What's so depressing about nature? Unless it's being covered in oil, burnt up in a forest fire, or overrun with rampaging bears, most of us find the natural world a soothing and relaxing place to be. Not our speaker, though. He's alternatively numb to natural beauty and tormented by ferocious storms. In that aspect, though, "Dejection: an Ode" carries forward the Romantic notion of Nature as a place that both influences and reflects human emotions—both good and bad. In our speaker's case, sadly, that's mainly the bad.
Questions About Man and the Natural World
- In what ways does the speaker's mood influence his view of his surroundings?
- What positive aspects of nature are noted in the poem?
- What is the role of the Aeolian lute metaphor in this poem?
- The speaker claims that human emotion influences the way we view Nature. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The speaker is right on. The way we view the natural world is totally informed by our emotional states.
It's a nice idea there, speaker, but Nature is not influenced by our emotions. It just is.