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Ode to West Wind

            
            
             In Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind", the poet uses the image of the dead leaves to show how the wind is an uncontrollable force of nature that cannot be contained. Throughout the poem, Shelley uses the dead leaves and other figurative devices to show the inspiration the west wind had over him and to help the audience understand the scene he was able to witness. .
             In the first part of the poem Shelley uses the dead leave to show the force of the west wind and its effect on nature as autumn arrives. The first part of the poem the west wind blows the multiple colored dead leaves from the trees along with the seeds to the ground and scatters them to their "dark wintry bed". Shelley uses the leaves to establish the greater presence of the wind and its role in the change of the seasons where the west wind represents fall.
             In the second part of the poem Shelley changes from the image of the leaves to using the clouds to show the uncontrollable force of the west wind. Shelley uses the simile "Loose clouds like earth's decaying leaves" to shift the imagery from leaves to clouds. Shelly goes on to use the image of the clouds to show the end the change of he season and of the upcoming storms that lie ahead.
             In the third part of the poem Shelly uses the ocean and the vegetation that grows at the bottom of it to show how the wind affects everything. The ocean and its foliage are used to in the same manner as the leaves and the clouds to show the uncontrollable force of the wind. The waves of the ocean and the "oozy woods" show the presence and affect of the wind.
             In the forth part of the poem Shelley ties all of the images together showing his desire to be the autumn leaves, tempest clouds, and turbulent waves so that he to can be effected by the wind and nature the way the objects are. Shelley goes on to wish he were young again and to be free to be taken by the wind.
             In the final part of the poem Shelley asks the west wind to "Make me thy lyre" and to take control and help him be creative to fulfill his inspiration.


Essays Related to Ode to West Wind

1. Ode to the West

... , soul and inspiration are all identical or related in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. They are all closely related in 'Ode to a West Wind'. Shelley's adaptation of Dante's work is evident throughout most of his writing. In 'Ode to the West Wind' it is quite apparent. He was writing this poem in a wood on the outskirts of Arno, near Florence, which is Dante's hometown. The use of the terza ... . The question mark, however, lends ambivalence to the poem as Shelley refuses to explain to the reader his meaning and opens it up for greater critical analysis. The theme of inspiration is one that Shell...

  • Word Count: 2977
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Ode to the West Wind

... or as it has been in historic past. Even when he wrote of the present or the past, it was chiefly to disclose what forces had hindered the coming of a better day and forces would hasten its arrival" (Bernbaum 258). "Ode to the West Wind" was written in the autumn of 1819 near Florence, Italy (Lancashire 4). Percy Shelley describes the relationship of life and death ... using three distinct elements of nature- earth, sky, and water. In comparing life and death using to creation and destruction, Shelley gives examples of natural forces, which create and ... be far behind?" This questions...

  • Word Count: 1189
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Ode to the West Wind

ODE TO THE WEST WIND Content Ode to the West Wind was conceived and chiefly written in a wood beside the Arno, near Florence. It is divided into two parts; the first one, consisting of the first three stanzas, deals with the effects of the wind on the land, the sky and the sea, through the different seasons, and Shelley addresses the wind personally as if it were a deity. The second part ... stanzas, deals with the poet's identification with the wind, the force and power of which he summons, both to give new energy to his work and for the political regeneration of Europe. Shelley, in fact, is...

  • Word Count: 1088
  • Approx Pages: 4

4. percy bysshe shelleys ode to the west wind

In "Ode to the West Wind," Percy Bysshe Shelley tries to gain transcendence, for he shows that his thoughts, like the "winged seeds" (7) are trapped. The West Wind acts as a driving force for change and rejuvenation in the human and natural world. Shelley views winter not just as last phase of vegetation ... reader will see that Shelley can only reach his sublime by having the wind carry his "dead thoughts" (63) which through an apocalyptic destruction, will lead to a rejuvenation of the imagination, the individual and the natural world. Shelley begins his poem by addressing the "Wild West Win...

  • Word Count: 296
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

5. ode to the west wind

The amount of Hispanics in the U.S. increases every year. Some people say that by the year 2006, Hispanics will be the majority in the U.S. Many of the Hispanics who live in the U.S. are bilingual, meaning they speak both Spanish and English, but a lot of them don't. Many of the Hispanics here don't speak English, making communication difficult to almost impossible. Hispanics immigrate to the U.S. to find better jobs, to flee political wars, or because they have family here. Some come here to give their children a good education because in their country, education is poor or scarce. The proble...

  • Word Count: 2345
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Aspects of Nature in the Poems of Mary Shelley

... beauty of nature itself. In these poems, the power of nature ties into different cycles of natures death and destruction. The wind is the most powerful form of nature and has the most influence. In Shelley's poem "Ode to the West Wind," the wind is the force that has all the power. It moves quickly and can either destroy or be a very pleasant experience. In ... his writing, the wind can carry his words to other places. The wind can be responsible for as he states the cycles of nature, growth, destruction and ... sepulchre vaulted with all thy congregated might." This is reference to de...

  • Word Count: 1179
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Percy Bysshe Shelley

... symbolism. Such examples can be found in his poems such as "Ode to the West Wind,"" "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty,"" and "Ozymandias."" In Shelley's view, "the poet is a dreamer, a visionary- who uses these dreams and visions to "persuade men to shake off the chains of the past, of custom, of selfishness, and to press onward to the vital task of constructing a world characterized by kindness, generosity, ... and love- (Shairp, Shelly as a Lyric Poet 164) In "Ode to the West Wind," Shelley attempts to gain transcendence, for he shows that his thoughts, like the " ... winged seeds" (7) are ...

  • Word Count: 1748
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Comparison in the Uses of Apostrophe & Personification in Shelley's

Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem, "Ode to the West Wind" and Sylvia Plath's poem "Mirror" both employ the poetic tools of apostrophe, the address to something that is intangible, and personification, the application of human characteristics to something inanimate. However, they form a paradox in the usage of these tools through the imagery they create. Both poets have breathed life into inanimate objects, however death and aging ... are the prominent themes within both of these works. In "Ode to the West Wind", Shelley personifies many of nature's elements by attaching descriptions of remains of d...

  • Word Count: 1115
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Romantic Poets

... his disparity and vanity of old age and lastly, the purity of his sister. Like natures pattern to bloom (spring/summer), die (winter) and be reborn (spring), he goes through these motions and is reborn through the love for his sister. Percy Bysshe Shelly also uses nature in Ode to the West Wind. Shelly writes about the forces of nature and the power of the ... wind. In the first stanza he writes about the dead leaves and it be driven away by "Autumn's breath." This can be seen as ... a cleansing, breath, is like breathing new life in a sense of clearing away the old. Ode to the West Wi...

  • Word Count: 702
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

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