Ode to the West Wind Poem Analysis Essay

Throughout Western history, humanity has had an interesting relationship with the natural world that surrounds it. This relationship has ranged from awe in the beauty that nature possesses, to fear in the destruction that nature can cause. As time has continued, this relationship has continuously been changed and redefined. While earlier eras of Western history, such as the Renaissance or Baroque, lacked a strong relationship with nature, the natural world played a much larger role in the culture of the Romantic period. Through my selected passage (the fifth stanza, lines 57-70) of his poem “Ode to the West Wind,” Percy Shelley provides an excellent example of nature serving as the ultimate source of inspiration and change within Western culture, which was an idea that characterized the Romantic period.

A theme seen throughout the entirety of the poem is that of nature as a force of both destruction and renewal. This is shown through the West Wind, as well as its counterpart, the Spring Wind. The death caused by the West Wind is shown in its movement of leaves that are “yellow, and black, and pale” (4) as it sends them to their “wintry bed” (6). By describing the leaves as yellow, black, and pale, Shelley paints a picture of leaves that are near the end of their lifecycles, with the West Wind taking them to their “wintry bed,” which ultimately serves as their final resting point. These all point to the idea of nature serving as a force of death. However, this death is followed by a sense of renewal. The West Wind’s counterpart, the Spring Wind, blows “Her clarion o’er the dreaming earth” (10). The Spring Wind spreads its influence over the world, signaling the start of new life, after the death caused by the West Wind. This idea of nature serving as a force of death and revival is also seen with Romantic art and literature. Nature’s role of that as an inspiration signals the death of older forms of art and literature and ushers in a new age. Nature’s role as a muse and the impact it had on Western culture is particularly seen throughout my selected passage.

Through my selected passage, Shelley emphasizes nature as the ultimate driving force of creativity within art and literature during the Romantic period. When describing his relationship with the West Wind, Shelley pleads, “Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is” (57). A lyre is an instrument that is very similar in style to a harp. Shelley seeks to become nature’s instrument in a similar fashion to the forest when the West Wind blows through it. Just as the forest produces noise as the wind blows through it, Shelley seeks to produce “music” via nature. However, instead of producing literal music, Shelley aims to produce poetry inspired by nature itself. Shelley’s subservience to nature shows how much power nature holds as an inspiration for art and literature within Western culture. Just as a lyre produces no music without a musician playing it, Shelley has no ability to produce poetry without nature serving as his muse. This overarching role of nature as the source of creativity is why nature plays such an important role in the creation and innovation of Romantic art and poetry.

Using metaphors between himself and the natural world, Shelley continues to reinforce the idea of nature as the greatest source of inspiration within Western culture. When discussing the West Wind, Shelley states, “Drive my dead thoughts over the universe/Like withered leaves” (63-64). In a similar fashion to the lyre, nature is in control of the spread of Shelley’s thoughts and ideas in this passage. The West Wind is completely responsible for the spread of “withered leaves” just as nature is completely responsible for the spread of Shelley’s ideas. However, nature is not responsible for directly carrying Shelley’s ideas as the West Wind carries the leaves. Instead, nature provides a source of inspiration and a platform to allow Shelley to base his art upon. This allows Shelley to spread his ideas and messages by using nature as his muse. So, while nature is not physically responsible for the creation and spread of Shelley’s poetry, it would be impossible to create without nature serving as his source of inspiration.

Along with showing how nature serves as the source of creativity within Western culture, Shelley also demonstrates how this creativity creates changes within Western culture. When describing the West Wind and the impact it has, Shelley exclaims, “Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth/Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!” (66-67). Here, the spark of creativity generated by nature’s role as a muse has a massive impact on the Western world. Shelley views his thoughts and poetry as a creative spark within the world. Just as actual sparks spread fire, Shelley’s thoughts will spread an intellectual fire that will change a Western culture. This spread plays a similar role to an actual fire, burning down the old and allowing the new to flourish. However, in this case, Shelley wants to destroy the old, antiquated ideas that filled the West and allow for new ideas to take over. The spread of these new ideas would have never been possible without nature initially serving as the source of inspiration for Romantic-era artists. 

In addition to metaphors, Shelley’s word choice expresses how the inspiration generated by nature changes Western culture. When describing the renewal experienced due to nature, Shelley asks the West Wind, “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” (70). By using the seasons, which are well-defined terms, Shelley creates an image of Western culture before and after the use of nature as a muse. Winter is typically associated with death and decay and is used to symbolize Western art and literature in times before the Romantic era. This type of art and literature began to die when artists began to see nature as a source of inspiration, just as life dies during the winter. Additionally, Spring is typically viewed as the renewal of life after death has occurred during winter. This parallels Western culture, as new art and poetry began to flourish during the Romantic period, just as flowers and plants bloom once spring begins. Furthermore, the capitalization of “Winter” and Spring” personifies both seasons, further creating a sense of life and death between the two. By using terms with well-defined meanings, Shelley demonstrates the impact felt due to the use of nature as a muse.

Overall, Percy Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind” creates a sense of destruction and revival due to the force of nature. Shelley uses his fifth stanza to illustrate how Western culture’s view of nature as a source of inspiration resulted in the destruction of older ideas and the birth of newer, more innovative beliefs and values. Shelley does this through metaphors and deliberate word choice. These elements come together to create a stanza that highlights the power of inspiration that nature possesses and shows how this inspiration impacts Western art and literature. The idea of nature serving as an inspiration for cultural change had never been seen in human history and is something distinct to Romanticism.