The Beneficial Influence of Nature
Throughout Wordsworth’s work, nature provides the ultimate
good influence on the human mind. All manifestations of the natural
world—from the highest mountain to the simplest flower—elicit noble,
elevated thoughts and passionate emotions in the people who observe
these manifestations. Wordsworth repeatedly emphasizes the importance
of nature to an individual’s intellectual and spiritual development.
A good relationship with nature helps individuals connect to both
the spiritual and the social worlds. As Wordsworth explains in The
Prelude, a love of nature can lead to a love of humankind.
In such poems as “The World Is Too Much with Us” (1807)
and “London, 1802” (1807)
people become selfish and immoral when they distance themselves
from nature by living in cities. Humanity’s innate empathy and nobility
of spirit becomes corrupted by artificial social conventions as
well as by the squalor of city life. In contrast, people who spend
a lot of time in nature, such as laborers and farmers, retain the
purity and nobility of their souls.
The Power of the Human Mind
Wordsworth praised the power of the human mind. Using
memory and imagination, individuals could overcome difficulty and
pain. For instance, the speaker in “Lines Composed
a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” (1798) relieves
his loneliness with memories of nature, while the leech gatherer
in “Resolution and Independence” (1807) perseveres
cheerfully in the face of poverty by the exertion of his own will.
The transformative powers of the mind are available to all, regardless
of an individual’s class or background. This democratic view emphasizes
individuality and uniqueness. Throughout his work, Wordsworth showed
strong support for the political, religious, and artistic rights
of the individual, including the power of his or her mind. In the 1802 preface
to Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth explained the relationship
between the mind and poetry. Poetry is “emotion recollected in tranquility”—that
is, the mind transforms the raw emotion of experience into poetry
capable of giving pleasure. Later poems, such as “Ode: Intimations
of Immortality” (1807), imagine nature as
the source of the inspiring material that nourishes the active,
creative mind.
The Splendor of Childhood
In Wordsworth’s poetry, childhood is a magical, magnificent
time of innocence. Children form an intense bond with nature, so
much so that they appear to be a part of the natural world, rather
than a part of the human, social world. Their relationship to nature
is passionate and extreme: children feel joy at seeing a rainbow
but great terror at seeing desolation or decay. In 1799,
Wordsworth wrote several poems about a girl named Lucy who died
at a young age. These poems, including “She dwelt among the untrodden
ways” (1800) and “Strange fits of passion
have I known” (1800), praise her beauty and
lament her untimely death. In death, Lucy retains the innocence
and splendor of childhood, unlike the children who grow up, lose
their connection to nature, and lead unfulfilling lives. The speaker
in “Ode: Intimations of Immortality” believes that children delight
in nature because they have access to a divine, immortal world.
As children age and reach maturity, they lose this connection but
gain an ability to feel emotions, both good and bad. Through the power
of the human mind, particularly memory, adults can recollect the
devoted connection to nature of their youth.
