Simon Lee

I believe that William Wordsworth's Simon Lee is about the course of life and the fear of growing old. Of the 13 stanzas of the poem, the first ten just describe Simon Lee and his life. Basically, Simon Lee's life has been in a downward spiral since his youth. In his youth, Simon Lee was a servant for a wealthy family, but he was happy. He was a master hunter, and no man was as good as he was. Everyone had heard of him, and no one was happier. But Simon Lee outlived everyone in the household, including the dogs and horses. He loses his left eye and his limbs become marred. He is extremely thin, sick, and weak, and is nearing death. He has no children, and his wife is just as old and weak as he is. The reader has to sympathize with Simon Lee after reading all of this, as he is now completely opposite of what he was as a youth at the peak of his life. At this point in the poem, Wordsworth warns the reader that this is not a tale and that there will be no action. I think he does this so that the reader will reflect on the description of Simon Lee in the previous stanzas. However, he then tells a tale after all. After seeing Simon Lee struggle to chop up a "tangled root," the narrator (Wordsworth) offers to help. While Simon Lee hadn't been able to do it all day, the narrator severs it "with a single blow." Simon Lee is so overwhelmed with joy that he cries and thanks the narrator in an overwhelming fashion. The narrator never expected such thanks, but it actually makes him sad. This is because Simon Lee has gone from a youthful, vibrant, strong man into a feeble, old, helpless one. The narrator realizes that now he is like the youthful Simon Lee, but fears he will soon enough be like the old Simon Lee. Below is a link for the Curious Case of Benjamin Button trailer. This movie is about mortality and dealing with human's natural fear of death. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L6K3fkwr-Y