The Symbolism use in Ode to the West Wind

Ode to the West Wind is one of the Shelley’s ode to the big three,written in

1819.This poem is regarded as a bright pearl in verse treasure-house in the world.In this poem,Shelley uses a lot of writing techniques,such as,personification、simile、metaphor and other various methods.Among these methods,the most important and special skill used is symbolism.In the poem,the symbolism of “West wind”is very obvious.

Percy Bysshe Shelley,famous active romantic poet in the nineteen century,born in a traditional and conservative noble family.He was gentle and kind by nature,but he had a stout heart.At Eton he was known as “Mad Shelley”for his obstinate opposition to the brutal fagging system.At this time,he was much influenced by the utopian-socialist doctrines William Godwin.Then he went to Oxford and started to pursuit the democracy of freedom.In 1811,Shelley wrote and published an anti-religious pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism,believing that religion was an instrument of oppression. Therefore,he was immediately expelled from the university and disowned by his father.It was a disaster for a boy at 18,for he lost a valuable opportunity to study in Oxford.The relationship between he and his father broken up,this made his life even worse.

Shelley became a homeless man.While living alone in London,he married Harriet, out of sympathy.Then ,the couple went to the Ireland where people participate in the struggle of British rule,thus,the British ruling class hated him.It did not take a long time to prove Shelley’s marriage with Harriet finally was a

false,because she could not share his ideas.After two years,he divorced and married Mary Godwin.The British authority took the chance slandered Shelley.In this case,he left England and spent all the rest of his life in Italy.Shelley created lots of work,Ode to the West Wind is one of them.

Ode to the West wind was written in 1819.An autumn afternoon,the poet Shelley was walking in a wood near Florence.Suddenly,strong wind blowing with clouds rolling in.In the evening, the lightning storm pouring down, cleaning the earth, shook the earth.The symphony of nature, power and grandeur,triggered the poet's inspiration,Thus,he wrote the short lyric poem\"ode to the west wind\".

At that time, Europe's working class movement and the revolutionary took place.The working class in British struggled with bourgeois for the right to life.They destroyed the machines and went on strike for many times.An August of that year,80000 workers held a massive demonstration in Manchester,no doubt,reactionary authority dispatched the military to suppress.In this situation,many workers died in the day and it was known as Peterloo Massacre.During the time,Shelley was interested in supporting the working class movement.Thus,he was expelled from England.The experience of his life and social situation at that special time brought he created lots of important works.

Ode to the west wind is divided into 5 sections, each section of the rhyme

are :aba,bcb,cdc,ded,ee.The first 3 sections are describing\" West Wind \". The crazy strong winds,its power can crash all the decadent life.The sky is shaking in the roaring.

In the fall, the west wind cruelly blows life away, with total annihilation potential to get rid of lifeless withered leaves and blow to the consumption of life.However, it does not kill a single life and it deeply put the seeds in the heart of land in winter.Then,the seeds take root there, and buried in the information of spring .Then west wind starts to blew spring horn, let the earth covered with green and fragrance and make them spread with the west wind running footprint.The charming fragrance is spreading rapidly, the pollution of broken things have already dying.From these,it shows that the west wind is a destroyer and also a protector.The west wind sows the life here and there,urging the arrival of beautiful spring.

The poet uses elegant imagination describe the image of west wind.The magnificent verse,strongly put the image of the west wind intensity and eager to wipe out the old to create the image of the new world in front of people and make the people shocked.

In the poem,the poet says: \"I fall upon the thorns of life, I bleed!\".This verse of poem shows the poet’s heart scar. Even so, he wants to be blowed by west wind and want to feel the breath and the spirit of the west wind even tin the case of the loss of life.Poet is willing to give everything for the upcoming spring.At the end of the poem, the poet shouted by the prophet tone:\"if winter comes,can Spring be far behind?\"Here,the west wind has become a token of the pursuit of west wind’s spirit in the new world.

The west wind is a symbol of the revolutionary forces and the poem not only

praise it for sweeping over old forces, but also enthusiastically praise it for protecting and promoting the development of new things.It reveals the old things will finally give way to new things and at the same time reflects the poet strongly hates the reactionary forces and has a strong confidence in seeing in a bright future and hope.

outline

Title:The Symbolism use in Ode to the West Wind I. Introduction:

A. Introductory statement

B. Thesis statement: Ode to the West Wind has many writhing skills and the symbolism is most important and special method among these .In the poem,the symbolism of “West wind”is very obvious.

II. The Background of Shelley and Ode to the West Wind A. The Background of Shelley B. The background of Ode to the West wind III. The symbolic signification of “west wind”--the revolutionary forces

A.Weeping over old forces as a destroyer B. Protecting and promoting the development of new things as a protector Ⅳ. Conclusion A. Closing statement

B. Restated thesis:\"if winter comes,can Spring be far behind?\" It reveals the old things will finally give way to new things and at the same time reflects the poet has a strong confidence in seeing in a bright future and hope.