Compare and contrast the treatment of nature in the poems “elegy written in a country churchyard” by thomas gray and “tintern abbey” by william wordsworth. use examples from each poem to support your opinion.

Gray was a transitional poet, one of the first to write on a romantic theme and break away from neoclassical themes, along with William Blake. However, his other poems never gained the critical acclaim of ''Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.'' William Wordsworth was influenced by Gray’s style and theme, especially the pastoral scenes.

In his poem, Gray deals with the broad theme of death. He uses his descriptions of the English countryside and the natural world to establish a melancholy tone. His descriptions also draw parallels between the evening (the end of the day and a time of rest) and death (end of life and a time of eternal rest). However, Gray spends more time describing the lives of the farming community than he does on descriptions of nature.

In Wordsworth’s works, such as "Tintern Abbey," nature is not only a backdrop or a poetic device, but the subject and the theme. In "Tintern Abbey," Wordsworth speaks of nature as “The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, / The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul / Of all my moral being.” In this and other poems, Wordsworth speaks of nature as an invigorating force that not only inspires him, but gives him life and heals him, even when it’s not present.

In contrast, Gray believes that everything, even nature, perishes in death and that nature’s beauty is often "wasted." He expresses that idea when his speaker states, "Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, / And waste its sweetness on the desert air." In Gray’s poetry nature remains in the background and is not the main theme, whereas in Wordsworth’s poetry, nature is a driving force.

the correct answer will be d or c for me it may be different

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)