Thinking activity: Wordsworth & Coleridge

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     Here is my blog on Thinking activity: On the views of Wordsworth's and Coleridge's and analysis two poem with reference given by Dr. Dilip Barad Sir.

(1) write brief note on the views of Wordsworth and Coleridge on poem.
Answer.
*Wordsworth's views:

           Wordsworth views on poem in the most revolutionary of all the idea in his Preface. He insists that his poems are written in 'selection of language of men a state of vivid sensation'. His views of poem can be summed up as: 'there neither is nor can be any essential difference between the language of prose and metrical composition'.

        The language of poetry should be the language 'really used by men', but it should be a 'selection' of such language. All the words used by the people cannot be employed in poetry. It should be filtered and refined. The refined when vernacular words should be the diction of poetry.

     It should be the language of men in a state of which sensation. It should have a certain colouring of imagination. The poet should give the colour of his imagination to the language employed by him in poetic composition.

*Coleridge's views:

Coleridge writes in defence to the violent assailant to the ‘language of real life’ adopted by Wordsworth in the Lyrical Ballads. There had been strong criticism against Wordsworth’s views expressed in Preface also. Coleridge writes in his defence: “Had Mr. Wordsworth's poems been the silly, the childish things, which they were for a long time described as being; had they been really distinguished from the compositions of other poets merely by meanness of language and inanity of thought;

Had they indeed more thancontained nothing what is found in the parodies and pretended imitations of them; they must have sunk at once, a dead weight, into the slough of oblivion, and have dragged the preface along with them”. He wrote that the ‘eddy of criticism’ which whirled around these poems and Preface would have dragged them in oblivion. But it has not happened. Instead, to quote Coleridge, “year after year increased the number of Mr. Wordsworth's admirers.

They were found too not in the lower classes of the reading public, but chiefly among young men of strong ability and meditative minds; and their admiration was distinguished by its intensity, I might almost say, by its religious fervour.” Thus, Coleridge gives full credit to the genius of Wordsworth.

It does not mean that he agreed with Wordsworth on all the points. Colridge writes: “With many parts of this preface in the sense attributed to them and which the words undoubtedly seem to authorize, I never concurred; but on the contrary objected to them as erroneous in principle, and as contradictory (in appearance at least) both to other parts of the same preface, and to the author's own practice in the greater number of the poems themselves. Mr. Wordsworth in his recent collection has, I find, degraded this prefatory disquisition to the end of his second volume, to be read or not at the reader's choice".

(2) Analyse two poems with reference to Wordsworth and Coleridge's views.

Answer.

"The Tables Turned" by William Wordsworth.

       This poem echoes a poet strong faith in nature and is confident that nature is the best teacher rather than books. This poem use of The Favorable Impact of Nature, Nature is the best teacher, Know Thyself.

        In the first stanza The poet begins the first stanza by exclamation Up! Up! Calls upon his friend to get up or  stand up and leaves his books. This books are not a proper source of knowledge. He claims that these books are will make him double, losing his originality and reality.

      The poem again calls his friend to get up who looks confused by the sudden call. He put emphasizes by again using exclamation Up! Up! He ask his friend to clear his looks; that is to change his perspective on seeing things. The way he is seeing the world is quite complicated. The poet asks him that why he is facing all the "toil" and "trouble" when he has easy ways to see things.

In the second stanza Wordsworth nature's poets, through the use of imagery in the stanza, beautifully creates the pictures of sunset. He says that the sun has spread all over the mountain's head and fields are green, however, they appear golden in the glimmers of the evening sun.

In the third stanza with an exclamation Book! He calls books dull Along with endless strife. To him, reading books are like a long conflict against and enemy which never end and is useless. Wordsworth invited his friend to come and listen to the Woodland linnet. He swears that  there is more wisdom in the song of a bird than of books. In this stanza poet claims that books make us double, losing your identity while on the other hand birds, nature's creatures, is free from this duality.

       In the forth stanza argues with his friend that I order to acquire real knowledge and wisdom, he should listen to the blackbirds. These birds are not preachers. But on the other hand, if he read books written by preachers and every preacher preaches his own point of view, not the universal point of view. In order to know who is right and what is right, you should come to the metaphysical light of things that really exist around.

      In the fifth stanza, says that the nature surrounding us is filled with wisdom and instructions. Nature lord of wealth of wisdom to bless our mind in hearts with. By observing nature, we are spontaneously breathing wisdom and health. The wisdom and it can fill you with a joy and cheerfulness.

In the sixth stanza the poet, arguing with his friend, claims that one component of nature can you more than any book, written by man, on the earth. Spending time in nature, according to Wordsworth, will not provide you only with mental peace and health but also teaches you more about humanity, goodness, and evil as well.  On the other hand, the books are supposed to be written by wise men, however, these can't teach you what nature can.

     In the seventh stanza the poet says that every knowledge and wisdom that nature brings is full of sweet feelings and expression that brings peace to the human mind and soul. But it is human's nature, say is that poet, that with their intellect and knowledge miss-shape the things that are attractive. When they try to understand the meanings of this the murder things as  "we murder to dissect". Humans tend to search objective/purpose of each and everything around and this text the beauty of things away.

   In the Eighth stanza poet asks his friend to leava the philosophies of Science and Arts. He called books as Barren leaves as they are useless and have no wisdom in them. He tells him to bring his heart's, not mind, with him; the heart with receives the message from nature because mind dissects but heart, on the other, heart understands.

This Lime - Tree Bower My Prison by S. T. Coleridge

"This Lime- Tree Bower My Prison" is humorous, charming prose poetry detailed by Samuel Coleridge's striking imagination. It describes the disappointment the speaker faces because he's unable ti join his wife and friends for a nature walk. This disappointment lies in an accident involving hot milk being spilled onto the speaker's foot, by his wife. He. Chooses to recover in a bower full of lime trees.
      On the other hand, he equates the Lime- tree Bower to prison. Unable to enjoy the sensual pleasures of the vnature walk, he's left to the excitement of his imagination. The speaker imagines the beautiful sights the group care likely witnessing, such as a somber forest and captivating waterfall. He proceeds to imagine his wife and friends resting their eyes on "hilly fields and meadows" as well as a clear, blue ocean.
        Thank you.....