Page 40 - DENG202_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_III

Unit 4: Ode to the West Wind by P B Shelley

Shelley was deeply concerned with the imaginative aptitude purporting to the desired facet Notes
ever sought insistently by active minds. He believed that “the moral customs of a particular era
are the result of imaginative vision of great men, and he discovers the ideal aspect of other
people, which are no already embodied in existing moral codes.”
Ode to the West Wind is one of Shelley’s best known works in which the poet explains distinctly
the activities of the west wind on the earth, on the sea and in the sky. Then the poet conveys his
jealousy for the unlimited freedom of the west wind, his aspiration to be free like the wind and
to spread his words among humanity. In the unit, you will learn about the life and works of
P B Shelley, his major themes, motifs, symbols and analysis.

4.1 About the Author

Shelley declined to accept life as it is lived and attempted to persuade others of the lack of any
requirement for doing so. He believed that life would be wonderful and an experience directed
by love, “if tyranny, cruelty and the corruption of man by man through jealousy and the exercise
of power are removed.” Shelley implored the people to release their potential power that could
change their standing in life, so he calls upon them to: their tragically short lives
Rise like lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number!
Shake your chains to earth, like dew
Shelley was born on 4 August 1792 near Horsham, Sussex, into a wealthy family that ultimately
achieved minor noble rank—the poet’s grandfather, a wealthy businessman, received a baronetcy
in 1806. Shelley’s father, Timothy Shelley was a country gentleman and a Member of Parliament.
When Shelley was 12, his parents enrolled him into Eton, a prominent school for boys.
At school, he discovered the writings of a philosopher William Godwin. Shelley devoted plenty
of time in reading his works and became an ardent believer. The young man enthusiastically
embraced the principles of equality and liberty promoted by the French Revolution. He also
dedicated his great passion and convincing power in persuading others of the appropriateness
of his beliefs. He enrolled at Oxford in 1810 but was expelled the following spring for taking
part in authoring a pamphlet titled The Necessity of Atheism as atheism was considered an
outrageous idea in religiously traditional 19th century England.

Figure 4.1: Percy Bysshe Shelley

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Percy_Bysshe_Shelley_by_
Alfred_Clint.jpg

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 35