The Concept Of Nature In Tintern Abbey, By William Wordsworth

In 1798, William Wordsworth wrote a poem called “Tintern Abbey” where he praises the unblemished nature and its ability to heal people. In the 1937 poem “Design,” Robert Frost illustrates a spider dining on a moth and through this observation, questions the ‘design’ of life itself. The two poems and its portrayal of nature will be clearly explained through Kuhn’s The Structure of Science Revolutions. First, Robert Frost’s poem exemplifies Kuhn’s epistemological theories through its introduction of the paradigm, its recognition of an anomaly, and the questioning that arises from the anomaly. Also, through Kuhn’s scheme, the poem “Tintern Abbey” is established as the current paradigm the poem “Design” challenges.
Wordsworth’s poem “Tintern Abbey,” is a poem about the current paradigm of nature: seemingly innocent, healing, and pure. Wordsworth describes nature as an escape from the trapped life of cities with its “beauteous forms” (line 23) and its ability to bestow “tranquil restoration” (line 30) onto human beings. Nature, according to Wordsworth, is “a dwelling-place For all sweet sounds and harmonies” (line 141-142). The poem itself is brimming with intricate descriptions of the positive effects nature has on people. …show more content…
The spider is “white,” (line 1) resting “On a white heal-all” (line 2) holding up the “white” (line 3) moth. Throughout history, the color white generally has a positive connotation, standing for purity, innocence, and safety among others. Frost essentially captures the pure essence of nature through his use of the color white to describe the three main characters in the poem. Also, the plant the spider is on is a “heal-all” flower; Frost blatantly showcases the flower’s ability to heal, reinforcing the pure and helpful nature of nature. Hence, the first step in Kuhn’s theory, the current paradigm of nature, is effectively identified in Frost’s