Dreams and Kublai Khan
My apologies ahead of time, Canvas is not working on my phone or laptop, so I am limited on what I can write about.
Wordsworth and Coleridge both are perfect examples of the two polar-opposite sides in poetry. One side (Wordsworth) caters more to the common man. His simplicity often masks a deeper meaning that is easy to overlook. What I enjoyed with Wordsworth is his focus on humanity's innocence and experience and how they change people as time goes by.
Coleridge, on the other hand, uses the lofty language that so often categorizes poetry through the centuries. His eloquence of wording is only matched by the stories and descriptions he gives through his writing. Where Wordsworth seems more positive, Coleridge strikes me both with The Pains of Sleep and Kublai Khan. The first poem is one of haunted dreams. Whatever actions were taken and whoever perpetrated them, clearly stated are enough to turn sleep from a place of rest into a private hell. Being someone who knows that absolute terror dreams can bring, I felt the same terror he writes of.
Contrast that foreboding image to the grandiose description in Kublai Khan. Instead of terror in the mind, Coleridge portrays a majestic land where nature is beautiful and unspoiled. Awe and wonder are the emotions that come to mind. Perhaps I am just biased but I rather enjoy the lofty language over the simple. There is a certain quality I cannot quite put into words, that poets like Coleridge have that I am ever drawn to.
I commented on Natalie and Sophie's posts.
Wordsworth and Coleridge both are perfect examples of the two polar-opposite sides in poetry. One side (Wordsworth) caters more to the common man. His simplicity often masks a deeper meaning that is easy to overlook. What I enjoyed with Wordsworth is his focus on humanity's innocence and experience and how they change people as time goes by.
Coleridge, on the other hand, uses the lofty language that so often categorizes poetry through the centuries. His eloquence of wording is only matched by the stories and descriptions he gives through his writing. Where Wordsworth seems more positive, Coleridge strikes me both with The Pains of Sleep and Kublai Khan. The first poem is one of haunted dreams. Whatever actions were taken and whoever perpetrated them, clearly stated are enough to turn sleep from a place of rest into a private hell. Being someone who knows that absolute terror dreams can bring, I felt the same terror he writes of.
Contrast that foreboding image to the grandiose description in Kublai Khan. Instead of terror in the mind, Coleridge portrays a majestic land where nature is beautiful and unspoiled. Awe and wonder are the emotions that come to mind. Perhaps I am just biased but I rather enjoy the lofty language over the simple. There is a certain quality I cannot quite put into words, that poets like Coleridge have that I am ever drawn to.
I commented on Natalie and Sophie's posts.
I like what you said about Wordsworth's deeper meanings being easy to overlook… Is it possible that he defeats his own purpose of straightforward writing by burying ideas under a little too much thought?
ReplyDeleteI am a personal fan of Wordsworth, though I do enjoy Coleridge's techniques a little more. I definitely like the question of Wordsworth's technique in hiding meaning...
ReplyDeleteWhen regarding pains of sleep, I didn't take it as a sort of "dreams can become a hell" but as an insomniac interpretation. Studies have shown that a lack of sleep will cause changes in behavior, attitude, and actions for a negative turn. So a loss of sleep over time can make one go mad and create a hell within their own minds to which they can't escape. So whether it is in the dream the hell reveals its head, or outside where the hellish dream becomes a reality, I believe the same general concept applies...sleep is good: get your sleep.
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