 29-35 of the poem: "The recollection of beautiful scenes brought a refreshing calm even into the innermost depths of his soul, where even pleasures once experienced, but now forgotten, had left their effect, because every act plays its part in the formation of character" ("Notes" 94). Also, lines 90-93: "Love of nature has brought him into sympathy with man and his sorrows" ("Notes" 97). This analysis of the lines of the poem, "Tintern Abbey," reinforces my thoughts as well. The effect that nature had on Wordsworth (the effect that it brings to his next poem, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802") formulates the spirit of England which he always had, yet needed restoring. This peace which he obtained through nature itself brought him the tranquility that he needed in an unsettled time; ultimately, he viewed England in the spirit which it should be. This "sympathy with man and his sorrows" possibly explains the return of that spirit for Wordsworth because in his next poem, which I investigate: "Composed upon Westminster Bridge . . .," he is at peace with his country. The theory that "every act plays its part in the formation of character" further identifies with the Westminster Bridge poem as well. "Tintern Abbey" ultimately regards this because Wordsworth finds a tranquility in nature, brings it back to the city, and to an England that was always there for him that he needed reminding of. This is reiterated when he and his sister, Dorothy, return to France for a month long excursion ("Footnote 1").

"Footnote 1." Wordsworth, William. “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8^th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 317. Print.

"Introductory Note." Kennedy, Patrick J. Lucidas by John Milton. Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey and Ode on the Intimations of Immortality by William Wordsworth. Dublin: M. H Gill and Son, N.d. 91-92. Print. British Library.

"Notes." Kennedy, Patrick J. Lucidas by John Milton. Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey and Ode on the Intimations of Immortality by William Wordsworth. Dublin: M. H. Gill and Son, N.d. 93-101. Print. British Library.

Wordsworth, William. “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8^th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 317. Print.

Wordsworth, William. “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8^th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 258-62. Print.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

"Tintern Abbey" - Wordsworth's Glorification of Nature

In my last blog I stated that Wordsworth glorifies nature in his poem, "Tintern Abbey," instead of the spirit of England itself (150-52). He refers to a "[holy] love" for nature itself (155), which further delves into my analysis of this poem. Wordsworth continuously revisited Tintern Abbey to escape to a place which brought him peace in his unsettled life (1-159). To understand this, one must know a bit about the author himself. The French Revolution was occurring at the time that this poem was written in 1798 (http://www.marxists.org/history/france/revolution/timeline.htm). His unrest was that his beloved country was at war; therefore, realistically, he wanted to return to a place which brought him refuge. The ruins of Tintern Abbey were a sacred place for him. The beauty of the landscape, and the religious sentiment of the Abbey, brought him peace.

The idea of the myth of England as an island nation was also relevant for the time he wrote the poem. However, instead of glorifying a country, he glorifies nature (150-52). The reason for this, possibly, was to return to nature, which brought him peace.  Nature prevailed amongst the abbeys, such as Tintern Abbey itself, as well as the Abbey (Westminster) he saw and wrote about in his poem, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge . . ." (6). The spirit, or religious sentiment, brought Wordsworth again and again to a place of worship (1-159). Consequently, he chose to preserve these treasured memories (158-59).

Thus far, I have visited parks in England which have influenced my view of the city of London. I am only referencing these personal visits to further explain my thesis of how his poems, "Tintern Abbey," and "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802" suggest that it was a place of tranquility, even in a time of unsettled peace. Wordsworth continuously revisited Tintern Abbey whether in his mind, or physical body to return to his serene state (23-34). Although I cannot visit Tintern Abbey itself, this provided me with that experience: a place in nature that I can return to again and again, and not have to actually be there. This is a place which I can worship, although, not in a traditional manner. It is a way of worship which glorifies a place, and not a person.

His glorification of nature in Tintern Abbey, which is a place, compares with his glorification of nature in "Composed upon Westminster Bridge . . . ."

I will develop this further as I go along . . . Nature in "Tintern Abbey," as well as England itself in "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802," brought Wordsworth tranquility. In both poems, he glorifies a place.

I will post a photograph in my next blog entry of the nature which I experienced while in England so that the readers of this blog can further understand this glorification of nature, which Wordsworth had.

French Revolution Timeline. http://www.marxists.org/history/france/revolution/timeline.htm Web. 19 July 2011.
Wordsworth, William. “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8^th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 317. Print.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

"Tintern Abbey"

This poem is spoken in the present; however, in "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey," Wordsworth revisits the Abbey to return to his past (1-18). This is done so because he continuously references his need to return to a place which gave him peace whether in present, past memories, as well as in future tense (1-65). The poem was composed after his revisit to Tintern Abbey in August 1793 ("Note 1"); therefore, he is reflecting on his past. The opening lines of the poem reveal this aspect:

         Five years have past; five summers, with the length
         Of five long winters. and again I hear
         These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
         With a soft inland murmur.-Once again
         Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,
         That on a wild secluded scene impress
         Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect
         The landscape with the quiet of the sky,
         The day is come when I again repose
         Here, under this dark sycamore, and view
         These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard tufts,
         Which at this season, with their unripe fruits,
         Are clad in one green hue, and lose themselves
         Mid groves and copse. Once again I see
         These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines
         Of sportive wood run wild: These pastoral farms,
         Green to the very door; and wreaths of smoke
         Sent up, in silence, from among the trees! (1-18)

These lines of the poem reveal that Wordsworth is reflecting upon Tintern Abbey, and more particularly nature itself. Nature provides him a place of refuge, or escape from a world which he does not reference specifically in the poem itself. It is not until his later poem, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802" that this is revealed. Wordsworth knows that he does not have to actually be in nature physically, but he can revisit nature in his mind (22-31). By doing this, his peace is restored, as well (30), which compares to his restoration of peace in his unsettled life in his later poem, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802."

          If this
          Be but a vain belief, yet, oh! how oft-
          In darkness and amid the many shapes
          Of joyless daylight: when the fretful stir
          Unprofitable, and the fever of the world,
          Have hung upon the beatings of my heart-
          How oft, in spirit, have I turned to thee,
          O sylvan Wye! thou wanderer thro' the woods,
          How often has my spirit turned to thee! (49-57)

These lines further convey the restoration of his peace when he states: "and the fever of the world; / Have hung upon the beatings of my heart-" (53-54), which explain his unsettled life in a chaotic world (OED). He returns to the river (Wye) in his memories, as well as now, physically, to remember a time when he felt a sense of tranquility (55-57). This is the England which was the most tranquil for him; therefore, he returns to it again and again.

The following lines depict his past, present, and future relationship with nature:

          And now, with gleams of half-extinguished thought,
          With many recognitions dim and faint,
          And somewhat of a sad perplexity,
          The picture of the mind revives again:
          While here I stand, not only with the sense
          Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts
          That in this moment there is life and food
          For future years, And so I dare to hope,
          though changed, no doubt, from what I was when first (57-66)

These lines also describe the tranquility of the water, which contrasts with his later poem, "London, 1802," in which Wordsworth refers to the "stagnant waters" of England (3). In "London, 1802," however, he is speaking figuratively of the waters referring to what England has become (OED), whereas "Tintern Abbey" references waters quite literally. Although he experienced England as a tranquil place when he revisits Tintern Abbey, he experiences a dissimilar view in his poem, "London,1802."

Later in the poem, he references the following lines:

          In nature and the language of the sense,
          The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse,
          The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul
          Of all my moral being. (108-11)

"The anchor of my purest thoughts . . ." (109) refers to nature as a person, or thing, that can be relied on for support, stability, or security (Minor "Tintern Abbey"). Also, religious connotations come into focus in the poem when he states: "and soul / of all my moral being" (11).

Instead of glorifying England as an island nation, Wordsworth glorifies nature (151-52). His need to return to nature signifies this.

I will delve into this more in my next blog post.

Minor, Lisa. "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey." EN 212. University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama. Spring 2011. Lecture.

"Note 1." "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey." Wordsworth, William. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8^th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 258-62. Print.

"Fever." OED. 14 July 2011. Web. 15 July 2011.

“Stagnant.” OED. 16 July 2011. Web.

Wordsworth, William. “London, 1802.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8^th ed. Vol. D: The Romantic Period. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, M. H. Abrams, Jack Stillinger, Deidre Shauna Lynch. New York: Norton, 2006. 319. Print.

Each Poem in its Entirety

"Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey"

Five years have past; five summers, with the length
Of five long winters! and again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
With a soft inland murmur.-Once again
Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,                (5)
That on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion: and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky.
The day is come when I again repose
Here, under this dark sycamore, and view              (10)
These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard-tufts,
Which at this season, with their unripe fruits,
Are clad in one green hue, and lose themselves

Mid groves and copses. Once again I see
These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines
Of sportive wood run wild: these pastoral farms,
Green to the very door; and wreaths of smoke
Sent up, in silence, from among the trees!
With some uncertain notice, as might seem
Of vagrant dwellers in the houseless woods,          (20)
Or of some Hermit's cave, where by his fire
The Hermit sits alone.

These beauteous forms,
Through a long absence, have not been to me
As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din              (25)
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart;
And passing even into my purer mind,
With tranquil restoration:-feelings too                  (30)
Of unremembered pleasure: such, perhaps,
As have no slight or trivial influence
On that best portion of a good man's life,
His little, nameless, unremembered, acts
Of kindness and of love. Nor less, I trust,              (35)
To them I may have owed another gift,
Of aspect more sublime; that blessed mood,
In which the burthen of the mystery,
in which the heavy and the weary weight
Of all this unintelligible world,                               (40)
Is lightened:-that serene and blessed mood,
In which the affections gently lead us on,-
Until, the breath of this corporeal frame
And even the motion of our human blood
Almost suspended, we are laid asleep                   (45)
In body, and become a living soul:
While with an eye made quiet by the power
Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,
We see into the life of things.

If this
Be but a vain belief, yet, oh! how oft-                   (50)
In darkness and amid the many shapes
Of joyless daylight; when the fretful stir
Unprofitable, and the fever of the world,
Have hung upon the beatings of my heart-
How oft, in spirit, have I turned to thee,                (55)
O sylvan Wye! thou wanderer thro' the woods,
How often has my spirit turned to thee!
And now, with gleams of half-extinguished thought,
With many recognitions dim and faint,
And somewhat of a sad perplexity,                        (60)
The picture of the mind revives again:
While here I stand, not only with the sense
Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts
That in this moment there is life and food
For future years. And so I dare to hope,                  (65)
Though changed, no doubt, from what I was when first

I came among these hills: when like a roe
I bounded o'er the mountains, by the sides
Of the deep rivers, and the lonely streams,
Wherever nature led: more like a man                     (70)
Flying from something that he dreads, than one
Who sought the thing he loved. For nature then
The coarser pleasures of my boyish days
And their glad animal movements all gone by
To me was all in all.-I cannot paint                         (75)
What then I was. The sounding cataract
Haunted me like a passion: the tall rock,
The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,
The colours and their forms, were then to me
An appetite; a feeling and a love,                           (80)
That had no need of a remoter charm,
By thought supplied, nor any interest
Unborrowed from the eye.-That time is past,
And all its aching joys are now no more,
And all its dizzy raptures. Not for this                      (85)
Faint I, nor mourn nor murmur; other gifts
Have followed; for such loss. I would believe,
Abundant recompense. For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth. but hearing oftentimes            (90)
The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh not grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue. And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime                     (95)
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man,
A motion and a spirit, that impels                           (100)
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,
And rolls through all things. Therefore am I still
A lover of the meadows and the wood,
And mountains; and of all that we behold
From this green earth; of all the mighty world           (105)
Of eye, and ear,-both, what they half create,
And what perceive; well pleased to recognise
In nature ad the language of the sense,
The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse,
The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul      (110)
Of all my my moral being.

Nor perchance,
If I were not thus taught, should I the more
Suffer my genial spirits to decay;
For thou art with me here upon the banks
Of this fair river; thou my dearest Friend,             (115)
My dear, dear Friend; and in thy voice I catch
The language of my former heart and read
The former pleasures in the shooting lights
Of thy wild eye. Oh! yet a little while
May I behold in thee what I was once,                 (120)
My dear, dear Sister! and this prayer I make,
Knowing that Nature never did betray
The heart that loved her; 'tis her privilege,
Through all the years of this our life, to lead
From joy to joy: for she can so inform                  (125)
The mind that is within us, so impress
With quietness and beauty, and so feed
With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues,
Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men,
Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor                (130)
The dreary intercourse of daily life,
Shall e'er prevail against us, or disturb
Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold
Is full of blessings. Therefore let the moon
Shine on thee in thy solitary walk;                       (135)
And let the misty mountain-winds be free
To blow against thee: and, in after years,
When these wild ecstasies shall be matured
Into a sober pleasure; when thy mind
Shall be a mansion for all lovely fo                       (140)
Thy memory be as a dwelling-place
For all sweet sounds and harmonies; oh! then,
If solitude, or fear, or pain, or grief,
Should be thy portion, with what healing thoughts
Of tender joy wilt thou remember                         (145)
And these my exhortations! Nor perchance-
If I should be where I no more can hear
Thy voice, nor catch from thy wild eyes these gleams
Of past existence-wilt thou then forget
That on the banks of this delightful stre                (150)
We stood together; and that I, so long
A worshipper of Nature, hither came
Unwearied in that service; rather say
With warmer love-oh! with far deeper zeal
Of holier love. Nor wilt thou then forg                    (155)
That after many wanderings, many years
Of absence, these steep woods and lofty cliffs,
And this green pastoral landscape, were to me
More dear, both for themselves and for thy sake!

"Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802"

Earth has not any thing to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, (5)
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; (10)
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!

"London, 1802"

Milton! thou should'st be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower (5)
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea: (10)
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life's common way,
In cheerful godliness and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.

Tintern Abbey Explained

In order to compare/contrast Wordsworth's poem, "Tintern Abbey," I think that my readers must first know what Tintern Abbey is. For Wordsworth, it was a place of religious sentiment which he longed to revisit, and did so whether in physical body, or in his memories. It brought him tranquility in his unsettled life.

"Tintern Abbey." Web. 17 July 2011.
http://www.castlewales.com/tintern.html

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Two Views of England: A Comparison and Contrast of Wordsworth's Poems: "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey," "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802," and "London, 1802"

William Wordsworth's poetry unravels the poet himself. His poem "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey" was written in the late eighteenth century, while "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802," and "London, 1802" were written in the early 19th century, although some historians regard this as the long 18th century, in the Romanticism literary movement. The poems reveal a short time in Wordsworth's life from 1793 through 1802 in which he wrote about nature, as well as London, England. In "Tintern Abbey," he revisits the Abbey, as well as nature, whether in physical body, or in his memories. "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802" conveys his present view of the city of London in which he pauses on Westminster Bridge with his sister Dorothy, actually on July 31, 1802. In "London, 1802," Wordsworth's view of England changes, and he appeals to his predecessor, Milton, to assist a country which he feels has lost its spirit: in "altar, sword, and pen" (3).

The research that I am focusing on is the comparisons and contrasts of his three poems. Also, Wordsworth observes two dissimilar views of England: an England which he reflects upon tranquility in nature, as well as the city itself, which is shown in "Tintern Abbey," and "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802." This view glorifies nature, as well as England, and represents the myth of England as an island nation. However, his view of England in his poem, "London, 1802" was modified in less than a month's time span to convey what England had become, unlike his previous two poems. Wordsworth's reflection upon the views of England in his poems, "Tintern Abbey," and "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802," suggest that it was a place of tranquility, even in a time of unsettled peace; however, "London, 1802" reflects upon a dissimilar view of England, which contrasts with his usual writing style.

These explorations will begin with the literal content of "Tintern Abbey," and then later, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802."

TIme to Stop Planning and Start Doing: A Brief Explanation

This blog post reflects upon a more personal note in the progress of my project. So far, I have been concentrating on my research proposal, which is sometimes difficult to do when you are not exactly sure of the direction which the literature will take you, as well as how to convey that in a blog. If any of you have been a bit confused of the direction that this blog is going, I have as well. It is okay, however. Writers and poets alike change their minds: Wordsworth changed his mind about England in his poem, "London, 1802," when he had been writing about England as a glorified nation only a few weeks prior.

In order to make this blog clearer for my readers, this is now my primary focus:

My blog reflects on the comparisons and contrasts of William Wordsworth's poems, "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey," "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802," and "London, 1802." I will also be showing how one of these poems is dissimilar to his usual writing style.

Wordsworth's reflection upon the views of England in his poems, "Tintern Abbey," and "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802," suggest that it was a place of tranquility, even in a time of unsettled peace; however, "London, 1802" reflects upon a dissimilar view of England, which contrasts with his usual writing style. (This is my thesis statement, and can change slightly.)

I hope this clears up any questions about my project thus far.

And, onward . . .