Victoria Niblett

April 1, 2014

ODE ON INTIMATIONS OF
IMMORTALITY
O joy! that in our embers Section IX,
Line 130

The simple definition of significance the quality of holding

importance, value, or great meaning proves to be insufficient in the
exploration of William Wordsworths nineteenth century romantic
poem, Ode on Intimations of Immortality because on this criteria,
every word, line, and stanza are suitable to be marked as such.
Fortunately, significance can have varying circumstantial meanings
layered atop its humble definition, so when O joy! that in our embers
(Section IX, Line 130, Ode on Intimations of Immortality) is claimed as
the most significant line of Wordsworths work, the impact of the
assertion is still ambiguous but can be clarified with mentioning that in
this instance, significance is synonymous with relevance. This short,
seemingly simple line is the most relevant because it embodies the
ideas Wordsworth suggests throughout his lifetime of work.

At the start of Ode on Intimations of Immortality, Wordsworth

begins his poem in a familiar, wistful way, There was a time (I, 1, OII)
referring to the time of his past childhood gleam. This happiness is as
fleeting as his youth, and after eight sections of voyaging through an
entire spectrum of negative human emotion ranging from nostalgia to
devastation, the springtime shift of the poem comes with the opening
of Section IX with the two words, O joy! (IX, 130, OII) O, is an
expression William Wordsworth was fond of using when overwhelmed
by extreme emotion, which was very characteristic of this particular

romantic especially in the marvel of nature. However, in this instance,

it is not the extreme emotion, or the beauty he has found in nature; it
is the extreme shift in emotion due to his recent revelation that is
significant. This is the first occasion an exclamatory mark is used in the
opening line of any of the poems sections and the first time this
punctuation is used to indicate a surge of joyous, positive emotion.

The power and significance of these opening words can be

discovered through examining the definitions and connotations of the
words and related words. According to the dictionary, joy is
synonymous to happiness. However, it is evident Wordsworth was
aware of the distinct difference in connotation because he connects joy
with Immortality as in the title and happiness with momentary
childhood gleam. Over time, religious leaders and motivational
speakers of all denominations and practices have constructed a
distinction between joy and happiness that stems from their dissimilar
sources. Wordsworth seems to adopt the notion that happiness is
transitory and triggered by material objects, earthly pleasures, and
external circumstances, while the source of joy can be found in
exceptional internal experiences that possess a spiritual undertone
such as finding peace and enlightenment in nature.

Wordsworth, just as many of his readers, found happiness in his

childhood freedom. Wordsworth finds the key to accessing this lasting
joy in the realization that recollection of memories allow the gleam of
youth to take on an immortal entity in the installation of hope and
encouragement of the adult philosophical mind, changing his
perception of the world around him to understand more complex terms
of humanity, nature, and life. This enables him to enter a world of
innocence and bliss that was thought to be lost, signaling that youth is
immortal but in drastically different forms.

It could be proposed that the forms of fire - burning bright and

hot as flames in childhood experience and glowing soft and warm as
embers in adulthood memories - can characterize the immortality of
youthful notions. However, it is in examining the nature of these forms
that the parallelism to the Intimation portion of the title can be
found. An intimation by definition is an intimate, subtle hint or
indication and therefore does not align with the gleaming of childhood,
but the glowing of its reminiscence. Wordsworth paints the image of
smoldering embers to indicate that there is not a forthright statement
of immortality. There is only a gentle, secret insinuation that could be
missed entirely if not revealed by precisely the right perception.
Embers, as viewed by the author in sections I XIII, were remnants of a
once vibrant fiery flash and are now dying out. However, embers are

not ashes and in section IX, Wordsworth realizes this differentiation

with elation. If the juvenile blazes are exclaiming and laughing, the
embers of youths preceding presence are earnestly whispering
intimations to Wordsworth of possibility, which can shift the focus to
another connotation for an intimation or hint. A small portion of
something that doth live (IX, 131, OII) allows the title to be more
reflective of the small chance for immortality. The dual reading of this
title as indication of and possibility for immortality is also mirrored in
the two readings of the word embers. Embers hold possibility and
opportunity in the sense that they are burning coals simply waiting to
be rekindled into another brightly burning fire.

Even disregarding Wordsworths suggestion of reincarnation of

the soul into the inhabitance of another body, it can be entertained
that the spirit of youthfulness can be reincarnated in the adult
experience by allowing what is learned or undergone in the past to fuel
or change the interpretations of endeavors of the present and future.
Early in the ode, Wordsworth writes, The Rainbow comes and goes,
And lovely is the Rose; The Moon doth with delight look round her
when the heavens are bare; waters on a starry night are beautiful and
fair; The sunshine is a glorious birth; But yet I know, whereer I go, that
there hath past away a glory from the earth. (II, 10-18, OII) His adult
perception of the earths stunning beauty has faded as he has,

because once in a time past he looked upon all of this with the
visionary gleam of childhood. (IV, 57, OII) Then, as his perception
shifts, the poem does too. The experiences of childhood can be grieved
as smothered or unattended embers that have transformed into ashes,
or as indicated by Section IXs opening line cultivated to burn once
again in possessing a childlike appreciation of nature and human
experience that can impact the next generation and therefore leave an
everlasting mark upon humanity.

The contrasting alternatives as to what should be done about the

embers bring significance to the word our that is enclosed between
joy and embers. Our is a possessive pronoun that suggests the
possibility that the embers are possessed or controlled by Wordsworth
and his audience. Free will is one of the most powerful facilities in this
world and Wordsworth realizes with joy that he has control over how
his own memories impact the present. The cause of this major shift in
thought and ultimately the articulation of this most important line is
the revelation Wordsworth experiences regarding how fortunate it is
that nature remembers yet what was so fugitive! (IX, 132, OII) In the
realization that he possesses power of such magnitude to choose to
recollect his childhood glory, Wordsworth is overcome with emotion
and empowerment because his entire perception of the lovely universe
around him has shifted. Moreover, the author does not exclude the

reader in this encouragement to say that all possess a new-fledged

hope (IX, 138,OII).

An ode is a poem written for the purpose of praise or glorification

in a heightened state of emotion and sense. William Wordsworths
overwhelming joy in the comprehension that all of humanity has
ownership of memories and opportunities for rebirth of the mind and
spirit is the muse for his Great Ode. There is no greater happiness than
seeing possibility extended like an immortal sea or hearing the
mighty waters rolling evermore (IX, 164-168, OII) and having the
choice to reach out and grab it.

O joy! that in our embers reflects the Ode on Intimations of

Immortality much like the moon reflects the light of the sun, making it
the most relevant line of William Wordsworths work. These words to
open the greatest shift of the poem encompass the greater purpose of
this title, and could even arguably add other dimensions to the essence
of its meaning. The fair Juliet once said, whats in a name? that which
we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. I disagree
entirely. The namesake of an item, especially in literature can and does
change the disposition. The beauty of the English language is that
even closely related words thought to be synonymous have
connotations of vast difference and therefore using any different word

in the title, or its reflector would have resulted in a diverging message

relayed to the reader. Wordsworth, much like a very meticulous
chemist, used precisely the right additives to ultimately create the
solution he desired. The equation is perfectly balanced with the title
and with the opening line of section nine as it creates its relevance by
reiterating the title of the poem and enforcing the principal nuance of
one of Wordsworths most powerful, and beautiful works.