Comment on the elegiac note in Arnold’s poetry Gradesaver

The cycle of nature including life and death are a big part of Arnold's poetry. In Arnold's poetry, natures symbolizes all that is pure, beautiful, and unchanging in the world. Nature, particularly wide open fields and sunny pastures, serve as Arnold's anchor in a constantly changing world full of constantly changing people. Further, humans are able to rise above the cluttered modern world by reflecting on the purity of nature. Sometimes, nature can cause consternation, because it reminds the speaker that he can never quite transcend or leave society to the extent that he desires. One good example of Arnold's use of nature is in "A Wish," in which the speaker's dying wish is to be placed by a window as he dies, so that he may look out at the beautiful landscape that will be there long after he is gone. Natural metaphors are woven all throughout Arnold's poetry, typically symbolizing beauty and purity, and the human ability to transcend.