Excluding Tintern Abbey from an essay...?

ChristinaIndigo

I know that when writing on Wordsworth, it would probably be best to include Tintern Abbey. However, I'll be avoiding answering Wordsworth on Thursday if at all possibly - purely because of this poem.

It's not that I'm lazy and don't want to have to deal with it... It's purely just that I hate the poem in general. I don't mind its length, or even the fact that it can seem quite heavy as a poem. I just find it completely pretentious as a poem and find it's theme boring and in all honesty, pointless.

It's the only poem on the whole course that I hate. So, if it ends up that I do have to answer on Wordsworth... How much do you think leaving it out would hinder me?

Bbbbolger

When we studied Wordsworth we didnt even study Tintern Abbey. We did 6 other poems. No one poem by any poet is mandatory/necessary. As long as you have enough poems to comprehensively cover the topic you're writing about you're fine.

partyatmygaff

It's enough to mention it if you don't want to go in depth on that specific poem.

J_E

We don't have Tintern Abbey done. Just Skating, It Is a Beauteous Evening, To My Sister, and She Dwelt Among The Untrodden Ways.

ChristinaIndigo

An essay on WW is now more appealing haha!

DaveMur1

Seen as you know stuff about it, it would probably be best to write a paragraph on it. Simply because unlike most of the other poets , Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey' brings together his whole collection of work.
In the final stanza, Wordsworth addresses his sister, who did not accompany him on his original visit to the abbey, and perceives in the delight she shows at the resplendence and serenity of their environs a poignant echo of his former self.
There's is no written rule stating you must include this poem if your doing an answer on him but remember, English is very subjective and if an examiner has corrected several Wordsworth essays already and they handle Tintern abbey well, yours may struggle in comparison.
Don't let your honest personal response influence your work too much either, I hate all of Adrienne Rich's poetry but if she's the only one of the four I studied im not going to ridicule her work just because it's my opinion.

Anita Blow

I don't have Tintern Abbey done either. Examiner can't mark you down for not using a specific poem. Just show you've engaged with the poems you have picked.
If Wordsworth comes up I'd do him. Poetry is relatively simple and since he's never been up, you can almost guarantee the question will be nature related. Maybe how he see's a divinity in nature or something.

Bbbbolger

DaveMur1 wrote: »

Don't let your honest personal response influence your work too much either, I hate all of Adrienne Rich's poetry but if she's the only one of the four I studied im not going to ridicule her work just because it's my opinion.

Although, you could turn that hatred into a very good essay. Nothing wrong with disagreeing with the question in part or in full. As long as you dont base it on "it's too hard" or "I couldn't understand it" it could work. For example, one of my topics for Eavan Boland is how she tries to make the extraordinary out of the ordinary. I feel it is at times forced and not done near as well as Patrick Kavanagh's poetry. It brings down her poetry and inhibits my appreciation of her poetry.