It seems that within the poem “Tintern Abbey” Wordsworth is making yet another expostulation. However, this one is not against books, but against Christian religion. Wordsworth uses words and phrases that are commonly used in the Christian church to instead speak of nature. In lines 110-112 he refers to nature as “The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, the guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul of all my moral being.” This seems to parallel when Christians speak of god as their rock (anchor), healer (nurse), and shepherd (guide and guardian). Wordsworth also uses exact phrases which when heard, imply that one is speaking to their God such as “For thou art with me” (line 115) and “How often my spirit turned to thee!” (line 58). In many ways this poem reads like a church sermon. He purposely places words such as “prayer”, “faith” and “pastoral” within the text reaffirming its religious undertones. Also, near the end of the poem lines 153-156 say: “I...A worshiper of Nature…Unwearied in that service: rather say with warmer love, oh! With far deeper zeal of holier love!” It is here that Wordsworth comes right out to say that he has made Nature (with a capital “N”) his religion and it reads to me as if he is saying that worshiping nature is more pleasing and fuller of love than that of typical religious worship. Perhaps he feels that the words used in church to speak of a man-created God and the Bible are better suited to be applied to the spirit of Nature, for it was created without man’s influence and is the true source of our existence.
Vatican vs. Avatar the movie
This link is an article that gives a little insight into the conflict between Christian religions and Pantheism (worship of nature)
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You've hit on a crucial element in the poem's language. But does the use of religious language to describe nature mean WW is expostulating against Christianity? Maybe this is technically heretical or blasphemous--but is the tone really one of attack on religion? Maybe you think that in the end it amounts to the same thing? It's an interesting question.
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