Question

How is nature linked to humanity? Lines Written in Early Spring

Answer 1

• ''Lines Written in Early Spring” presents nature as the spirit that moves every living thing. Nature unites all the creatures of the landscape in a shared sense of joy, making them part of one big, delighted entity. But as the speaker soaks up the lovely grove around him, he finds cause not just for celebration, but for grief; humanity, in his view, is indeed part of this natural splendor, but it sure hasn't been acting that way! Instead of following nature's example and existing in peace and harmony, people fight each other and destroy the natural environments in which they live. And in separating themselves from both the natural world and each other, the poem argues that human beings have lost their connection to the joy that is their birthright.

• The speaker personifies both the creatures he sees around him and nature itself, suggesting that they’re all united in a single, joyful consciousness. In the grove where the speaker sits, twigs “spread out their fan,” flowers “enjoy the air,” and nature is a conscious force with a “holy plan.” All of these entities seem to be feeling the same delight.