Literary Devices In The Ruined Abbey

Metaphysical and Physical
William Wordsworth, possibly the most influential writer during the Romantic
Era, used his philosophical insight to direct the messages produced in his literature. The characteristics that define a romantic also define the writing style of Wordsworth. His poem entitled Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey provides countless morals that are based off the authors personal experiences. After a return to the cathedral, Wordsworth teaches a lesson learned from the past, present, and then leaves crucial advice to his sister
Dorothy who accompanied him. Wordsworth’s philosophical insight of physical and metaphysical aspects of life portray many morals that are commonly used as inspiration.
Tintern Abbey, a beautiful worn-down cathedral in the luscious green hills of England , is used as a
“The ruined abbey suggests the power and grandeur of ancient religions, but also their eventual defeat by time. The abbey, covered with ivy and trees, also suggests the constancy of nature. Wordsworth reflects on these themes of change and constancy while revisiting the spot after five years' absence.”(Wagnolls) The connections drawn between physical and metaphysical life portray various messages within the story, but they are all connected in the last stanza paragraph. The speaker please that Dorothy learns from his experiences. Wordsworth continues with a few examples: the importance of nature, keeping the things that truly matter closely, and having an optimistic view on life. “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.” (Wordsworth, Tintern Abbey, 156-159) The narrator insists that Dorothy uses his trials as a lesson, and urges her to live life to the