I am comparing my entry on “Lines Left upon a Seat in a Yew-Tree” to Lena Tortorice’s entry.
In Lena’s entry she interprets the meaning of the title as a symbol for the life of the character in this poem. Rather than assuming that there were literal words left on the tree, Lena imagines it as something figurative. The tree being planted and growing is compared to when the author was “pure at heart”, or untainted. As time passes the spirit of the man is broken. Simultaneously, the tree grows wild with bent branches. Lena makes many credible parallels between the man’s journey through life and the growth of the tree. She wraps up her entry by discussing the lonely and unfruitful life that the man has created. I think if my blog were combined with Lena’s it would make for an insightful entry. I like the way Lena compared the life of the tree to the man. I had not thought to figuratively interpret lines left upon the seat. Although her entry differs greatly from mine, she touches on the lonely unfruitful life the man ended up with. However, she does not dig very deep into interpreting the reasons behind the loneliness. In my entry I offer an explanation as to why this man’s life ended up the way it did. What I gathered from the poem was that he tried to live a peaceful life amongst nature. In isolating himself from society he did not find inner peace but rather he became lonely. He was unable to gain knowledge in life because he had no awareness of human relationships. “Then he would sigh/ With mournful joy, to think that others felt/ What he must never feel: and so, lost man!” I felt that what Wordsworth was trying to express is that humans and nature are not separate forces. Rather that they are interconnected entities. Therefore, true knowledge is gained through inward contemplation, as well as through a bond with humankind. The man’s lack of connection with other people caused him to end up in perpetual isolation like the words imprinted on the tree.
