¶ … Romantic Period, writers shared an appreciation for nature. Capturing the essence of enjoying nature in writing became of utmost importance for these writers as they focused on emotion and imagination to help them create pleasing literature. We can see these characteristics in Percy Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind," John Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale," and William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey." These poets capture the essence of the Romantic era because they bring attention to nature, pointing toward exploration of human emotion. This combination allowed them to raise awareness of the mind through literature and while literature became the vehicle through which they explored.
In "Ode to a Nightingale," the poet uses his imagination as he begins to dwell on the nightingale's song. He experiences powerful emotions as he considers the bird's song and he feels as though he is losing his identity as he continues to listen. The song stimulates his mind and it makes him consider things otherworldly. The poet says the song makes his heart "ache" (Keats 1) and...
These things bring the poet into a sublime experience as he sees the
pain in beauty through this simple song. The song exists above the trees while men sit beneath such trees only to "hear each other moan" (24). He considers how his own imagination might "cheat" (73) him as loses sense of all time and space listening to the song. This kind of thinking show us the personal emotion the poet brings to the table because it causes him to ponder an "easeful death" (52) to avoid worldly the
suffering. He thinks of escaping the world "unseen" (19-20), telling the bird he "will fly to thee" (31) on the light and airy wings of
poetry. Here we see how something simple like a bird's song can capture the imagination and inspire verse.
In "Ode to the West Wind," Percy Shelley demonstrates characteristics of the Romantic Period because he, too, is reaching for an otherworldly experience. The poet begins with personifying autumn by becoming aware of its "being" (Shelley 1). This being brings forth change and opens the door for a new season. The poet appreciates nature as he verifies the existence of the winds, saying they "Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing" (4). He
claims he thoughts resemble "winged seeds" (7) seen through each passing season. The winds symbolize change in our lives and our inability to do much about that change. The West wind might be a fragment of the poet's imagination as he waits in winter but he knows spring will come and it only takes a piece of his imagination to bring it back to him. It is…
