Connecting: A Poetic Response

Connecting: A Poetic Response

            Poetry, when felt rather than simply read, can be powerful. The poem, She dwelt among the untrodden ways, is one that was able to establish strong feelings that I could connect with. The author, William Wordsworth, created a poem that utilized poetic tools in order to create a visual of a woman by the name of Lucy. These tools not only helped to create a visual of her but also to establish an understanding and acknowledgement of both her great beauty and her extreme loneliness. The connection that I felt with this poem was created by the tools used by the author and further developed as a result of the use of language.

            The power of this poem and its ability to create feelings within me were, in part, due to Wordswoth’s ability to effectively utilize metaphors. The use of metaphors stirred up memories of a loved one whose internal beauty was beyond belief even though the world failed to notice her. Lucy is described as “a violet by a mossy stone half-hidden from the eye” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 9.2). Lucy is beautiful but goes unnoticed, hidden by that which surrounds her. Wordsworth went on to write that Lucy was “fair as a star, when only one is shining in the sky” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 9.2). Again, the author identified the beauty that Lucy owned even though it went unnoticed because of her surroundings. His suggestion was that she would only be noticed were she the only in the sky.

            Additionally, the power of this poem was felt even though the language was not modern. In the title and the first line of the poem the author writes that she, Lucy, “...dwelt among the untrodden ways” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 9.2). This particular poem was written over 200 years ago, which could play a large role in the differences in speech between this poem and what is now considered everyday or modern. Other than the initial line, the words in this poem are simple and could be considered everyday speech. The way in which the words are grouped together and utilized is slightly different. An example would be the way that Wordsworth decides to tell the reader that Lucy has passed. Instead of simply writing Lucy has died, he writes that “...Lucy ceased to be” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 9.2).

            The difference in the title and first line of this poem, regarding everyday speech, forced me to focus on the initial line of this poem more intently. The first line revealed a lot about Lucy which was important in strengthening the view of Lucy’s worth throughout the poem. The first line identified that Lucy was among people and was untouched. The fact that the language varied caused me to take pause and ensure that I was correctly grasping the meaning and intent behind the initial line and the title before I continued on to the rest of the poem whose language became more common and understandable, as it further progressed in the story of Lucy.

            Wordsworth’s ironic twist, in the last stanza, further bound me to this piece by strengthening the connection that I had established throughout the first two. He emphasized, again, Lucy’s loneliness and the way that others ignored her presence so much so that her death went nearly unnoticed when he wrote “...and few could know, when Lucy ceased to be” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 9.2). This line drew on my memories of the important female in my life and the fact that she has passed. “But she is in her grave, and oh, the difference to me” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 9.2), was the line that most established connection. Even though the wording varied from how the same thing might be said now, the meaning did not change. There was a love and strong connection for Lucy by the poem’s persona. Even though the world might not have noticed Lucy, he did, and her loss is felt deeply.

            In conclusion, She dwelt among the untrodden ways, created high levels of emotions when it was read. The content within created a personal connection and the use of metaphors helped to further identify the importance of the poem’s main focus which, in turn, continued to stir personal feelings of someone that I love. This connection was intensified through the use of language that seemed very different than my personal everyday speech in the title and first line of the writing which seemed to develop a more attentive eye and helped to maintain focus through the rest of the piece. Overall, the piece was able to grasp me as a reader and keep me contained through the effective use of poetic tools and language.

Reference

Clugston, W. (2010). Journey into Literature. Bridgepoint: San Diego, CA