Victory Over Death In WordsworthЎЇS ÐŽoIntimations Of Immortality OdeÐŽ±
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The concept of death most frequently conveys the dark and mysterious affect. Pondering over death can be similar to stumbling down a dark passage with unstable guesses as the only guide; not only do we not know when we will die, but also what comes after death. William Wordsworth, a nineteenth-century author, was no exception to this universal dilemma of considering death as the absolute end of oneЎЇs existence or the beginning of oneЎЇs existence in a new setting. ÐŽoNothing was more difficult for me in childhood than to admit the notion of death as a state applicable to my own being,ÐŽ± Wordsworth frankly describes to Isabella Fenwick in 1843 about the anxiety and fear he experienced when he first understood the concept of death. However, Wordsworth solves the complexity of death in his ÐŽoImmortality OdeÐŽ± by firmly confessing his belief of a brand new and eternal life after death. According to him, each of us carries an imperishable soul, which is a sign of our heavenly origin. During our early childhood, the concept of death is not present in our mind. Therefore, we are closest to God and His home when we are children who innately believe in immortality. As we accommodate to the world and realize that death and sufferings exist, however, our intimacy with God weakens to the point in which we completely forget about our divine heritage. As a result, we lose the belief that we will be immortal once again and begin to fear death. Wordsworth then concludes that our immortal souls will eventually reawaken our memory of early childhood during which we considered ourselves immortal and the world eternal and perfect like Heaven. As soon as we regain the memory of childhood and the belief that we are divine beings who will return to Heaven after death, death is no longer a threat to us.
Noticing the ÐŽoincarnational backgroundÐŽ± upon which the poem stands (Westbrook 34), one cannot overlook the importance of the ÐŽoreligious referencesÐŽ± and ÐŽotranscendent implicationsÐŽ± of the poem (Taylor 633). Similarly, Deeanne Westbrook claims that she has found ÐŽothe presence of the Bible in WordsworthЎЇs poetryÐŽ± and this aspect deserves a ÐŽoricher appreciationÐŽ± (Westbrook 1). As the title suggests, the central focus of ÐŽoIntimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early ChildhoodÐŽ± is the concept of immortality, or more specifically, the faith that one will resurrect as an immortal being after death. The ÐŽoImmortality OdeÐŽ± is WordsworthЎЇs gospel message, which proclaims that death can no longer frighten us once our immortal souls bring back the memory of our true origin, eternity, and the faith in our return to Heaven.
Wordsworth declares that every human being originates from eternity, the divine realm as opposed to the mortal world. Since we come from an ÐŽoimperial palaceÐŽ± (6), which is located ÐŽoafarÐŽ± (5) from the ÐŽomortal NatureÐŽ± (9), the earth is only our temporary home. Wordsworth metaphorically calls the earth ÐŽothe homely NurseÐŽ± and the human a ÐŽoFoster-childÐŽ± (6), who, Taylor assumes, ÐŽoyearns for his true mother EternityÐŽ± (Taylor 635). Not only are we from GodЎЇs family, but we also carry a sign that proves our heavenly origin; we have souls unlike any other creatures on earth. In stanzas 5 and 8, Wordsworth praises the soul by giving other names to it such as ÐŽoLifeЎЇs Star,ÐŽ± ÐŽobest Philosopher,ÐŽ± ÐŽoEye among the blind,ÐŽ± ÐŽoMighty Prophet,ÐŽ± and ÐŽoSeer blestÐŽ± that have a connotation of a guide that prevents us from complete forgetfulness of our origin throughout the temporary lifeЎЇs journey. More precisely, ÐŽo[o]ur authentic ÐŽ®internal beingЎЇ,ÐŽ± the soul, ÐŽoassures us that we do not dieÐŽ± (Taylor 637). Our souls guide us back to Heaven, our real and permanent home. Because we are GodЎЇs heirs, we possess immortal souls, which remind us of our heritage. We subsequently believe in our return to Heaven and fear death no more.
Wordsworth examines how we develop from children to adults. The transition from childhood to adulthood can be renamed as the shift in awareness of immortality to mortality. According to Wordsworth, a child is absorbed into complete ÐŽojollityÐŽ± (3) and unity with the beautiful nature because he or she does not recognize that all lives on earth will perish someday. In other words, a child ÐŽoover whom thy Immortality / Broods like the DayÐŽ± has a special ability to see the world ÐŽoin celestial light,ÐŽ± in awe and admiration (1). However, the glorious moments in which we appreciate every aspect of earth eventually ÐŽofade into the light of common dayÐŽ± as we become accustomed to the world (5). As we experience both bright and dark sides of life such as ÐŽoa wedding,ÐŽ± ÐŽoa festival,ÐŽ± ÐŽoa mourning,ÐŽ± or ÐŽoa funeralÐŽ± (7) we begin to see ÐŽoa world beset with sorrowsÐŽ± (Taylor 638). The concept of death finally emerges in our minds. Not only do we realize the existence of death, but we also forget our divine lineage and obtain a ÐŽonewly-learned artÐŽ± of fitting in and surviving in this world as if we belong here (7). In order to stay on top of the unyielding world, we become far and far from God and abide by the demands of the world like the prodigal son who takes his fatherЎЇs money and leaves his house to fulfill his worldly desires (New International Version, Luke 15. 11-13). This pattern of development can be compared to a ÐŽojourney from the heaven of infancy to the prison-house of adulthoodÐŽ± (Garlitz 647); as we become adults, we are trapped in the power-seeking and mortal nature of the world and cannot recover the complete joy and freedom we once possessed during the years of early childhood. Nevertheless, while we distress over death and affliction that are ÐŽo[h]eavy as frost, and deep almost as lifeÐŽ± (8), our immortal souls remind us of our father God and Heaven.
Words worth laments the loss of perspective of looking at the world as a flawless paradise, but clings to the hope that maturity, the state of knowing death and sufferings, actually allows us to peek at the ÐŽoimmortal sea / Which brought us hitherÐŽ± (9). Thomas Raysor calls this image of ÐŽoimmortal seaÐŽ± ÐŽothe symbol of infinity as life without end, of which the soul of the child is a partÐŽ± (Raysor 863). Thus, getting a