An Essay on Wordsworth’s Poetry
Wordsworth is regarded by many as one of the most influential poets ever, primarily because his poetry stood apart from that of his predecessors and helped shaped the face of contemporary poetry. Whereas poetry prior to the romantic age had little to do with the poet’s feelings and ideas, almost all poetry today is about the emotions and/or opinions of the poet. Poetry became a way of expressing opinions, and Wordsworth made an art of expressing his views on subjects, such as equality, through the stories his poems tell. In the poem “Simon Lee,” Wordsworth tells the story of an old huntsman who is well-known as a great hunter, but has seen better days. The narrator in the poem describes Simon Lee saying, “And he is lean and he is sick, His little body’s half awry, His ancles they are swoln and thick; His legs are thin and dry,” (33-36), and then describes how he observes Simon Lee trying, without success, to sever the root of a dead tree. With this description of Simon Lee, Wordsworth creates in the reader sympathy for this servant.
Considering that poetry was not written to an audience of mostly common people, but rather elevated people in society, this sympathy is key to the attitude that Wordsworth takes in the poem. The narrator in the poem then lowers himself to the same level as Simon Lee by offering to help. He asks Simon Lee for his tool and then “with a single blow,” he cuts through the root “at which the poor old man so long and vainly had endeavor’d” (93-96). The actions of the narrator in Simon Lee shows Wordsworth’s attitude toward the common man, placing himself on the same level. Wordsworth did not like to be regarded as better than those in lowly positions. He saw his job as a poet simply to place into words the emotions of the world, and he saw the world in whole, including the lower classes. To achieve this purpose, he made poetry more appealing to all of society by writing about all types of people, and by writing in the language of the common people.
In the preface to his “Lyrical Ballads,” Wordsworth explains that his concept was to write about “incidents and situations from common life, and to relate or describe them, throughout, as far as possible, in a selection of language really used by men.” He goes on to explain that his reason for choosing common people was because, “being less under the influence of social vanity they convey their feelings and notions in simple and unelaborated expressions,” which was Wordsworth’s goal in his poetry- to simplify in words expressions of mankind. He did this through taking the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” and writing about the emotions of his experiences when “recollected in tranquility.” One example of an incident from common life that Wordsworth chose to later reflect on is found in the poem, “The Solitary Reaper,” where Wordsworth writes about a woman whom he hears singing while he works reaping the fields.
It shows that Wordsworth writes about the experience not as it happens, but later, recollecting his feelings, as the poem says, “The music in my heart I bore, Long after it was heard no more” (31-32). Wordsworth chooses to write about a woman, and how her singing affected him so powerfully. In a time when most men regarded women as merely the bearers and caretakers of their children, Wordsworth gives a certain amount of respect to the woman, wondering what she was singing about. He does not assume that it is just some simple song, but attributes great depth to the women, musing that “Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow, For old, unhappy, far-off things, And battles long ago” (18-20). This shows the change that was occurring in the romantic age, where people began to desire equality for all. Although great changes in women’s rights were still a long way off, the fact that great figures in society were starting to take note of women is significant, and Wordsworth shows this in the many women whom he chooses as the subjects of his poetry. This was all part of his desire to portray the “humble and rustic life,” which he viewed as valuable and important.
Wordsworth wrote about those deemed by society as less important, such as women and children. In the poem “We are Seven,” Wordsworth writes about a little girl whom he met while walking in the country. He has a conversation with the little girl, in which she counts herself as one of seven children, despite the fact that two of her siblings are dead. Wordsworth, as the speaker in the poem, tries to reason logically with the girl that if two are dead, then she is one of five children, but the little girl will not be swayed. She still feels close to her two deceased siblings and will not look at death as having eliminated them as her siblings. The way in which Wordsworth presents the girl as so simply explaining the death of her siblings makes the reader see the child’s attitude as admirable. She describes how her sister’s death, telling how, “In bed she moaning lay, Till God released her of her pain” (50-51). The little girl tells the story so cheerfully, that it is easy for the reader to believe that this little girl truly understands and accepts death, something that adults struggle with. Wordsworth ends the poem with showing the little girl as a symbol of strength. He makes one more attempt at convincing her that her siblings are gone, but the little girl does not see them as gone, and her opinion will not be changed. The poem ends, “Twas throwing words away; for still the little maid would have her will, and said, ‘Nay, we are seven.'” Through her simple, childlike faith that accepts the death of her siblings as the will of God, the girl is admired by readers for her great faith. Through this, Wordsworth is showing the value of children, making a statement about how they should be treated. Although the movement for child labor laws and laws to protect the rights of children were still decades away, Wordsworth’s attitude helped pave the way for the bolder statements that would eventually be made by poets such as Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Many of the great thinkers of the romantic age expressed the desire for equality amongst all mankind, including the protection of children and rights for women. Later in the 18th century, this desire grew into a movement of social change, where there were more female writers, the industrial revolution helped to close gaps between the classes, and even slavery to an end. Although one cannot argue that William Wordsworth was behind this change, the influence of his literature did help shape the changing face of society.
