Dorothy Wordsworth’s poem “Floating Island” is a good example of Romanticism for several different reasons. The entire poem is filled with references of nature. In the first stanza it talks about the different elements including the “sky, earth, river”. The poem discusses the fact that “Sunshine and storm, whirlwind and breeze / All in one duteous task agree”, this emphasizes the “awe when experiencing the sublimity of nature” because sunshine and storm, and whirlwind and breeze or opposites and great aspects of nature.
The second stanza uses more imagination because it talks about “how no one knew / But all might see it float, obedient to the wind.” This provides the reader with something to think about and the image that one comes up with is left to the imagination. What exactly is “a slip of earth”? Maybe some dust? Or something else? It’s really left up to the reader to decide that.
Stanza three shows a devotion to nature because it so well describes the mossy shore and how the birds use this area for their pastime. The poem says “Might see it” because not everyone can. Again it’s left up to the imagination. Possibly only a nature lover would recognize and appreciate this beauty.
The fourth stanza talks about living plants and insects and about how they live and die. This shows the awe when experiencing the sublimity of nature because normally we don’t think about insects and plants having life and eventually dying because they are not humans. This poem sheds some light onto this and shows us the experiences that take place every day.
The Fifth stanza talks about how nature may refuse to give anymore. This provides a sort of terror because without nature we would be nothing. Humans cannot survive without the oxygen we get from trees or without the food that we need from which nature provides. It’s a scary thought to think that one day nature might “cease to give”.
The end of the poem is thought provoking because it leaves the reader thinking about nature and about what could possibly happen. “Without an object, hope, or fear” implies that without nature we would have nothing, no hope, no fear, just nothing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I like how you pointed out how the description of insects dying and other things sheds light upon things that we normally don't think about. It is the forces of nature that carry on their duties everyday with or with out our acknowledgment. Good insight.
ReplyDeleteI was going to comment the same same, re, the insects, as 9TailedFox...agreed, totally...I don't think there is a line in this poem that doesn't further Romanticism in concurrent ways. I can just picture Dorothy W plucking the words off, one by one, weighing them out and trying them out on the page!
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend!
I liked your last paragraph. I think I read that stanza a little bit different so I pretty much just glossed that line. It is quite apt though.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to prove my ignorance to literary genres but I totally thought "romanticism" was about love between people. I never would have dreamed that it was about nature, spirituality etc. I'm a dumb dumb. I loved your blog and your summary. "Without nature we would have nothing." Beautiful words! PS-I'm pretty sure your blog is longer than mine this week, you got me all self councious. Haha!
ReplyDelete"Humans cannot survive without the oxygen we get from trees or without the food that we need from which nature provides. It’s a scary thought to think that one day nature might 'cease to give.'"
ReplyDeleteOk, this absolutely caught my attention and I thought you were brilliant! What an amazing concept! I had not thought of it that way, and now it really changes my perspective of the poem. Thanks, Amy! :)
Ok thanks everyone for thinking I have good insight, but I didn't even have common sense to realize he was talking about the island. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI was going to comment that there def. seemed to be some actual island-talk missing. But there are ecocritical readings of Dorothy's work that do focus on big picture Nature things.
ReplyDelete