Question

How can you tell that Shelley reveres nature and the wind in "Ode to the West Wind"? Are there other interpretations for his poem? Your answer should be at least 150 words.

Answer 1

You can not only interpret Shelley's passion for nature and the wind, but you can also get an insight into his life's sorrow. He lost his father when he was nine years old, and later in life, he also lost his son.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

The poem uses very numerous imagery of nature throughout all of its stanzas. All these elements are personified with human traits or emotions that give them symbolic meaning which is both aesthetic and political. The extensive use of nature for its aesthetic and symbolic value is one of the major characteristics of Romanticism. Nature her is also liked with mythology as many of the natural elements evoke Greek or Roman Gods that are associated with them. However, the most important part of the poem is its political subtext. The “Wild West Wind” here is a symbol of the revolutionary changes that were taking place in Europe during and after the French Revolution, namely the Peterloo Massacre that took place in London in 1819 when the cavalry charged into a crowd of almost a hundred thousand peaceful protestors, killing several and wounding hundreds. Thus, the Wind here is a symbol for the "winds of change" that were sweeping the old monarchic order.