Comparison of William Wordsworth and Galway Kinnell - Essay Example

Number] Compare and contrast two poets, William Wordsworth and Galway Kinnell William Wordsworth was an English poet who launched the Romantic Age of English Literature in 1798 as a joint production with Samuel Coleridge. He was one of the most famous English Romantic poets. Wordsworth’s father was a legal representative and thus had many connections because of which the family lived in a huge mansion in Cockermouth. His sister was also a poet named Dorothy Wordsworth. Wordsworth did not spend much time with his father but indeed he was the one who taught him poetry. He taught William Shakespeare, Milton and Spenser and had his own library for assistance. However, Wordsworth wrote as a debut writer in 1787 by the publication of a sonnet in The European Magazine. Wordsworth’s motivation and encouragement was Coleridge. He felt that he did not amount to much in his poetry before Coleridge because his praise and encouragement kept him focused and determined. His life seemed to be dull without Coleridge as his sister described that he felt more composed and expanded when he is with Coleridge because of the way he supports him and motivates him to write poetry. Eventually because of financial reasons, Wordsworth had to separate from Coleridge along with his sister in 1798. Wordsworth could not spend time with Coleridge anymore and that was reflected in his poems of that time. He wrote The Lucy Poems which expressed his frustration, sadness, anger and anxiety for the longing to be with his friend Coleridge. These five poems were an outlet of his emotional distress that he faced as a result of being away from his friend. These poems talked about beauty, love, longing, nature and death. They also showed his frustration on this sister who, according to him, was the reason why he was away from his friend (Kumar 282). Galway Kinnell, on the other hand, is an American poet born in 1927. From his youth he had adopted poetry by Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe. He was drawn to the musical attraction of both the poets and the ideas of their poetry which was on their solitary lived. Kinnell graduated from Princeton University where he studied with W. S Merwin who was his friend and a poet. Later in the 1960’s Kinnell was attracted towards the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. eventually he joined the Congress of Racial Equality and protested against the Vietnam War. Kinnell’s long poem which is in a book form, The Book of Nightmares, is merely an account of his experiences during the civil rights movements, his protests against the Vietnam War and his overall involvement and contribution. He also taught poetry and creative writing in Universities and in different countries including Australia, France and Iran (Maecka 16). The political issues have long been the element of the poetry Kinnell adopted with a sacramental quality combined. The Christian sensibility was seen greatly in his first work What a Kingdom It Was, but later his poetry was far from the religious framework and focused more on other social issues. Most of his work focused on social issues; however it was not the only theme of his writing. He hardly confined to a single subject for his poetry. Some of his poetry also sensed the touch of spirituality and the nature imagery. His work The Fundamental Project of Technology dealt with a number of elements including mysterious, chanting and a strange exploration of atomic weapons and their horrors on both; nature and humanity. He also wrote contemporary poetry which is essential in American literature (Maecka 24). Kinnell has often expressed his love for humanity and nature in his work along with showing his anger and frustration on the destruction of humanity. His work ranged in a number of themes often involving the world around him. He used to believe that if the world was perfect, there would be no need to write poetry. He contained the elements of sadness and horror in writings where he addressed his anger and concern for the nature and humanity. In other works, he also wrote about beauty and optimism using a completely different tone and language. In his later work, there was much about children and animals in a ponderous language. The work of Wordsworth was greatly influenced by his surrounding personal problems of life. It is a beauteous evening, calm and free was a sonnet that he wrote about his 9 year old daughter. He wrote about a seaside walk with his daughter expressing his true affection for her. His work with Coleridge had given a new phase to the Romantic literary theory. Wordsworth later started writing his autobiography which was based on themes revolving around death, grief, and separation. Another personal event which affected Wordsworth strongly was the death of his brother in 1805. Despite his personal life problems reflecting through his work, there were other elements seen in his writing too (Kumar 282). Wordsworth’s writing was also influenced by the spirit of the French Revolution. Some of the other themes he used in his poems were nature, the problems and happenings in the lives of normal countrymen, traditions, children, humanity, feelings of humble people and definitely his own personal emotions that evolved in his heart. He has written complex issues in simple words which are still understood by many of the people. He questioned the meaning and purpose of life in his poems in regard with his own life and the never ending problems that come along at every step. Romanticism was the major form of poetry that he adopted while delivering his love for nature, calmness, peace, humanity and music. His poem The Daffodils talk about the love of nature, the relationship of man and nature and the communication with nature using his rustic language (Kumar 282). Kinnell uses metaphors and strong imagery in his writing. If a reader reads his poems, they feel so involved that it feels like they are actually present in the scenario. Alliterations are also used greatly by him as his style of writing and explaining the experiences and circumstances surrounding him. Through the use of his words, Kinnell successfully conveys to the reader what his feelings are. He describes the tangible and intangible objects in his writing very well. In the same way when he writes about horror and sadness, he uses such expressions which involve the reader and he feels like he is actually experiencing that feeling. His tone and language of writing varies greatly as the topic of his poems varies. He has the capability of expressing his feelings and experiences through his words (Maecka 16). The major difference between the two poets is the era in which they lived and wrote. Wordsworth belongs to an era which was way before Kinnell. The surroundings, the world and the norms of that era differed from this era. Wordsworth made joint publications with his friend and launched the Romantic Age in the English poetry, whereas Kinnell is a poet who came much later and was influenced by poetry from a very early age. The themes of Wordsworth’s greatest poems were about his emotions, his life, his grieves and longing for his friend whereas Kinnell wrote mostly about the social problems that have surrounded the modern world today. Kinnell wrote one poem for his friend and one book for children. Other works related to the socio-political problems and his experiences of the horrors of humanity. However, both the poets did write about their feelings about nature and the relationship of nature and humanity. Both talked about their love for nature and the beauty of nature that surrounds them. Although their styles of writing and usage of language was different, their themes related to nature were similar. Kinnell used more alliterations and metaphors whereas Wordsworth used simple words to deliver his poetry. Work Cited Kumar Sarkar. A Companion to William Wordsworth. India: Atlantic Publishers & Distributers, 2003. Print. Maecka Katarzyna. Death in the Works of Galway Kinnell. Texas: Cambria Press, 2008‎. Print. ‎ Read More