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Ode to West Wind

            
            
             In Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind", the poet uses the image of the dead leaves to show how the wind is an uncontrollable force of nature that cannot be contained. Throughout the poem, Shelley uses the dead leaves and other figurative devices to show the inspiration the west wind had over him and to help the audience understand the scene he was able to witness. .
             In the first part of the poem Shelley uses the dead leave to show the force of the west wind and its effect on nature as autumn arrives. The first part of the poem the west wind blows the multiple colored dead leaves from the trees along with the seeds to the ground and scatters them to their "dark wintry bed". Shelley uses the leaves to establish the greater presence of the wind and its role in the change of the seasons where the west wind represents fall.
             In the second part of the poem Shelley changes from the image of the leaves to using the clouds to show the uncontrollable force of the west wind. Shelley uses the simile "Loose clouds like earth's decaying leaves" to shift the imagery from leaves to clouds. Shelly goes on to use the image of the clouds to show the end the change of he season and of the upcoming storms that lie ahead.
             In the third part of the poem Shelly uses the ocean and the vegetation that grows at the bottom of it to show how the wind affects everything. The ocean and its foliage are used to in the same manner as the leaves and the clouds to show the uncontrollable force of the wind. The waves of the ocean and the "oozy woods" show the presence and affect of the wind.
             In the forth part of the poem Shelley ties all of the images together showing his desire to be the autumn leaves, tempest clouds, and turbulent waves so that he to can be effected by the wind and nature the way the objects are. Shelley goes on to wish he were young again and to be free to be taken by the wind.
             In the final part of the poem Shelley asks the west wind to "Make me thy lyre" and to take control and help him be creative to fulfill his inspiration.


Essays Related to Ode to West Wind

1. Ode to the West Wind

Ode to the West Wind Percy Shelley has been referred to as one of the greatest lyrical poets in Western tradition. In "Ode to the West Wind," Percy Shelley describes the turmoil of his life and death using three distinct elements from nature- earth, sky, and water. ... "Ode to the West Wind" was written in the autumn of 1819 near Florence, Italy (Lancashire 4). ... Shelley states: "O wild West Wind Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing- Aside from alliteration, it is also noted that West Wind is capitalized as if to personify this aspect of nature. ... In "Ode to the West Wi...

  • Word Count: 1189
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Ode to the West Wind

ODE TO THE WEST WIND Content Ode to the West Wind was conceived and chiefly written in a wood beside the Arno, near Florence. ... The west wind is seen as the force necessary to effect this generation. ... Style Formally, the ode is composed of five stanzas each consisting of a sonnet formed of four units of terza rima completed by a couplet. ... The ode takes on the form of a prayer addressed to a divinity. ... The powers of the west wind are manifested through the seasons of the year as a destroyer, preserver and creator, and in the elements of nature on land, in the air and in the sea....

  • Word Count: 1088
  • Approx Pages: 4

3. Ode to the West

Shelley's "Ode To the West Wind": Analysis In "Ode to the West Wind," Percy Bysshe Shelley tries to gain transcendence, for he shows that his thoughts, like the "winged seeds" (7) are trapped. ... In "Ode to the West Wind," Shelley uses the wind as a power of change that flow through history, civilization, religions and human life itself. ... However it is particularly apparent in 'Ode to the West Wind' where the wind is the source of his creativity. ... They are all closely related in 'Ode to a West Wind'. ... In 'Ode to the West Wind' it is quite apparent. ...

  • Word Count: 2977
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Grade Level: High School

4. percy bysshe shelleys ode to the west wind

In "Ode to the West Wind," Percy Bysshe Shelley tries to gain transcendence, for he shows that his thoughts, like the "winged seeds" (7) are trapped. The West Wind acts as a driving force for change and rejuvenation in the human and natural world. ... By examining this poem, the reader will see that Shelley can only reach his sublime by having the wind carry his "dead thoughts" (63) which through an apocalyptic destruction, will lead to a rejuvenation of the imagination, the individual and the natural world. Shelley begins his poem by addressing the "Wild West Wind" (1). ...

  • Word Count: 296
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Aspects of Nature in the Poems of Mary Shelley

In "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" and "Ode to the West Wind," the basis is nature, and the search for knowledge and understanding the beauty of nature itself. ... In Shelley's poem "Ode to the West Wind," the wind is the force that has all the power. ... "O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being" This is where the speaker describes the West Wind like the breath of Autumn, autumns air. ... Shelley also refers to the west wind and its relationship with the earth, sky and land. ... He also makes some suggestions to the wind, and connects the powe...

  • Word Count: 1179
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Romantic Poets

Percy Bysshe Shelly also uses nature in Ode to the West Wind. Shelly writes about the forces of nature and the power of the wind. ... Ode to the West Wind starts off with death and turns into something beautiful. ... Shelly is writing about writer's block and hope that the winds of change will bring him inspiration. ... He begins relating the winds of change to his hope for inspiration. ...

  • Word Count: 702
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Percy Bysshe Shelley

Such examples can be found in his poems such as "Ode to the West Wind,"" "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty,"" and "Ozymandias."" In Shelley's view, "the poet is a dreamer, a visionary- who uses these dreams and visions to "persuade men to shake off the chains of the past, of custom, of selfishness, and to press onward to the vital task of constructing a world characterized by kindness, generosity, and love- (Shairp, Shelly as a Lyric Poet 164) In "Ode to the West Wind," Shelley attempts to gain transcendence, for he shows that his thoughts, like the "winged seeds" (7) are trapped. The West ...

  • Word Count: 1748
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Comparison in the Uses of Apostrophe & Personification in Shelley's

Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem, "Ode to the West Wind" and Sylvia Plath's poem "Mirror" both employ the poetic tools of apostrophe, the address to something that is intangible, and personification, the application of human characteristics to something inanimate. ... In "Ode to the West Wind", Shelley personifies many of nature's elements by attaching descriptions of remains of death that are typically human. ... Shelley has again, managed to give the reader an intense image of foliage shaking in their roots at the thought of the west wind's approach. ... Or, more accuratel...

  • Word Count: 1115
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

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