To Wordsworth Essay Questions

Describe the significance of the sonnet in "To Wordsworth."

A poetic genre defined by change, the sonnet was the ideal form for Shelley's reaction to Wordsworth's The Excursion. First, "To Wordsworth" closely follows the Shakespearean model, with the volta—or turn in thought—occurring after line twelve, while combining the rhyme patterns of the genre's English and Italian structures. Shelley spends the first twelve lines recalling Wordsworth' past glory, then spends the final two lines admonishing Wordsworth for his new conservative ideals. This quick shift at the end reflects both Shelley's surprise at the older poet and the drastic change in Wordsworth's work. Likewise, by expressing his feeling of betrayal in one of Wordsworth's favored genres, Shelley uses the sonnet itself to allude to the difference between Wordsworth's past and present.

Shelley uses two similes to describe Wordsworth. What do we learn from them?

In the poem's first twelve lines, Shelley recalls his admiration for Wordsworth's early work. He calls the older poet a "lone star" and "rock-built refuge," portraying the older poet as a beacon of light and immovable monument for his readers. The esteem for Wordsworth expressed in these similes emphasizes Shelley's pain and shock upon reading The Excurison, where the revolutionary Wordsworth was replaced by a conservative, unrecognizable voice. By emphasizing the past tense, Shelley suggests that the Wordsworth he, and many others, grew to love is gone forever.