Nature Lover's Manifesto

Although only eight quatrains in length, The Tables Turned is jam packed with a major philosophical and intellectual argument, presented in a thoughtfully stylistic manner.

William Wordsworth is trying to communicate a very audacious and contentious argument in these lines. Namely, he argues that books as a "wisdom transferring" object are overrated and real truth and wisdom lies in nature itself. Although certainly neither the first to make this assertion nor the most recent, Wordsworth hits on a profound vulnerability in the construction of facts and wisdom and the paradigm we generally understand them in.

To Wordsworth, true wisdom does not come from written texts of past geniuses in books, but rather, the metaphorical book of nature. Moreover, the wisdom we find in nature not only matches that of books, but far exceeds and supersedes it. For example, a "vernal wood," Wordsworth argues, "may teach you more of man...than the sages can." This is a preeminent example of Wordsworth's appeal to the natural world and a testament of his adoration and respect for the natural processes and world.

This poem is equally stylistic as it is philosophical. Slow and calculated pronunciation of the syllables is reminiscent of a somewhat fast-paced heartbeat. Perhaps this is symbolic of both the living aspect of nature as a "living sage" as well as a representation of Wordsworth's heart beating as he wrote this inspired piece of poetry. Either way, Wordworth's clear admiration for nature extends far beyond the aesthetic beauty, and he truly finds it to be a source of intellect and wisdom.

We Are (going to be in jail for more than) Seven (years)

OK, this is going to be a more ris(ky)que post. (This will be the last parenthetical.) Wordsworth's We Are Seven has been among the shortest and certainly most interesting readings thus far. I will focus on the third stanza in particular.

The old man narrating the story has a very interesting description of the eight year old girl with whom he later converses with. I believe their interaction was significantly more than simple conversing.

He describes her as having a "rustic, woodland air" and as "wildly clad." These words are commonly used to describe things in nature, in their bare state. Perhaps she is dressed in very revealing clothing. Maybe she's entirely naked for that matter. Either way, I believe Wordsworth is suggesting this man is a practicing or aspiring pedophile. I will not go as far as to say that he is married to this young girl. However there seems to be a subtle implication that their relationship is more than "just friends."

Not convinced? Let's take a look at the next line. The wild, unbounded beauty that the old man mentioned makes him "glad." I believe the implication here is that it makes him glad, sexually. Though this word is not necessarily used to mean this, it seems strange that a man would be so happy about the looks of a young girl. Preposterous? Maybe. But a 69-line poem probably has 69 different interpretations, and I doubt I am the first to suggest this.

Perhaps Wordsworth is making a mockery of a bar scene, where a stereotypical man is lured in a by a beautiful women, and he asks her a question to which he gets an earful and then some. Perhaps Wordsworth is making an inside joke to his friend James Tobin, as the sub-notes in the poem suggest. The bottom line, is that there is a very striking suggestion of pedophilic thoughts - if not actions - in the beginning of this poem.

Old Mossy Bridge

The Nightingale opens with a description of the setting. In particular, the speaker describes an "old mossy Bridge" (line 4). These three words will be the focus of my post this week.

Oxford English Dictionary offers a number of definitions for the word bridge. Generally, the purpose of a bridge is to fill a gap between two location that are otherwise difficult to travel between. And while this bridge probably served that function at one point, in describing it as old and mossy, Wordsworth conveys to the reader that this may no longer is the case. Instead, nature has taken its toll on this edifice. The author is trying to communicate to the reader that even that which does not live can still age. It is a really profound thought and an excellent personification.

One major part of the text is a diatribe by the speaker regarding other poet's understanding of the singing of nightingales. The speaker is especially frustrated by the fact that poets describe the "melancholy" of their song instead of simply enjoying the music of nature. I believe the bridge also functions as a metaphorical bridge for other poets, bridging the gap between their mindset and that of the speaker. And just as the man-made bridge can have human characteristics, so too can the other "misguided" poets escape their unnatural descriptions of the nightingale's song and join the speaker on the other side of the bridge, where the nightingales perform daily.

Colerdige - An LSAT Teacher In Disguse?

I recently studied logical fallacies in preparation for the LSAT. One common logical fallacy is the mistake that just because two events occur together or in relation, that therefore one in fact caused the other. Logicians assert that correlation does not imply causation.

In The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere ("The Rime") I believe this faulty logic is used in a number of scenarios with regard to the Albatross (OK fine, not that one). After the Mariner admits to killing the bird with his cross-bow, the other sailors are angry believing that this is the reason they no longer are enjoying the wind they had while the albatross was alive. They attribute this correlation of events to mean that the Albatross in fact was the cause of the wind. After only a short period, though, the fog that had surrounded the ship vanishes and the sailors are elated, attributing the fog's dissipation to be caused by the death of albatross. Once again, the sailors create false relationship.

But why? Although the Albatross is undoubtedly a major symbol throughout the story, the logical fallacies it causes throughout the poem gives the reader insight into human nature. I believe Coleridge is trying to take a swipe at the human predilection to create self-fulfilling and self-serving prophecies, as the sailors do with the Albatross. They want someone or something to blame for their plight. They take independent events and try to establish a cause-and-effect relationship to give them a reason for their (mis)fortunes. Really, The Rime is one big observation of human nature, with the example above being one of many.