PERSONAL DESPONDENCY IN “ODE TO THE WEST WIND”

While considering “Ode to the West Wind” as a poetic symbol to overcome the poet’s personal despondency, it may be recalled that
subjectivity is sometimes one of the major features of the English Romantic poetry. Shelley also poured down his personal thoughts
and views into his poems like “Song to the Men of England”, “Ode to the West Wind” etc. The contemporary social and political
scenario of England rendered Shelley dejected and as a result he revolted against it. Shelley joined with Byron in voicing a vain
rebellion against society. He was a violent reformer who sought to overthrow “the present institutions and to hurry the millennium out
of its slow walk into a gallop”. “Ode to the West Wind” is the perfect manifestation of Shelley’s revolutionary thoughts and at the
same time it is a symbol to overcome the poet’s personal despondency.
That the poem is a symbol to overcome the poet’s personal despondency is evident from the poet’s biography. Due to his
pamphlet, “The Necessity of Atheism” he was rusticated from college; his elopement with Harriet Westbrook brought about a
permanent break with his family. His conjugal life also was an unhappy one. His revolutionary spirit also failed. So, it is very easy to
realize the despondency of the poet. Probably due to his despondency the poet was compelled to leave England permanently and
to take refuge in Italy in 1818. The next year he published the present poem where his personal despondency and his revolutionary
spirit have found expression.
In the first stanza the West Wind acts upon the land. It is actually a personified natural force
“Whose unseen presence of the leaves dead /
Are driven”.
Here the poet calls the Wind the destroyer and the preserver. The dead leaves are actually the old conservative mind of the people
Shelley vehemently disliked.
In the second stanza the Wind acts upon the sky. But here also it is used as a poetic symbol to overcome the poet’s personal
despondency. The West Wind is capable of constructing the dome which signifies the death of the year and the advent of the spring.
The rain brought about by the clouds signifies the divine grace. Here Shelley probably aspires for the death of the old, useless ideas
and regeneration of the new youthful spirit.
In the third stanza the West Wind is very much active upon the blue Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. It also makes the
submarine plants grow grey, frightens them and despoils them. Here the Mediterranean is as if a person who is awakened by
another powerful person i.e. the West Wind. The calm Mediterranean is actually the peaceful mass of England quite apathetic at
everything and the Wind is actually the revolutionary spirit rousing the mass. Thus in order to get rid of his state of dejection Shelley
uses the West Wind as a symbol of revolutionary spirit.
Shelley’s personal despondency is best expressed in the fourth stanza of the poem. The poet is conscious of his own
limitations and so he prays to the West Wind to animate with the mighty power. He thinks that if he were a dead leaf or a wave, he
would be swept away by the West Wind. The sufferings and the misery of the world have made him bleed and the chains of hours
have bowed him down to the earth. So he aspires
“Oh, lift
I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!”
In the fifth stanza also the poet tries to overcome his personal despondency. The poet calls the West Wind the “spirit fierce”.
He appeals to the West Wind to unify its spirit with his spirit. The West Wind, as a spirit may help the poet bring about a change in
the society.
In the poem “Ode to the West Wind”, a natural force has been personified and with the help of this personification Shelley has
shown his power as a mighty myth-maker. But his specialty as a myth-maker lies in the fact that he uses the West Wind to
overcome his personal despondency and so he can very optimistically declare
“O Wind
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” (696 WORDS)

SHELLEY’S MYTH-MAKING POWER IN ODE TO THE WEST WIND

The word ‘myth’ means the imaginary or fictitious story which has come down to us from the older times. It is the
personifying of the inanimate objects of nature and convincing of them as possessor of distinctive qualities. The myth-maker
represents of the doing and behaviour of various natural objects in terms of human actions as well.
The origin of myth lies in the ancient days when people were unable to form abstract conceptions. Mythmaking was then
the only means of explaining the various phenomena of nature. The ancient Greeks, however, have been remarkably prolific in
respect of using myth and their literature is replete with beautiful nature myths. In ancient myths various types of Natural objects
were personified and fancied as they were capable of the actions of human beings. The introduction of myth in English poetry is a
later development. Modern poets are, however, inclined to draw from the vast stock of the Nature myths ancient Greece as an aid to
the beauty of their production.
Shelley, though born in the age of reason and was a student of physical science which was fairly advanced by his time,
was a master of mythmaking and was gifted with a talent with respect. Shelley’s greatness as a mythmaker lies in his ability to keep
himself detached from the older implications of the myths and make new myths out of Nature. His myths are refreshing because
they come in a spontaneous and natural way. He makes his myths by personifying the objects of Nature and thus shows life in
them. But he does not invest them with human qualities and passions. The wind remains a wind and a cloud a cloud for him. Most of
his Nature myths are his own and superbly exquisite.
In the first stanza of Ode to the West Wind Shelley describes the activities of the West Wind on the land. Shelley here has
created a myth by personifying the natural object, the west wind. In the very first line of the poem the poet has called the wind the
“breath of Autumn being”. This natural force has been used to suggest the seasonal change. The wind drives the dead leaves like
ghosts. His azure sister, the Zephyr, the mild air of the spring will help the seeds germinate and flourish with smell and odours.
Towards the end of the first stanza the poet addresses the West Wind in a tone similar to the tone of beginning of the poem, as ‘wild
spirit’. The wild spirit is moving everywhere. In the last line of the first stanza the poet has called the Wind the destroyer and the
preserver. The West Wind drives away the winged leaves to their dark wintry bed where they repose during the winter and again
sprout in the spring. Thus the Wind works in a twofold manner. Thus Shelley here shows the theme of death and regeneration in the
first stanza through myth-making.
 In the second stanza the poet has depicted the activities of the West Wind in the sky. It creates a great turmoil in the sky
and thus gives a signal of rain and lightening. The blowing of the West Wind carries the withered leaves of Heaven and ocean as
the river carries the decayed leaves of the trees. Here the leaves are the scattered clouds which cover the area of the sky from the
dim verge to the Zenith’s height. The cloud looks like the disheveled hair of fierce Maenads, the female worshipper of Bacchus. This
suggests that the West Wind is able to construct the dome of a tomb which signifies the death of a year and the advent of the
spring. The rain brought by clouds, signifies the divine grace. Thus the theme of death and regeneration has been developed in the
second stanza through mythmaking.
In the third stanza the poet has shown how the West Wind acts upon the blue Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean. The
West Wind awakens the blue Mediterranean from its second summer sleep. And the calm Mediterranean is roused by the West
Wind. Then the Wind blows on the mild water level of the Atlantic causing the division of hollows. The Wind also acts upon the
submarine plants making them grow grey and the plants tremble with fear and despoil themselves. Here the Mediterranean is as if a
person whose enjoyment of second summer sleep is awoke by another powerful person that is the West Wind. Thus the
Mediterranean and the west Wind have been used by Shelley to show his mythmaking power. Besides it the vegetation of the
Atlantic have been shown as the feared child who has been threatened by the West Wind.
In the fourth stanza the poet is conscious of his own limitations and so he prays to the West Wind to animate him with the
mighty power. He knows very well that he is not in his boyhood when he could move so wildly as the West Wind. He now thinks that
if he were a dead leaf or a cloud or a wave he would be swept away by the West Wind. The suffering and the misery of the world
have made him bleed and chains of hour have bowed him down to the earth. So he wants to be a dead leaf, , a cloud or wave and
prays to the West Wind, “Oh lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud! / I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!” The West Wind is as if an
uncontrollable man who can inspire the poet. The poet has addressed the West Wind as the comrade of his boyhood. Thus with the
human metaphors the poet has shown the greatness of the West Wind and along with his own mythmaking power.
In the fifth stanza the poet has called the West Wind the “spirit fierce”. He has appealed to the West Wind to unify his
spirit with the poet’s spirit. Thus the poet has personified the west Wind by wishing the unification of their spirits. The West Wind, as
a spirit, will help the poet bring about a change in the society. Thus the poet has conferred the human qualities upon the Wind but
we find that lastly the wind remains a wind to the poet. This is the special characteristic of Shelley in the field of mythmaking.
Throughout the poem we find that Shelley has used different human metaphors to suggest of the West Wind shown
through its activities on the land, sky and the sea and his power to bring about a change in the society which will cause the birth of a
millennium. Thus the West Wind as a natural force has been personified and with the help of this personification Shelley has shown
his power as a mighty mythmaker. But his specialty as a mythmaker lies in the fact that while to others the wind does not remain a
wind, to Shelley it has remained a wind:
“O wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”

IMPACT OF WEST WIND ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF NATURE

The contemporary social and political scenario of England made Shelley dejected and as a result he revolted against it. “Ode to the
West Wind” is the manifestation of Shelley’s revolutionary spirit which he has expressed by depicting the activities of the Wind on
various objects of nature as well on himself and thereby showing his myth-making power.
In the very first line of the poem we see the Wind drives the dead leaves like ghosts. His azure sister, the ‘Zephyr’, the mild air
of the spring will help the seeds germinate and flourish with smell and odours. Towards the end of the first stanza the poet
addresses the wind in a tone similar to the tone of beginning of the poem, as ‘wild spirit’. The West Wind drives away the winged
leaves to their dark wintry bed where they repose during the winter and again sprout newly in the spring. Thus the West Wind works
in a two-fold manner. Thus Shelley has shown here the theme of death and regeneration in the first stanza through myth-making.
In the second stanza the poet has depicted the activities of the West Wind in the sky. It creates turmoil in the sky and thus
gives the signal of rain and lightening. The blowing of the Wind carries the withered leaves of heaven and ocean, as the river carries
the decayed leaves of the trees. The clouds look like the disheveled hair of fierce Maenads, the female worshipper of Bacchus. This
suggests that the West Wind is able to construct the dome of a tomb which signifies the end of a year and advent of the spring. The
rain brought about by the cloud signifies the divine grace.
In the third stanza the poet has shown how the West Wind awakens the Mediterranean from its second summer sleep. And the
calm Mediterranean is roused by the West Wind. The West Wind also acts upon the submarine plants making them grow grey and
tremble with fear and despoil themselves. Here the Mediterranean is as if a person whose second summer sleep is awakened by
another powerful person, the West Wind.
In the fourth stanza the poet is conscious of his own limitations and so he prays to the West Wind to animate him with the
mighty power. He now thinks that if he were a dead leaf or a cloud or a wave he would be swept away by the West Wind:
“Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!”
The West Wind is as if an uncontrollable man who can inspire the poet. The poet has addressed the West Wind as the comrade of
his boyhood. Thus with the help of human metaphor the poet has shown the greatness of the west wind.
In the fifth stanza the poet has called the west wind the “spirit fierce”. He has appealed to the West Wind to unify its spirit
with his spirit. The West Wind as a spirit will help the poet bring about a change in the society.
Throughout the poem we find that the life of the West Wind has been shown through his activities on land, sky and sea
as well as on the poet himself who wants to bring about a change in the society which would cause the birth of a millennium. Thus
the West Wind, a natural force has been personified and treated as a symbol of revolution which also expresses Shelley’s
revolutionary and optimistic character:
“O Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” (598 words)
 SHELLEY’S USE OF IMAGERY IN TO A SKYLARK

According to M.H. Abrams, “Imagery (that is images taken collectively) is used to signify all the objects and qualities of
sense perception referred to in a poem or other work of literature, whether by literal description, by allusion or in the vehicles of its
similes and metaphors”. The applications of imagery range from the mental pictures to the totality of the components which make up
a poem. Shelley in his poems like Ode to the West Wind, To A Skylark excelled in imagery. In these poems the activities of the
personified natural objects form a picture of something ethereal in the mind of the readers. It may be recalled that escapism is one
of the characteristics of the Romantic poets. Shelley by the vehicles of his imagery escapes into the ideal state of imagination and
leaves the painful reality. Thus Shelley’s idealism echoes Plato’s idea of the ideal state. So by the proper use of the imagery Shelley
actually portrays an imaginary world which is the portrayal of his aspired state he fought for. So in the imagery also Shelley’s
revolutionary spirit must not be missed as it is opposed to the painful reality where Shelley fell upon the thorns of life.
To A Skylark abounds in ethereal imagery. Even a superficial study of the poem shows the readers the superb array of
the dazzling images the poet creates out of words. So Courthope has rightly remarked, “If greatness in poetry consists of a
succession of dazzling images and a rapid flow of splendid verse, Shelley would be entitled to almost the first place in English
literature”. With the help of the images created out of the heavenly phenomena, Shelley attempts to explain the commonplace
everyday phenomena. In To A Skylark the bird is not an ordinary natural creature; it is the poet’s poetic self:
“Bird thou never wert”.
In the second stanza the image of the bird is created and beautified in the vehicle of simile:
“Like a cloud of fire
The blue deep thou wingest”.
The bird here, as a poetic symbol, rises higher and higher and thus seems to be lost in the clouds.
The third stanza presents the image of the morning sky when the sun is about to rise in the eastern horizon and
brightens the pieces of clouds. While reading the poem the reader can almost see the picture:
“In the golden lightning
Of the sunken sun
O’er which the clouds are brightening”.
What is conspicuous in the lines is not only the literal image but also the image of the ideal state symbolized by the rising sun
reminding us of the famous line of the Ode to the West Wind:
“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”
In the sixth stanza the image of the nocturnal nature is splendidly portrayed. The lonely moon shines and creates a
splendid scene and the addition of the song of the skylark really creates a heavenly and romantic atmosphere:
“As, when night is bare,/ From one lonely cloud.
The moon rains out her beams and Heaven is overflowed”.
Here the lonely night may be considered to be the image of the personal despondency of the poet.
The seventh stanza is also beautified with the image of the “rainbow clouds” and it is enriched with “a rain of melody”.
Here Shelley’s revolutionary spirit is merged with his love for beauty symbolized by the rainbow.
In the ninth stanza the device of simile is again used in order to create the image of the skylark which is
“Like a high-born maiden
In a palace tower”.
The preceding stanza is impregnated with the brilliant imagery used to conceal the poet’s poetic self. In the twelfth stanza also we
find both visual and auditory imagery which is repeated in the fifteenth stanza:
“What objects are the fountains
Of thy happy strain?”
In the sixteenth stanza again the image of the bird as a stranger to the languor and satiety is built. In the next stanza the
bird is not only a creature of nature but a more knowledgeable and powerful animal than even human beings; this is why
“thy notes flow in such a crystal stream”.
The image of the bird is carried forward to the eighteenth stanza. Here the image of the bird as a source of the eternal melody is
once again mentioned:
“Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought”.
The rest of the poem deals with the same image, the image of the bird which is
“Better than all measures
Better than all treasures”.
The bird is, in the ocean of sorrow a banner of hope. This is why the poet desires to learn
“half the gladness/ Thy brain must know”.
So the bird is a symbol of everlasting joy also.
Thus Shelley creates an optimistic image of the bird in the ocean of problems of the seemingly pessimistic world. (816
words)