What Has Man Made of Himself?
“I read aloud from the eleventh book of Paradise Lost. We were much impressed, and also melted into tears” (Hertz 122). Words from the journal of one Williams Wordsworth’s closest friend, his sister Dorothy; this detail could explain Wordsworth’s admiration of John
Milton and why in a time of frustration he would appeal to the spirit of Milton to “return to us again”. In his sonnet London, 1802 Wordsworth calls to his poetic forefather Milton and in his characteristically eloquent manner advocates his concern for “what man has made of man”
(Untermeyer 115) in a poem equally a social commentary that retained the times romantic emphasis. Passionate and Imbued with a sense of wonder of all he wrote (Sullivan 6), that is the
Wordsworth, that …show more content…
“Thou(Milton) had a voice like the sea”, a voice that Wordsworth knew only through Miltons works; and just based upon that knowledge he(Wordsworth) would entrust him(Milton) with the task of returning England its “dower’’ of “inward happiness.” “Altar, sword, and pen” the entirety of London, 1802 is symbolic. Most objects comes to respresent the greater theme of a troubled England. The altar represents the religious troubles of the time the sword is symbolic for the armed forces of England and the perhaps the pen represents the literature and arts of the epoch. “Virtue, freedom, power” symbolize everything
Wordsworth believes men of this era have come to lose due to their selfish nature. The symbolism of the poem serves not only to describe London and its issues, Milton is also a symbol; a symbol for everything England is no longer, and all it should aspire to be and what(who) it should look up to as a role model. He (Milton) is most suited to have Wordsworth direct his exuberated plea because Milton lived to fight for freedoms which to him were most important: the right to live at liberty “altar,sword…”, and the right to be liberally educated,
“I read aloud from the eleventh book of Paradise Lost. We were much impressed, and also melted into tears” (Hertz 122). Words from the journal of one Williams Wordsworth’s closest friend, his sister Dorothy; this detail could explain Wordsworth’s admiration of John
Milton and why in a time of frustration he would appeal to the spirit of Milton to “return to us again”. In his sonnet London, 1802 Wordsworth calls to his poetic forefather Milton and in his characteristically eloquent manner advocates his concern for “what man has made of man”
(Untermeyer 115) in a poem equally a social commentary that retained the times romantic emphasis. Passionate and Imbued with a sense of wonder of all he wrote (Sullivan 6), that is the
Wordsworth, that …show more content…
“Thou(Milton) had a voice like the sea”, a voice that Wordsworth knew only through Miltons works; and just based upon that knowledge he(Wordsworth) would entrust him(Milton) with the task of returning England its “dower’’ of “inward happiness.” “Altar, sword, and pen” the entirety of London, 1802 is symbolic. Most objects comes to respresent the greater theme of a troubled England. The altar represents the religious troubles of the time the sword is symbolic for the armed forces of England and the perhaps the pen represents the literature and arts of the epoch. “Virtue, freedom, power” symbolize everything
Wordsworth believes men of this era have come to lose due to their selfish nature. The symbolism of the poem serves not only to describe London and its issues, Milton is also a symbol; a symbol for everything England is no longer, and all it should aspire to be and what(who) it should look up to as a role model. He (Milton) is most suited to have Wordsworth direct his exuberated plea because Milton lived to fight for freedoms which to him were most important: the right to live at liberty “altar,sword…”, and the right to be liberally educated,