Henry David Thoreau once said, “It 's not what you look at that matters, it 's what you see.” William Wordsworth, the author of the poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, and John Muir, author of the essay The Calypso Borealis, have proved this in their works by looking at nature and portraying it differently but beautifully in each piece. They have been able to express their relationships with nature differently through choices about format, such as if a rhyme scheme will be used; their word choice, like choosing to give something a specific name; as well as through literary devices used, including tone, mood, and irony, but, even though they made many different choices, their works are both able to make nature seem beautiful and mysterious. …show more content…
I think the most noticeable difference in the two pieces is the tone and somewhat in mood. The atmosphere Muir creates in his essay evolves as it goes on. When he first begins describing his experience looking for the Calypso Borealis, he seems to be having a lot of trouble with his environment, causing him to see nature in a negative way and be fearful of it. This is demonstrated well in this quote from paragraph two where he says he was “struggling through tangled and drooping branches” However, after he sees the Calypso Borealis he completely changes his view on nature and seems to respect it more and enjoy being in it more than he did before. You can see this as early as paragraph one where he is reflecting on his time “botanising in glorious freedom”. Wordsworth, on the other hand, always has the same opinion on nature; he sees it as a beautiful force and as something to observe and not to interfere with. He demonstrates this when he describes nature such as “fluttering and dancing in the breeze” or when he talks about “sparkling waves of glee”. The way Muir describes nature and the fact that his point of view changes as he spends more time in it once again makes it seem like he sees nature more like an equal. He recognizes that just because it seemed dangerous at first, it does not necessarily mean that it is. It appears that he sees nature like a person or a companion more than like an outside force.
In Wordsworth's poem, he used syntax and diction to show how the flowers changed his once depressed lonely mood to positive and grateful. While in Muir's essay, he also uses diction to tell his story of finding calypso and his overwhelming sense of happiness when he finally sat by the beautiful flower.
Muir creatively informs the reader just how much the main character truly loves nature. The same marvel and beauty is shared in the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” After a long climb over a high hill he finds his reward a valley shining with a huge field of daffodils. “Besides the lakes, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” As Wordsworth explains the scene. As each scene pops out of the poem, a new addition to the painting in your mind appears each time. The painting may vary from person to person, but I believe the same sense of awe is present with every mind. The portions cited are just the beginning of these two works; enough to splash your mind with colors and emotions, but later parts are what truly makes them worth reading.
Most people in his place would have turned and given up, but it was his passion for nature that kept him going. In William Wordsworth's story, he wrote about how his sad, depressed mood disappeared when in the presence of the beautiful daffodils. He was so grateful and overjoyed to see them dancing in the wind that he kept that memory close, then thinks back to that day when he feels depressed. Both Wordsworth and Muir have unique relationships towards nature, but it's their shared love for all the beauty that nature has to offer that makes them one in the same with each
Where can happiness be found in the world? John Muir answers this question in his essay “The Calypso Borealis,” and William Wordsworth answers this in his poem “I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud.” They both describe the positive relationship that they have with nature, and how happy nature makes them. But the literary devices they use to express their relationships with nature are slightly different. Both John Muir in "The Calypso Borealis" and William Wordsworth in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" use positive connotations of words and personification to express their relationships with nature, but Muir also uses specific imagery to show how he appreciates nature, whereas Wordsworth uses unique syntax to help show how joyful nature makes him.
Physicist Albert Einstein showed that fulfillment and understanding come from studying nature when he said, “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better” Both William Wordsworth and John Meir show how their relationships with nature have led them to a deeper understanding of their lives and the world around them. In The Calypso Borealis, John Meir discovers a sense of freedom when he discovers the simple but beautiful Calypso Borealis. Whereas Wordsworth finds happiness by holding on to the memory of a beautiful field of daisies in I Wandered Lonely as a cloud. William Wordsworth and John Muir used imagery and diction to express their relationships with nature. Muir uses these literary devices to bring the reader on a journey filled with ups and downs. Wordsworth, on the other hand, uses these literary devices to paint a picture of a scene that lifts his spirit. Both authors use of imagery and diction explain their love of nature and how it has impacted their lives.
Two literary works best conveyed nature in their own manner, one called "The Calypso Borealis," an essay written by John Miller called and a poem written by William Wordsworth's called "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." Both author created work that captures the beauty of nature, while displaying their compassion and emotion for such beauty. They each capture the essence in their own way, one through a poem while the other through an essay , each using a their own descriptive imagery to cultivate the scenery and amazement of the experience. William Wordsworth and John Miller not only through the diction , vocabulary, and syntax, but also through the impact of tone, and mood, and while both authors express their relationship in different ways there
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth, a poem that discloses the relationship between nature and human beings: how nature can affect one’s emotion and behavior with its motion and sound. The words the author adopted in this poem are interconnected and related to each other. They are simple yet profound, letting us understand how much William Wordsworth related his works to nature and the universe. It also explained to us why William Wordsworth is one of the greatest and the most influential English romantic poets in history. As Robert DiYanni says in his book, “with much of Wordsworth’s poetry, this lyric reflects his deep love of nature, his vision of a unified
In each of the readings both authors state essential points about nature, but I would have to say that it is a split decision with whom I agree with. John Muir is passionate about “God has cared for these trees, saved them from a drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand straining, leveling tempests and floods;
Walt Whitman loved to experiment with form when it came to poetry. He used his verses to show his complete adoration of all things wild, and our role as beings in this infinitely complex and thought-provoking universe in which we exist. To say he had a bit of a “nature crush” would be an understatement – Whitman goes in to great detail of his love for the wildness and often describes his emotions in a viscerally sexual manner, using poetic devices to underline his immense feelings for environment and hammer in the imagery to readers of how majestic the world appears to him. “Romantic” poets loved the outdoors – if it wasn’t contained in four walls and a roof, they were all about it. They loved to praise the innate details that made our planet so incredible,
Phrases such as “botanising in glorious freedom [...] wandering through innumerable tamarac and arbor-vitae swamps, and forests [...], rejoicing in their bound wealth and strength and beauty, climbing the trees, revelling in their flowers and fruit [...], glorying in the fresh cool beauty and charm of the bog [...] displayed in boundless profusion”, “rarest and most beautiful”, and “I was able to wander many a long wild fertile mile in the forests and bogs, free as the winds, gathering plants, and glorying in God's abounding inexhaustible spiritual beauty bread”, all show how Muir felt about nature and what nature meant to him. A key phrase that shows Muir’s attitude towards nature states, “Storms, thunderclouds, winds in the woods—were welcomed as friends”. These phrases, as well as the words mentioned above, are extremely positive and show the utmost joy Muir found in his surroundings. The long and detailed descriptions of Muir’s surroundings helps to reinforce his joy in nature. The words that Muir uses to describe nature shows that he is close to nature and feels a connection with it. These positive words also show how absolutely stunning Muir finds nature and how he finds peace and joy in the wild. All of this is also supported by one of Muir’s
Nature has an undefinable meaning as the theme is utilised in literature, and it has been a topic of reflection within the Romanticists since the beginning of the era. Romanticism and nature and inextricably linked ideas. Poets; Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman wrote during the romantic era, and both drew heavily from aspects of nature in their work. Nature can be paralleled against several things, including humanity and the idea of life and death. The contrast between the natural world and the artificial world, and what this means for society, is also strongly eluded to in Dickinson and Whitman’s poems. Each poet uses nature as the backbone to their poetry in several instances. Dickinson’s, “Hope is the Thing with Feathers”, (Dickinson, 19) and “My Life Has Stood A Loaded Gun”, (Dickinson, 69) are strong examples of this. Whitman’s, “Song of Myself”, (Whitman, 29) and, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, (Whitman, 255) are also poems that show the connection between nature and romanticism. Poets, Dickinson and Whitman engage with romanticism in a creative and constructive manner through the utilisation of the natural world.
Wallace Stevens was a very inspired man and mostly influenced through nature, and although his work influenced others, it was somewhat difficult to understand for most young readers. He was a modernist, and he wrote about imagination and reality. “As for his commute (to his office for work), he enjoyed it profoundly. It was his only time out of doors, alone, thinking, receptive to the influx of nature into the senses” (Gordinier). Stevens perfectly describes his sense of nature in his poem “ Looking across the Fields and Watching the Birds Fly”, he descriptively writes “ And what we think, a breathing like the wind,/ A moving part of motion, a discovery,/ Part of discovery, a change part of change,/ A sharing of color and being part of it” (“Best Famous”). This is important because this is where he thought up and created the base of his poems. Harold Bloom, a literary critic of Wallace Stevens stated, “The poems of Our Climate, called him ‘the best and most representative American poet of our time’” (Poetry Foundation, Wallace Stevens 1879-1955). This is suiting for Stevens, for he was awarded and honored as one of the
Robert Frost’s nature poetry occupies a significant place in the poetic arts; however, it is likely Frost’s use of nature is the most misunderstood aspect of his poetry. While nature is always present in Frost’s writing, it is primarily used in a “pastoral sense” (Lynen 1). This makes sense as Frost did consider himself to be a shepherd.
Since the beginning of time, nature has always been there to support and nourish everything that inhabits it. This goes from the plants to the animals that live their everyday lives depending on nature’s support. However nature has been around for so long that we humans have become accustomed to it always being there. This has caused us to take it for granted which is why we never stop to see the deeper meaning and lessons nature has to offer. Nature has many other important values beyond it being just a resource, it is also a teacher of many important life values. Many poets have written about the true beauty of nature and its deeper lessons. One of these poets is the famous Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who became the first American writer to be honored with a bust in the poet’s corner of London’s Westminster Abbey for his amazing poems that inspired life in America. Much of his work have become classic American hero stories such as “Paul Revere’s Ride” but he also touches upon the subject of nature and its values. In his first of three poems entitled “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” he shows how nature is powerful and beautiful compared to us weak humans. In his next poem entitled “The Rainy Day”, Longfellow discusses how life has its good and bad times, but one should always look back to nature to help them conquer their challenges. His final poem named “My Cathedral” shows how nature’s beauty and lessons are the most important thing in the world and should not be
Coleridge frequently explores the relationship and interactions between humanity and nature in his poetry. His poems, particularly his conversation poem “Frost at Midnight”, allows the reader into his internal thoughts between the two groups. Coleridge shows how the thinking of the mind is mirrored in nature and how patterns repeat to reveal universal aspects in poetry, thoughts, and nature.