Nutting by Willam Wordsworth
NUTTING by Willam Wordsworth
In many ways the presentation of nature in the poem Nutting seems very different to the way Wordsworth portrays. it in his other poems.It is of course a so called 'Poem of Becoming' focusing primarily on the poet himself, looking at how Wordsworth's experiences of nature and the external world help him to explore his own mind, physically looking outwards but by doing so being introspective in learning about himself.
A key element to the poems of becoming is present in Nutting. This is the idea of reflection and contemplation on past Experience, and especially experiences with nature. Wordsworth writes of the 'eagerness of boyish hope' relating to the importance of the child, and the mind of the child, to all the Romantic poets. Again this is present in Tintern Abbey where the poet is reflecting on how he has changed since his days of 'dizzy raptures' and 'aching joys'. The theme forms the basis of poems such as Anecdote for Fathers and There was a Boy where Wordsworth tries to teach the reader that children have a connection with nature which is lost somewhat in adulthood, the idea that the 'The Child is Father of the man'. Although I think in Nutting this theme is somewhat reversed as Wordsworth describes how his recklessness and perhaps overzealousness of his youth is the reason that he finally destroys the 'virgin scene' and now he feels regret for that action: 'I now Confound my present feelings with the past'. However the point is that the act of devastating a scene from nature is lesson to Wordsworth: 'I felt a sense of pain as I beheld The silent trees', and in this way I think it is not dissimilar to the way the poet portrays childhood in Tintern Abbey, where upon reflection of his childhood he says 'I have learned To look on nature, not as in the hour Of thoughtless youth' as if although he has lost the 'aching joys' he has gained an understanding of nature through quiet reflection, the vivid sensations of childhood have
In many ways the presentation of nature in the poem Nutting seems very different to the way Wordsworth portrays. it in his other poems.It is of course a so called 'Poem of Becoming' focusing primarily on the poet himself, looking at how Wordsworth's experiences of nature and the external world help him to explore his own mind, physically looking outwards but by doing so being introspective in learning about himself.
A key element to the poems of becoming is present in Nutting. This is the idea of reflection and contemplation on past Experience, and especially experiences with nature. Wordsworth writes of the 'eagerness of boyish hope' relating to the importance of the child, and the mind of the child, to all the Romantic poets. Again this is present in Tintern Abbey where the poet is reflecting on how he has changed since his days of 'dizzy raptures' and 'aching joys'. The theme forms the basis of poems such as Anecdote for Fathers and There was a Boy where Wordsworth tries to teach the reader that children have a connection with nature which is lost somewhat in adulthood, the idea that the 'The Child is Father of the man'. Although I think in Nutting this theme is somewhat reversed as Wordsworth describes how his recklessness and perhaps overzealousness of his youth is the reason that he finally destroys the 'virgin scene' and now he feels regret for that action: 'I now Confound my present feelings with the past'. However the point is that the act of devastating a scene from nature is lesson to Wordsworth: 'I felt a sense of pain as I beheld The silent trees', and in this way I think it is not dissimilar to the way the poet portrays childhood in Tintern Abbey, where upon reflection of his childhood he says 'I have learned To look on nature, not as in the hour Of thoughtless youth' as if although he has lost the 'aching joys' he has gained an understanding of nature through quiet reflection, the vivid sensations of childhood have