In many of Wordsworth’s poems, he addresses the concept of age (often in correspondence to maturity/innocence). I will be focusing on “Resolution and Independence” and “Ode: Intimations of Immortality.”
In “Resolution and Independence,” the narrator describes the old leech gatherer as an ancient being, dwelling on his physical features being aged as well. The narrator becomes envious of this old man’s life because he is living an honest and independent life, which the narrator craves. Even though the initial descriptions of this old man were very decrepit, the character of the old man becomes a symbol of hope.
In “Ode: Intimations of Immortality,” the poem addresses emotions that are tied to aging and time. The narrator feels deeply nostalgic about growing up and losing one’s connection to nature. There is a sense of fear about the loss of innocence, and there is a need for rekindling memories so as to stay connected to one’s past self.
In, “We Are Seven,” the narrator finds a young girl whose two siblings have passed, and she believes they are still with her. The narrator, who is older than the girl, believes the siblings are dead and gone, since they are buried beneath the ground. This poem shows the contrast between a young and an older point of view, and how aging can change our perspectives.
In, “Nutting,” we see this perspective change first-hand, as a boy enters the woods, and exits nature with a new point of view on his sexuality and how humans should interact with the environment around them. This poem can stand as a symbol of puberty, and of learning through mistakes and changes in one’s life. The boy remains the same age throughout his journey in the poem, but the narrator tis reflecting on himself from an older perspective, recognizing these changes and commenting on them from his newer POV.
All in all, Wordsworth focuses a lot on age and innocence/maturity in his poems, and plays around with narrators of different ages and characters experiencing different stages of their lives.
Good observations, Zoe. Another way of thinking about this is that Wordsworth is constantly tapping his memory his poetry, and dwelling on the sense of loss/nostalgia that this produces. As you note, he tends to see the past (innocence) as better than the present. “Resolution and Independence” is the exception here, since he sees an old man as a source of inspiration because he’s seemingly found a kind of stability.
This is a great point, and I think that Wordsworth does a really good job of portraying what it means to grow up from the perspective of an adult, especially since the people reading his poetry are adults. The reader feels pity for the child in “We Are Seven” who will eventually realize that her siblings have passed on, and the reader can understand that the boy in “Nutting” is most likely overwhelmed by his new experiences. Even if we know that some aspects of these childhood experiences are negative, Wordsworth is still able to tap into a sense of nostalgia and make us miss being younger.