Analysis of Shelleys Ode To the West Wind :: Ode to the West Wind Essays

Analysis of Shelleys Ode To the due west Wind         In Ode to the West Wind, Percy Bysshe Shelley tries to gaintranscendence, for he shows that his thoughts, handle the winged seeds (7) aretrapped.  The West Wind acts as a driving force for change and rejuvenation inthe human and natural world.  Shelley views winter non just as last phase ofvegetation but as the last phase of life in the individual, the imagination,civilization and religion.  Being set in Autumn, Shelley observes the changingof the weather and its effects on the internal and external environment.  Byexamining this poem, the reader will see that Shelley can only reach hissublime by having the wind carry his dead thoughts (63) which through anapocalyptic destruction, will lead to a rejuvenation of the imagination, theindividual and the natural world.         Shelley begins his poem by addressing the Wild West Wind (1).  Hequickly introduces the theme of death and compares the dead leaves to ghosts(3).  The imagery of Pestilence-stricken multitudes makes the reader awarethat Shelley is addressing more than a pile of leaves. His claustrophobic moodbecomes apparent(a) when he talks of the wintry bed (6) and The winged seeds,where they lie cold and low/ Each like a corpse within its grave, until/ Thineazure babe of the Spring shall blow (7-9).  In the first line, Shelley usethe phrase winged seeds which presents images of flying and freedom.  Theonly problem is that they lay cold and low or unnourished or  not elevated.He likens this with a feeling of being trapped.  The important word is seedsfor it shows that even in death, new life will grow push through of the grave.  Thephrase winged seeds also brings images of religions, angels, and/or soulsthat continue to create new life.  Heavenly images are confirmed by his use ofthe word azure which overly meaning sky blue, also is defi ned, in WebstersDictionary, as an unclouded vault of heaven.  The word azure, coupled withthe word Spring, helps show Shelleys view of rejuvenation.  The wordSpring anyways being a literary metaphor for rebirth also means to rise up. Inline 9, Shelley uses soft sounding phrases to communicate the blowing of thewind. This tercet acts as an introduction and a foreshadow of what is to comelater.         Shelley goes on to talk of the wind as a Destroyer and Preserver whichbrings to mind religious overtones of different cultures much(prenominal) as Hinduism andNative Indian beliefs.  The poem now sees a shift of the clouds which warns of