Percy Bysshe Shelley was a Romantic poet who, among other works, wrote a poignant, somewhat autobiographical poem called "Ode to the West Wind." This poem consists of five sonnet-length stanzas written in a style based upon the Italian terza rima rhyming structure. The first three stanzas have the themes of earth, sky and water, respectively, in relation to the West Wind and the last two stanzas are directly associated with the speaker. Shelley simply describes the West Wind's effects on the world throughout the first three stanzas. In the fourth stanza, however, Shelley takes a more personal turn and proclaims his yearning to be like the West Wind in its strength and freedom. By the fifth and last stanza, Shelley declares his desire for the Wind to take his words and spread them throughout the world like sparks. He consistently refers back to the descriptions he makes in...