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LunaShenJimFairchildLiteratureoftheRomanticPeriod10/01/12TransformingimageinShelley'spoetry--SeethroughOdetotheWestWindThewestwindwaswidelyadoptedinShelley'spoetry.Inhispoems,thewestwindisalwaysembeddedwithstrongandviolentpower,whichcancausetheleavestofalldownontothefloorandtearsthecloudshighinthesky.Moreover,itcanalsocausepanicoftheseaplantsandwakeupthesleepingocean.Thewestwind,accordingtoShelley,canberegardedasstrongpowerintherevolutionarymovement.Also,thepoet'seagernessandcouragetobeintegratedwithwestwindalsoindicatethatsheiswillingtocontributehisselftotherevolutionarymovement.Thepoetbelievesthatpositivepowerwilldefinitelyoverwhelmtheevilandthedarkness.Righteousnessissurelytowinintherevolutionarymovement.Inthefirststanza,thepoetadoptedthecolorcontrasttacticanddescribedthescenewhenwestwindsweptautumn--Yellow,andblack,andpale,andhecticred,indicatingthatturbulentwestwindblewdownleavesandspreadtheseedsintolandagain,waitingforthearrivalofspring.Inthesentence,peoplecouldimagineafadingscenefulloffallenleaves.However,whenthespringcomes,colorswillturnsoftandbright--colorsandfragrancewillbespreadovermountainsandplains.Thepoetprovedhimselftobecolorplayer,inseverallinesofwhosepoems,thechangingprocessofthenature,fromdulltoprosperous,wasperfectlypresented.Finally,thepoetnamestheubiquitouswestwindasbothdestroyerandprotector,whichincludescertainunderstandingthatwestwindbreaktheoldworldandcreateacompletelynewworld.AccordingtoMaharishi,Thenatureoflifeistogrow,westwindisthepowerofdeveloping.Inthesecondstanza,theperspectiveofthepoetswitchedtotheskyanddescribedhowwestwindblewburstthecloudsandformedthestorm.Thepoetadoptedbolderimaginationandregardedtheairintheskytobewavinghairofamadwoman.Theso-calledmadwomanorMaenad,isacharacterinGreecemythology.Shewasusedtobedrawninanfuriousimageinancientpainting.Itisthefuriousappearanceandscatteringhairthatperfectlyportraynaturalwonderswithrandomfloatingclouds.Thisalsoindicatesthatnatureisbothmysteriousanddangerous.Inthethirdstanza,theviewwasswitchedfromthehighskytotheocean.Shelleymainlydescribedhowthewestwindwokeuptheoceanandcausedpanicamongseapants.Priortothearrivalofthewestwind,theseawasascalmasifithassleptforawholesummer.Moreover,italsosawtheancientpalaceandpavilionsinitsdream.Thereaderswerealsoabletoseereflectionofthepavilionstheclearwaterandtheripplesformedascenewithfull-bodiedlybeauty.Then,theseawasalsoembeddedwithalsopersonality,who,priortothearrivalofwestwind,activelysplititselfandexposedtheseaplantswhichhiddeeplyatthebottomofthesea.Thispeculiardescriptionseemstobecompletelybroadimaginationofthepoet,whilealsocomplieswiththelawofnature.Intheabovethreestanzas,thepoetdescribedhowthewestwindsweptfromtheskytothesea.However,inthefourthstanza,thepoetfocusedonhimselfandwishedthatthewesterwindcouldtookhimaway,likethewayitdidtoleaves,cloudsandripplesinthesea.Thepoetwaseagertofloatintheworldfreely.Inordertodemonstratespeedofthewestwindandthepoet'seagerness,thepoetusedaseriesofthesamesentencepatternandformedaclangingandfloatingrhythmofthepoetry.Infifthstanza,suchkindofrhythmbecomesmorevehementandincreasinglystrong.Thepoetswitchedtoaseriesofinvocatorysentences,expressinghisdeterminationandcouragetobeintegratedwiththewestwind.Afamousaphorismwasillustratedinaformofrhetoricalquestions,whichseemsasifthepoetisaskingthereadersquestions.Thewestwindseemstohavestoppedallofasuddenandpoetryconnotationofthepoemsuddenlybecomesmeaningful.OdetothewestwindisapoemtothinkhighpraiseofwestwindandasongofShelley's.Shelleyisawarmromanticpoet,whoisalsoabraverevolutionarysoldier.Hearmedhimselfwithpoetriesandtookanactivepartinrevolutionarymovement.Inspiteoffailuresandsetbacks,hestillmaintainedatahighfightingspirit.Odetothewestwindisalsothevoiceofthetime.Intheearly19thcentury,priortoemergingofscientificsocialismandworkers'movementinEuropeancountrieswasstillinaspontaneousstage,Odetothewestwindinevitablycontainedamild,indirectandsorrowtone.However,aspioneersocialist,Shelleyheldafirmandoptimisticbeliefuponfutureoftherevolutionsandfateofthehumanbeings.Hefirmlybelievedthatjusticewouldsurelyoverwhelmedevilandlightwoulddefinitelytakeplaceofthedarkness.Thepoet,asatalentedprophetannouncedthat,Ifwintercomes,canspringbefarbehind?