Nature, Romanticism, and Doubt

Brief Quiz on “I Wandered Lonely…” and “Dover Beach”

1. In “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” the sight that inspires the speaker to write the poem is…

A. Wild swans on a lake

B. A snow-covered forest near his home

C. A field of daffodils

D. A mountain during a rainstorm

2. In “Dover Beach,” the speaker is looking out over a rough, storm-tossed ocean and worrying about a boat that he can see struggling toward the shore.

A. True

B. False

Romanticism in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" p. 653

In this view… • Nature is sublime. (Awe-inspiring.) • Nature is a source of inspiration and comfort.

(Wordsworth wrote in his preface to Lyrical Ballads that his definition of poetry was "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.")

• What else can you say about Wordsworth's view of nature after reading this poem?

Faith and Doubt in "Dover Beach" on p. 677

In this poem…• The sea is a metaphor for faith. What do

you think this tells us about Arnold’s attitude towards faith/religion?

• Do you think that this poem is ultimately pessimistic? Why or why not?

• Why does Arnold allude to Sophocles in lines 15-20?

• What else can we say about Arnold's use of nature?

"Greasy Lake" p. 396

• How would you describe this author's use of nature? Point to specific places that support your ideas.

• How would you compare this author's use of nature to the others we have looked at during our unit on nature? What did you think of these differences?

• Does the narrator's view of nature stay consistent throughout the story, or does it shift?

“Greasy Lake” Group Work

• Get into groups and find (at least) three uses of natural imagery that are startling or surprising. Tell me why they are unusual. You might also want to bring in comparisons to other literature about nature we’ve read this week.

In-Class Writing #5

• We have encountered several different attitudes toward nature in the literature we have read these past few classes. What is your personal attitude towards nature? Which of the works we have read most closely matches your philosophy/experience?