Comparison "Tintern Abbey" And "Frost At Midnight"

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Despite surface differences between Coleridge’s “Frost at Midnight” and Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey”, upon close examination and reading it becomes clear that they are two fundamentally similar poems. The language in each is similar, as well as the use of descriptive imagery to appeal to the reader’s visual sense. Mostly though, the similarities are found in the tone and message of the two poems. Both poets are remembering nature/commonplace scenes and speaking of them to their loved ones, Coleridge in a more supernatural sense and Wordsworth in a very open, honest manner. The structure of both poems is exactly the same, except for the fact that “Tintern Abbey” is longer than “Frost at Midnight.” Both poems follow a “return upon itself” structure and begin with an enjoyment of the present scene around the speakers, then gradually move into lamentations on the past. Then they both move back to the present with the speaker’s regaling a loved one with memories, promises, and pleadings to always enjoy what God has created around them. Wordworth believed in writing about commonplace people, places and things in a language used by ordinary men. His poem “Tintern Abbey” takes advantage of that philosophy, it is written as beautifully as anything from Tennyson or Dante Rossetti but far less metaphorically. He is very straight to the point with his words, but not to the extent that the beauty of them is lost. Coleridge also appears to follow that philosophy, but “Frost at Midnight” is a little more difficult to understand. The language is simple and very informal but he includes many complex metaphors, such as the opening line “the Frost performs its secret ministry.” “Frost at Midnight” and “Tintern Abbey” share the same basic idea of storing up memories to help the speaker make it through tough times when otherwise he might have given up. Coleridge uses a line in his poem

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