Page 158 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit

5. In the final section, the speaker asks the West Wind to “Be through my lips to unawakened
earth/ The trumpet of a prophecy!” To what prophecy do you believe the speaker is
referring?

6. As a representative of the Romantic poets of the early nineteen-century, Shelley’s poem
can be seen as offering an explanation of the Romantic idea of nature. How does Shelley
(and the other young Romantic poets) view nature?

7. When the speaker prays to the West Wind to scatter his ashes like dead leaves across the
universe, what is he implying about poetic language? How does such a prayer relate to
Shelley's ideas about inspiration and expression?

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