Autumn has also been indicated to ‘conspire’ with the sun, whom has been describes as a God many times before. This has also added imagery to the poem and makes it simpler for the reader because it gives you a mental image of Nature working in a God’s style. The poem also comes across as simpler to understand than former poems because nature is so accessible and to understand the poet’s love of nature you only need to look at any living plant.
Keats has personified autumn as a human in the second stanza and has given autumn human characteristics. The human has been described as a female because she is ‘Drows’d with the fume of poppies,’ this smell adds calmness because poppies represent the dead from the first world war, which are to lie in peace. ‘Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind’ gives her physical features that builds up an image in your mind.
‘To Autumn’ is an emotional poem and uses the aging of the year and nature to express this. You can sense his fear of aging as the poem progresses. Keats starts the poem by talking about nature and the fruit with ‘ripeness to the core’. He knows that that as the year draws closer to an end the fruits will no longer ripen. He also sees Autumn as a lonely time with ‘gathering swallows twitter in the skies’ knowing that the swallows are leaving behind only old fruit and food which is where Keats feels that he fits in with. ‘The maturing sun’ illustrates the sun is aging and is becoming less powerful. He also uses the word ‘maturing’ comparing the state of the year and nature towards himself as he feels like he is dying along with nature and like the sun.
Keats is a very successful romantic poet because he has shared his love of nature with the reader and has influenced the reader to also feel strongly towards autumn. From the descriptions of Autumn in this poem ‘Thee sitting there careless on a granary floor’ builds up an image of what you would expect autumn would like and ‘thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wing’ allows me to build up an image of autumn being a female god.
‘Frost at Midnight’ written by Coleridge is a poem of which the main romantic characteristics is about the importance of childhood. He reflects on his childhood whilst looking after his son. In the first stanza Coleridge is looking into his fireplace and notices something blows out of the fireplace and ‘which fluttered on the grate.’ This senses an unhappy memory for him, it is a childhood memory because it is at school and this is a characteristic of romanticism. In school the ‘fluttering stranger’ from the fire would fascinate him because it is a piece of nature, which he finds beautiful and thrilling.
The second stanza is typical of romanticism because of the images described in the poem.
‘With unclosed lids, already had I dreamt of my sweet birth-place, and the old church tower.’ ‘On the hot Fair-day.’ This line builds an image of his christening at a large church on a light day in summer. This would be when the church is surrounded by nature and he is dreaming about how perfect his birth was. Because he was christened in the summer when the earth is very green this has given a link between nature and God because in an idyllic image there would be nature. Seeing a fluttering piece of soot in your fire meant that a stranger or visitor was approaching and Coleridge believed that when he saw a fluttering piece of soot at school then someone would visit him to relieve his boredom at school. In order to see a fluttering piece of soot he would have to be looking towards the fire, he is looking at the fire because he is fascinated by the nature of the fire and still, years later whilst looking after his son he still looks into the fire because he finds it so beautiful.
Whilst thinking about when he went to school in the city he is thinking about his son and hopes that he
‘Shalt thou see and hear the lovely shapes and sound intelligible of that eternal language, which thy God utters.’ Coleridge wishes that his son may witness and love nature as much as he does. By calling nature the eternal language that God utters he is bringing another link with nature and God. ‘Eternal language’ means that nature will always be something, which will always be spoken about and understood; also it means that nature will always be around. ‘Eternal language, which thy God utters’ is emphasising that nature is a major part of God and that God just breaths life into nature and with every breath he is giving nature life. This is a very strong relation between nature and God.
In the last stanza Coleridge explains that all year round nature is a magical existence and gives details of what is so special at each season in the year. Coleridge believes that nature is something that carries on throughout the year and has explained how nature is such an outstanding characteristic of the world and not just in spring. He has given examples of the wonders nature shows in autumn, winter and summer. In summer nature is believed to ‘clothe the general earth with greenness.’ ‘The redbreast sit and sing betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch of mossy apple-tree’ in the winter. In the autumn there is ‘the secret ministry of frost shall hang them up in silent icicles’.
‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3,’ written by Wordsworth is a poem describing the early morning in London before the rush ruins the scenery. He feels that London will soon fill up with dull people who ‘pass by a sight so touching in its majesty.’ Here Wordsworth is talking about the city and by using the word ‘majesty’ he is describing the city as magnificent. He has actually written the poem in the morning because there is no bustle or noise to take your mind away from building an image in your mind of looking up at the sun rise behind these ‘ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples,’ taking in and appreciating the beauty of the morning. Using the word ‘lie’ to describe the state which the ‘ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples’ are in and that they too are very relaxed and are aware of their wonder. Instead of referring to nature as God he has referred to the city as being chosen by God. He has done this by using the word temples instead of churches. He has used the word temples because the closest person or thing to God would be Jesus and Jesus worshipped God in a temple. By adding temple he has brought a closer relationship to God, because he has referred to the city as being chosen by God. We associate everything else in the city with God, including the nature within the city. Wordsworth has referred to a person as being dull for not acknowledging and appreciating the city in the morning, this makes the reader feel like an interesting person because they would be able to appreciate the ‘ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples.’ This is quite a harsh and strong comment to make and this just shows how much Wordsworth thinks of nature. By appealing to the reader’s senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight he allows you to visualise a supreme, perfect scene of exactly what Westminster looks like in the morning. ‘All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautiful steep In his first splendor,’ is building up a feeling of warmth because it is a very colourful passage. The word ‘steep’ increases the reader’s sense of touch. To add nature into the poem Wordsworth has commented on ‘open unto the fields, and the sky,’ this has set a very peaceful tone to the poem and has demonstrated that nature can live together in harmony with man. This image really takes hold of Wordsworth and in a state of passion because of the perfection he cries out to God ‘Dear God.’ This has added vigour to the poem and to get back to the peacefulness and silent perfection he has added about how still London is in the morning, which means his ‘almighty heart is lying still.
