Environmentalism in Romanticism
Question: “Romanticism invented Environmentalism. A line can be traced from Blake,
Wordsworth, Coleridge and their contemporaries through to the Green politics and poetics of
today.” To what extent do you agree/disagree with this statement? Make specific references
to Romantic-era texts when answering the question.
Thesis: The basis for Green Politics and modern environmentalist poems of today can
be traced back to the poetics of Blake, Wordsworth and Coleridge.
The Romantic period introduced numerous concepts into the wider world, one of the most
notable being the concept of environmentalism. The basis for Green Politics and modern
environmentalist poems of today can be traced back to the poetics of Blake, Wordsworth and
Coleridge. Green Politics are based upon the ‘Four Pillars,’ (Green Politics, 2012) the first of
which being Ecological Wisdom. This ‘pillar’ is based on the concept of saving the planet,
and being in touch with nature, much like how Coleridge lived his life, and is reflected in the
poem titled “The Nightingale.’ This connection can be traced into modern times through such
poems as ‘Warned’ by Sylvia Stults. The second and third main ‘pillars’ of Green politics are
Social Justice and Grassroots Democracy, otherwise known as the idea of power to the
people and closer relations to the common man. This is derived from Wordsworth’s ideas of
the common man, and is evident in his poem ‘My Heart Leaps Up.’ The final ‘pillar’ is
nonviolence, which is the concept of being against conflict and advocating human rights. A
line can be traced to Blake and his attitudes towards violence, and in his poem ‘The French
Revolution’ which discusses his personal views on the events unfolding in France. The
modern concepts of environmentalism are direct derivatives from the era of Romantic poets
like Wordsworth, Blake and Coleridge.
One of the staples of Coleridge’s poems was the idea of being one with nature, which is the
precursor to the Green politics theme of Ecological Wisdom. In terms of politics, Ecological
Wisdom is to achieve the aim of a “harmonious coexistence with other forms of life on
Earth” (Green Politics, 2012). Coleridge’s ‘The Nightingale,’ discusses these attitudes
towards nature, and criticises those who project their own attitudes upon it. ‘The Nightingale’
is the tale of Coleridge, Wordsworth and Dorothy Wordsworth, sitting on an “old mossy
bridge,” admiring the beauty of nature at night. The narrator states (The Literature Network,
2000) “[man] filled all things with himself,” meaning that man imposes himself and his
feelings into nature, a form of the egotistical sublime, which can be likened to the way man is
destroying the Earth. Later in the final stanza, the narrator talks about how he has brought up
his infant son to love nature, stating (The Literature Network, 2000) “And I deem it wise/To
make him Nature's play-mate.” This is a forerunner to the types of attitudes that the Green
party wishes to inspire in the young people of today. Coleridge’s poems have also inspired
numerous modern interpretations of this attitude towards the environment, such as ‘Warned’
by Sylvia Stults, which tells the tale of the Earth after man has taken its toll. ‘Warned’
describes the landscape after global warming, and pollution have ravaged the Earth, and uses
confronting imagery to further enforce the point. The narrator states “birds chirping from
sites unseen,” (FamilyFriend Poems, 2015) which could possibly be a reference to ‘The
Nightingale’, as the birds are considered by this poet to sing the melancholy tunes of
mankind, just as Coleridge warned against. Coleridge’s nature inspired poems, are the
underlying predecessors of modern Green politics and poetics.
Wordsworth believes in the concept of common language for the common man (Shaun Rider,
n.d.), which is the predecessor of Green politics ‘pillars’ of social justice and grassroots
democracy. These are the ideas of the common man and closer relations with the individual
(Open Politics, n.d.). By using common language, Wordsworth brings poetry to the lowest
common denominator. This is evident in the poem ‘My Heart Leaps Up’, which uses almost
childlike language that is easily understood by all. “My heart leaps up when I behold/A
rainbow in the sky…” (Poets.org, n.d.) Wordsworth states “What is a poet? He is a man
speaking to men.” (Goodreads, n.d.) The revolutionary way Wordsworth writes, is an early
imitation of the idea of closer relations to the common man, as his contributions to literature
pave the way for modern poets. Enabling poetry to be understandable gives the average
person a chance to write poetry themselves, which is evident on the numerous blogs found on
the internet. This can be likened to the concept of closer relations to the common man, as
Wordsworth did not distance himself by using complex language, such as the likes found in
previous poets’ work, which almost puts all of his readers on equal ground. In Wordsworth’s
time, no matter if the reader was from the aristocracy or the working class, they could all
enjoy the poetry. The roots of Green politics ‘pillars’ of social justice and grassroots
democracy are startling evident in the poetics of Wordsworth.
Through Blake’s various poems, it is clear that he believes in the rights for the common man,
possibly because he began as one himself (Blake’s Life and Times, n.d.). In his poem, ‘The
French Revolution’ published in 1791, during the years of turmoil in France, Blake discusses
the violence and political upheaval. When mentioning the state of affairs in France, Blake’s
narrator has a bitter tone towards those being sent to their deaths, such as “the pale mother
nourishes her child to the deadly slaughter,” (Bartleby.com, n.d.) suggesting that he is against
the bloodshed. This theme is exactly what the Green’s political ‘pillar’ of nonviolence is
concerned with. Green politics do not advocate war, and they seek peaceful solutions (Green
Politics, 2012). In line 239 of Blake’s poem, he says “let all be peace, nor a soldier be seen,”
while the Green Party of Western Australia (n.d.) states “We hold that general disarmament is
an essential priority.” This further reinforces the link between Blake’s poetry and Green
politics, showing that both parties wanted or still want an end to conflict. This attitude is
reflected in more modern poetry, such as ‘AB Negative’ by Brian Turner, which tells the tale
of a woman who was killed in conflict, “Thalia Fields is gone, long gone,/about as far from
Mississippi/as she can get,” (Helen Lowe, 2012). The tone of this mimics that of Blake’s
‘The French Revolution’ and the attitude of Green politics. Blake’s ‘The French Revolution’,
encompasses the themes of Green politics, and is the forerunner of numerous contemporary
poems, such as Turner’s ‘AB Negative’.
Romanticism provided the first instances of Environmentalism. According to Green politics,
there are four ‘pillars’ of Environmentalism: Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grassroots
Democracy, and Nonviolence. These are reflected in the works of numerous Romantic poets,
the most notable of which are Coleridge, Wordsworth and Blake, as their poetics express
each of these values in turn. Coleridge’s ‘Nightingale’ conveys the idea of being one with
nature, and the dangers of man imposing himself upon the environment. Wordsworth’s ‘My
Heart Leaps Up’, through the use of simple language aims to bring poetry to the people,
inspiring closer relations with the common man. Blake’s ‘The French Revolution’ warns of
the violence in France in a reflection of the author’s thoughts and feelings, exemplifying the
‘pillar’ of Nonviolence. Romanticism invented Environmentalism, and this can be seen from
the poetics of prominent writers of the time.
Bibliography
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Barber, E 2015, What Does “Environmentalism” Really Mean?, Student
Environmental Resource Centre, viewed 19 October 2015,
http://serc.berkeley.edu/what-does-environmentalism-really-mean/
Bartleby.com n.d., The French Revolution, viewed 22 October 2015,
http://www.bartleby.com/235/254.html
Chapple, C 1993, Nonviolence to animals, earth, and self in Asian traditions, State
University of New York Press, Albany, NY.
Family Friend Poems 2015, Environment Poems - Poems about the Environment,
viewed 20 October 2015,
http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poems/nature/environment/
Glyndwr.ac.uk n.d., Blake's Life and Times, viewed 23 October 2015,
http://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/rdover/blake/blakes_l.htm
Goodreads 2015, A Quote by William Wordsworth, viewed 27 October 2015,
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/343017-what-is-a-poet-he-is-a-man-speaking-to
Grade Saver n.d., Coleridge’s Poems “The Nightingale” (1798) Summary and
Analysis, viewed 22 October 2015, http://www.gradesaver.com/coleridgespoems/study-guide/summary-the-nightingale-1798
Greens Are Coming 2012, Green Politics, viewed 19 October 2015,
http://www.greensarecoming.org.uk/green-politics.html
Hess, S 2012, William Wordsworth and the ecology of authorship, University of
Virginia Press, Charlottesville.
Knarf n.d., Samuel Taylor Coleridge – Biography, viewed 22 October 2015,
http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Coleridg/bio.html
Lallier, A 2005, Environmentalism and British Romanticism, Romantic Politics,
viewed 19 October 2015, http://web.utk.edu/~gerard/romanticpolitics/ecology
Lancaster County Green Party 2010, 4 Pillars of Greens, viewed 23 October 2015,
http://www.lancastergreenparty.org/4pillars.html
Lowe, H 2012, Tuesday Poem: “AB Negative (The Surgeon’s Poem)” by Brian
Turner, Helen Lowe... on Anything Really, viewed 22 Ocotber 2015,
http://helenlowe.info/blog/2012/01/24/tuesday-poem-ab-negative-the-surgeons-poemby-brian-turner/
Paula's Blog n.d., 06. Nature in William Wordsworth poems, viewed 20 October 2015,
http://pausalso.blogs.uv.es/nature-in-william-wordsworth-poems/
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http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/william-blake
Poets.org n.d., My Heart Leaps Up, viewed 27 October 2015,
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/my-heart-leaps
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https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/samuel-taylor-coleridge
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Speech, viewed 27 October 2015, https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/state-prefaceaddress-wordsworth-and-common-speech
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English T Literary Essay Assessment Feedback
Student
Unit
ID
Year
11
Criteria
Line
A
Teacher DD
Mod.
Grade
A-
Score
86
Advanced
Established
Demonstrated
Some Evidence
Sophisticated control of the
essay form and awareness of
audience, purpose and question
(including word length)
Well-developed control of the
essay form and awareness
of audience, purpose and
question (including word
length)
Demonstrates substantial
knowledge of text
Developing control of the essay
form and awareness of
audience, purpose and
question (including word
length)
Demonstrates knowledge of
text
Partial control of the essay
form and awareness of
audience, purpose and
question (including word
length)
Demonstrates limited
knowledge of text
Analyses, interprets and
argues clearly and effectively
with insight linked to
evidence and question
Developing critical and
analytical skills with some
insight and justification of
viewpoint linked to question
Skilful and discerning use of
quotations
Consistent application of
approved citation conventions
Effective use of appropriate
quotations
Consistent application of
approved citation
conventions
Use of appropriate quotations
Consistent application of
approved citation conventions
Responds to texts with
occasional insight but
limited justification of
viewpoint linked to
question
Limited or ineffective use
of quotations
Inconsistent application of
citation conventions
Distinctive voice and
originality of thought
Demonstrates independence
and originality of thought
Writes with a distinctive voice
Displays some originality of
thought and independent
voice
Evidence of a developing
independent voice
Command of the technical
aspects of language:
spelling, grammar, sentence
structure, paragraphing,
word choice, formality of
tone
Writes with vitality and control of
language:
spelling, grammar, sentence
structure, paragraphing, word
choice, formality of tone
Developing control of the
technical aspects of language:
spelling, grammar, sentence
structure, paragraphing, word
choice, formality of tone
Clarity and fluency of
expression
Writes with a high degree of
clarity and fluency of expression
Writes with a well-developed
control of the technical
aspects of language:
spelling, grammar, sentence
structure, paragraphing,
word choice, formality of
tone
Writes with clarity and
fluency of expression
Control of the essay form
demonstrating an
awareness of audience,
purpose and question
(including word length)
Knowledge of text
Critical and analytical skills
focussed on the question
Use of quotations within the
essay
Citation of quotations
(See BSSS publication What’s
Plagiarism: how you can avoid
it)
Demonstrates extensive and
comprehensive knowledge of
text
Analyses, interprets and argues
with sophistication and a high
degree of insight linked to
evidence and question
Writes with some clarity and
fluency of expression
Relies on description or
retelling narrative
Little evidence of
independent thought
Partial control of the
technical aspects of
language: spelling,
grammar, sentence
structure, paragraphing,
word choice, formality of
tone
Writes with limited clarity
and fluency of expression
Little Evidence
Insufficient evidence of the
essay form or awareness
of audience, purpose and
question (including word
length)
Demonstrates flawed or
superficial knowledge of
text
Understands simple and
concrete ideas –
paraphrases or retells
Very limited/no use of
quotations
Incorrect or no citation of
quotations
Expresses simple ideas
and paraphrases
Lacks control of the
technical aspects of
language: spelling,
grammar, sentence
structure, paragraphing,
word choice, formality of
tone
Lacks clarity and fluency of
expression
Comments: A clear introduction that provides your reader with a "road map" of the rest of the essay. It reads a little stiffly, as though you were applying a
formula of essay-writing, but it's benefits outweigh its drawbacks. I realise how tempting it is to read many of the lyrical ballads biographically, but do try to
remember that the author and the narrator are, by definition, two separate things. Regarding Coleridge himself as the speaker of "The Nightingale" gives
you fodder for your argument, but it's a slightly shaky premise on which to base that argument. I'm not sure I agree that Wordsworth "did not distance
himself by using complex language". In the poem discussed in your essay, that might be true, but just consider this title: "Ode: Intimations of Immortality
from Recollections of Early Childhood" - that's just the tip of the iceberg. I have one or two other niggling quibbles like these, but for the most part you
deserve to be complimented for this more than criticised. It's a clear, persuasive and considered examination of a salient Romantic theme.