A second example of contradictory ideas is the theme of the individual versus the general in this poem. Generally, people did not know Lucy - "She lived unknown, and few could know/ When Lucy ceased to be." This shows that Lucy was not very important to others, and she was something of a loner. Lucy was, however, of great importance to the poet: "But she is in her grave, and, oh,/ The difference to me!" This shows that the narrator greatly cherished Lucy - he saw her as a "violet" and a "star" - although others did not. The two ideas, therefore, of being of great importance to an individual and of little significance to the general, are united within the context of the poem.
Another element which contradicts the idea of Lucy being of great importance to the narrator is Lucy's not having anyone of great importance to her. Wordsworth describes Lucy as being "A maid whom there were none to praise/ And very few to love..." In other words, Lucy cared for no one, but the narrator cared deeply for her - "The difference to me!" The opposing ideas of passion versus indifference - the narrator's passion for Lucy and Lucy's indifference towards others - are also united in the context of this poem.
A final example of the union of opposing elements in this poem is Lucy's beauty in comparison to her loneliness. Wordsworth describes Lucy as "A violet by a mossy stone/ Half hidden from the eye!/ Fair as a star, when only one/ Is shining in the sky." In these lines, the poet describes Lucy's beauty, inner or outer, and her uniqueness. Despite Lucy's beauty, however, she is all alone, outside the bounds of society. This idea is contradictory in two ways. First of all, Lucy may be "Fair as a star," but there is not other star in the sky, and she may be like a "violet," but she is isolated, beside a "mossy stone." She has no one around her to observe or acknowledge her beauty, and she goes unnoticed by everyone expect the poet. This is the contradictory idea of beauty versus blindness - meaning the blindness of others to Lucy's beauty - which is united in the context of Lucy's life.
A second way in which Lucy's beauty and isolation give rise to opposing elements is how Lucy's isolation makes her more beautiful to the narrator. If there is only one star shining in the sky, there are no others stars to compare it to, and that star is more beautiful by itself than when it is among many other stars. A violet, also, is more beautiful by itself than when it is among a field of violets. The reason, therefore, that Lucy is so beautiful and makes such a difference to the poet is because her separation from others makes her more unique in his eyes. What makes Lucy so special to the poet, therefore, is her isolation, the same thing which causes her to be of no significance to others. This is another contradictory idea which is united in the context of Lucy's life.
From these examples, it is evident that Romantic poets, like Wordsworth and Coleridge, considered the union of opposing or discordant elements or qualities to be an important aspect of poetry, and perhaps an important aspect of life. The two poets, however, interpreted this union very differently. Wordsworth united such elements as passion and indifference and beauty and loneliness within the context of his poems - in other words, these discordant qualities had union because they coexisted in a similar environment, in this case Lucy's life. Coleridge, however, saw the union of discordant elements not simply as their coexisting, but as their coming together and being resolved, as in the case when the Mariner reaches union with the sea by coming to love and cherish it. The two poets' attitudes towards the meaning of union reflect their outlook on life. Most likely, Wordsworth, who never seems to offer a resolution of the opposing elements in his poem, was a person who believed that discord was something natural and unchangeable with which we must learn to coexist. On the contrary, Coleridge in his poem is constantly resolving the discordant elements and bringing them together in a peaceful manner. His outlook on life must have been more positive than that of Wordsworth, and he must have believed that all forms of discord can be somehow brought into union, or resolved.
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gobbluth0 (student)
