Ode to the West Wind
The poem is written by Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1819 and this poem most representative of Shelley?s feelings and thoughts at the time. The poem expresses the hope that its words will inspire and influence those who read or hear it. He is the famous British democracy poet, and the poem was written in the year when he was living in Italian. It conveyed the spirit of the times. The poet came up with the thought when he is walking in a forest and a strong storm seemed to come soon. And the storm came together with wind and hails. In such weather Shelley thought of many things of the society. Under this atmosphere he wrote the poem “Ode to the West Wind”. The poem is the most classical works of Shelley.
In the poem, Shelley tries to show his wishes for transcendence, by explaining that his thoughts and ideas, like the 'winged seeds' are trapped. The West Wind acts as a force for change and forward movement in the human and natural world.
I believe that anyone who read the poem will be inspired an influenced by it. As Shelley wanted the belief of reform and revolution to be heared, the wind became the horn to call people to fight for their freedom.
Shelley sees winter not just as the last season of vegetation but as the last period of life. Shelley witnessed the changing of the weather from autumn to winter and its effects on the environment. Shelley is trying to show that a man’s ideas can spread and live on beyond his lifetime by
having the wind carry his 'dead thoughts' which through destruction, will lead to a rebirth in the imagination, and in the natural world.
Shelley begins his poem by addressing the 'Wild West Wind'. He then introduces the theme of death and compares the dead leaves to 'ghosts'. The imagery of 'Pestilence-stricken multitudes' makes the reader aware that Shelley is addressing more than a pile of leaves. His claustrophobic mood is shown when he talks about the 'wintry bed' and 'The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low. Each likes a corpse within its grave, until. Thane azure sister of the spring shall blow'. In the first line, Shelley used the phrase 'winged seeds' which presents I.
What?s more, the 'closing night' is used also to mean the final night. The 'pumice' shows destruction and creation because when the volcano erupts it destroys. This acts as an introduction and a foreshadow of what is to come later. …Also helps the reader prepare for the climax which Shelley intended. It seems that it is only in his death that the 'Wild Spirit' could be lifted 'as a wave, a leaf, a cloud' to blow free in the 'Wild West Wind'. He writes like a mourning song 'of the dying year, to which this closing night. Will be the dome of a vast sepulcher, V aulted with all they congregated might'. Percy sees his ‘dome’as a volcano and when the 'dome' does 'burst,' it will act as a 'Destroyer and Preserver' and creator. In 'Ode to the West Wind,' Shelley uses the wind to represent driving change and a carrier for his ideas.
Meanwhile the poem is also a lyric poem which the poet use many symbols to express his belief. It addresses the west wind as a powerful force and asks it to scatter the poet's words throughout the world. In 'Ode to the West Wind,' Shelley uses the wind to represent driving change and a carrier for his ideas.
The poem consists of five cantos and it can be divided in two parts: the first three cantos and the last two cantos .The three can to sdescribing the wind's effects upon earth, air, and ocean. The last two cantos are Shelley speaking directly to the wind, asking for its power, to lift him like a leaf, a cloud or a wave and make him its companion in its wanderings.
The first stanza begins with the alliteration…wild West Wind’. The form of the apostrophe makes the wind also a personification. However, one must not think of this …Ode’s an optimistic praise of the wind; it is clearly associated with autumn.
The second canto of the poem is much more fluid than the first one. Shelley also mentions that when the West Wind blows, it seems to be singing a funeral song about the year coming to an end and that the sky covered with a dome of clouds looks like a 'sepulcher' i.e. a burial chamber or grave for the dying year or the year which is coming to an end. Shelley in this canto “expands his vision from the earthly scene with the leaves before him to take in the vaster commotion of the skies”.
It appears as if the third canto shows that in comparison with the previous
cantos, a turning-point. Whereas Shelley had accepted death and changes in life in the first and second canto, he now turns to “wistful reminiscence, an alternative possibility of transcendence”.
At the end of the canto the poet tells us that …a heavy weight of hours has chains and bow’s?. This may be a reference to the years that have passed and …chained and bowed?, the hope of the people who fought for freedom and were literally imprisoned. With this knowledge, the West Wind becomes a different meaning. The wind is the …uncontrollable? who is …timeless?.
Of course, the wind is very important in this last canto. At the beginning of the poem the …wind? was only capable of blowing the leaves from the trees. In the previous canto the poet identified himself with the leaves. In this canto the …wind’s now capable of using both of these things mentioned before.
This poem is a highly controlled text about the role of the poet as the agent of political and moral change.
I think it?s a very great poem. The poet expressed his view of the revolution by praise the west wind. The poem is to express revolutionary enthusiasm and victory faith. I can?t understand the poem much clearly through i have read the poem many times. So I read some document literature about the poem and the background about the poet. I believe the poem is worth reading many times.