Power In William Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey

William Wordsworth’s Concept of Power The term “power” is multifaceted; it lends itself to myriad interpretations and cannot be defined easily. There is no unanimous concept of power, as what is seen as “powerful” differs from person to person. The use of the term “power” is prominent in many of William Wordsworth’s poems. “Tintern Abbey,” “The Prelude,” and “Michael” all feature the term. From the prominence of the term in Wordsworth’s poetry, it is evident that Wordsworth thought highly of the “power” to which he referred. The “power” which Wordsworth alludes to is an entirely different conception of power than any thought of in the modern world. Wordsworth’s concept of power predicates on the union of all living things through nature and …show more content…
To Wordsworth, it is the imagination which connects all living humans. In nature, Wordsworth can hear the “still, sad music of humanity”(93). Obviously Wordsworth cannot actually hear music in nature; rather, he imagines this noise to exemplify the connection between humanity and nature. Both the imagination of Wordsworth and the connection which he feels with nature and all beings are strong. This is shown when Wordsworth mentions that this “music” is of “ample power”(93/94). This marks Wordsworth’s final use of the term “power” in “Tintern Abbey.” It is this final use which combines Wordsworth’s view of power as a union between nature and all beings and Wordsworth’s view of the power of human imagination. Wordsworth’s belief in the power of the human imagination is also apparent when he states that “eye and ear” both “half-create” and “perceive”(108/109). To Wordsworth, the senses function in tandem with the human imagination. What one sees when one looks into nature consists equally of what one’s senses perceive and what one’s imagination creates. The power of the human imagination is what allows one to see both the beauty of nature and its connection to all of