Olivia's Essay

Olivia Denison
Mr. Salsich
English 9
May 28, 2009

Finding Things More Beautiful:

An Essay on the Poem “Tintern Abbey”, and Returning to PPS in Five Years


Have you ever wondered what it would be like to visit a place you once went to and visited it five years later? Would it be different? What would some of the memories be when you walked around? These are some of the questions William Wordsworth answers in his poem, “Tintern Abbey.”

In the poem “Tintern Abbey”, William Wordsworth, the author expresses his admiration toward his favorite childhood place. (APPOSITIVE) “Five years have past”, since Wordsworth has visited Tintern Abbey, an old abandoned Catholic church. He has never forgotten about this place and when he returns to visit after five years, he experiences an “unremembered pleasure.” He “[feels] it in [his] blood and [feels] it along [his] heart” when he is walking about Tintern Abbey. Wordsworth seems to be listening and observing to everything that is around Tintern Abbey and each one of these sites stirs another memory. The landscape is quiet; the green fields stretch on forever among trees, hedge-rows and rivers, making his experience there almost whimsical. (PARTICIPLE CLOSER) Tintern Abbey is a secluded area, but placed “‘mid the […] towns and cities” and Wordsworth is looking down on all of the little tiny houses spread around him, thinking about the noise below, while he is up at Tintern Abbey alone. He is truly grateful for this serene (FAST) atmosphere, allowing him to reminisce (FAST) about his life and experiences as a young man at Tintern Abbey.

If I were to visit Pine Point in a few years, it wouldn’t be during school hours. I would want everything around me to be quiet, so I could reflect on certain memories as I stroll around the campus. I also wouldn’t venture inside the building; I would only walk outside for that visit. I would return in the springtime to admire the green fields intersected by the stone walls and the verdant (FAST) forest with its abundant with vegetation and streams. The place that evokes the most memories is the fields behind the LTC, because that’s where many of the funniest moments transpired (FAST). Stealing ice cream and our hands getting all sticky, sledding, kickball and lacrosse are all recollections that I associate with those fields. (TETRA COLON) An evening visit would be the most serene when the sun is setting, the birds are chirping, and everything is fresh and green, just as I remember. (PARALLELISM) This time of day is even more special to me, as it not only represents the end of a glorious day, but also the beginning of another beautiful memory.

So what would you do if you returned to a place you love in five years? Wordsworth’s return to Tintern Abbey could have been bittersweet, but instead inspired warm memories. My return to Pine Point would likely evoke (FAST) the same passion, because there is nothing better than reliving memories that you cherish.

Self-Assessment

Issues I am continuing to work on.
I am continuing to work getting my tools to fit in right, becuase sometimes they don't work. This is mostly my problemexcept for puncuation.

What I like best about my essay.
I like how i use me quotes throughout my essay. I also like how i usd a lot of different tools in my essay.

Weaknesses I see in my essay.
For me this wasn't one of my best eesay's. I wasn't really feeling "It" when I was writing so i feel like I really didn't pay attention to what I was writing.