Feb. 18th thoughs/ notes

Alright, so this class we only touched base on one poem (Tintern Abbey). The question was raised- What is nature according to Wordsworth? I believe he thinks nature is a state of being. An escape one can go to when needing to get away from the non natural aspects of the world. It is as though his state of nature is a meditation or spiritual bond with such. However, Tabbie raised an interesting point, that it is possible that Wordsworth's religion is nature itself. I can see where she is coming from, i think that he is so connected mind, body, and soul with nature that it in turn has become his prayers and religion and spiritual connection. The brilliant thing about it is that nature is so general and available that anyone willing and aiming can attain it. There is yet a label on it. He is ascribing a quasi religious reference to nature, and we can recognize the spiritual power to nature with a capital “N”. Another question that was raised was what is nature and what is it's opposite. Nature is, foundationally, anything spacious and green. It is untouched my humanity. Nature brings out, especially in Wordsworth and his writtings, the appreciation for the aesthetics (which is the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty) that consoled him by incorporating all together, the wonders of nature, his past experiences, and his present mature perception of life. As opposed to "not nature" which is anything that has been tainted by human hands, anything that has not naturally evolved. Anything that is materialistic or concrete. It is industrialization, migration, expansion, politics, rules, laws... Again, another question was raised- What kind of person do you think Wordsworth was? I think that wordsworth was a young man coming to realization. He was realizing his loss of time is his loss of innocence. For example, when you are young you are constantly outside in nature. Nothing it ailing you and you are somewhat set free to explore. I have come to realize that as you grow older and being to have a mature outlook on life and nature is no longer an escape. Life begins to hit you, and you cant escape it anymore. Lastly, the underlying message of the poem, to me, is that even though life comes at you fast and your childhood is soon just a memory in the past, you are still able to escape everything (humanity, life, the hustle and bustle) and come into touch with your inner self. Whenever you want to come into contact with who you truley are, go to nature. Go to a place in which you cant be touched by anything but emotions, beauty, and self. I think that at first i did not have such an appreciation for this poem as i do now. Due to writting this blog and our class discussion i better understood the angles of the poem and actually have gained a great appreciation for this poem.