Tintern Abbey

Wordsworth describes Tintern Abbey in a very vivid manner. It is obvious that Tintern Abbey is a place of great happiness and peace for him, a place where he can rest and think. Every time Wordsworth leaves Tintern Abbey, Tintern Abbey does not leave him. The memory of the beautiful landscape Wordsworth portrays accompanies him whenever he leaves. Beyond being a lovely beautiful memory, for Wordsworth, this memory does much more. It seems as though it is a place of solace in his mind. It is a comfort that in hours of weakness and weariness supports him and allows him to go on. It allows him to go on and also to do acts of kindness and love. In his ‘unintelligible world’ that places a heavy wait upon him, the memory of Tintern Abbey helps him be serene and peaceful. During joyless days he is able to leave his body and travel through his mind back to Tintern Abbey, a place that gives him hope for the future. From the time he was a boy, he has been shaped by his visits and memories of this happy place. Now as a man, his time at Tintern Abbey has taught him to interpret and view the ‘harsh and grating’ humanity in a more subdued and less extreme way. In the second half of the poem, Wordsworth conveys his happiness that his younger sister now is finding such joy in a place that has done so much to shape his life. He is certain that Tintern Abbey has the ability to affect her life in just as positive a way as it did his. Also, he hopes that they will share a bond because of their love for Tintern Abbey and she will therefore always think back on him and be happy because he will be forever connected to a place they both loved so dearly.