Naturalism and Romanticism: The Philosophies of Nature The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates once said, “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature” (brainyquote.com). Over two thousand years later, this same sentiment can be found in John Muir’s “The Calypso Borealis” and William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” In these two works, Muir and Wordsworth express their complete awe and wonderment of nature and how nature can inspire man in a spiritual way. The authors, however, come from two distinct philosophical movements, and thus convey their message to the reader using different, although sometimes overlapping, points of view.
In The Calypso Borealis, John Muir expresses his relationship with nature using a Naturalistic viewpoint. First, Naturalists, like scientists, describe what they see without making any moral judgments (literarydevices.net). John Muir uses
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For example, he writes that he wandered “through innumerable tamarac and arbor-vitae swamps, and forests of maple, basswood, ash, elm, balsam, fir, pine, spruce, [and] hemlock” and that he struggled “through tangled drooping branches and over and under broad heaps of fallen trees.” These passages are objective and descriptive, similar to how scientists write. Second, Naturalists believe that humans are almost like pawns in the universe, that that they struggle for survival in a hostile society reminiscent of Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” theory. “I began to fear that I would not be able to reach dry ground before dark, and…have to pass the night in the swamp,” Muir writes, and adds that he “began, faint and hungry, to plan a nest of branches on one of the largest trees or windfalls like a monkey’s nest.” While Muir doesn’t outright say that his situation is dire, through his
In Emerson’s “Nature” nature is referred to as “plantations of god” meaning that nature is sacred. Also mentioned, is that “In the woods is perpetual youth”(#) conveying that nature keeps people young. Therefore, these excerpts show that nature is greatly valued by these transcendentalists. Transcendentalists would likely care significantly about the environment. In contrast, nowadays nature is often and afterthought. Natures’ resources are being depleted for human use, and the beauty of nature is also not as appreciated by modern people as it was by transcendentalists. The threat to nature in modern times contrasts to the great appreciation of nature held by authors like Emerson and
Gray, Jessica H. . "Creating Nature." English 610- British Romanticism. Professor J. Jennifer Jones, 25 10 2005. Web. 12 Mar 2010. .
John Muir has a very interesting take on the natural world and how we should live with regard to it. In "A Windstorm in The Forests" he uses immense imagery for the trees and the cliff sides. Muir wants you to visualize what he sees and hears. The way he describes the colors of the trees and how they bow and bend in the wind gives you a vivid image in your mind. Harmonious sounds of the leaves in the wind, gives us a faint whispering in our ear of the song he hears. This essay in particular blew me away.
The purpose of this paper is to inform you about John Muir and his effect on America's national forests. He was a Scottish American and was born in Dunbar, UK on April 21, 1838. He arrived in the U.S in 1868 when he was 30 years of age. John Muir was one of the most influential naturalists in the world. If it wasn't for John Muir we probably would not have the national park known as Yosemite. Some of his goals in the U.S. were the preservations of the national forests. He was an environmental philosopher and did well for the U.S. national parks. John Muir founded the Sierra Club, an American organization and the 211-mile trail called the Sierra Nevada was named in his honor.(John Muir, wikipedia)
Have you noticed that we feel a powerful desire to connect with nature during difficult times? Whether we are injured, depressed or sad our inclination towards nature increases. Patients in hospitals recover faster if they are in a room with a nice view. Why? Because nature is so pure and powerful that can restore our spirits and heal our bodies and minds. The beauty of nature has been praised in art, poetry, writings and films. Naturalists, poets and writers have documented the many benefits of spending time in nature. "Calypso Borealis" by Muir and "I wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by Wordsworth are two great pieces of literature where our hearts are filled with an indescribable emotion. John Muir and William Wordsworth express their relationship
Muir’s wilderness is rooted in the idea of an aesthetically pleasing natural scape given they fit into certain criteria such as, “ none of Nature’s landscape’s are ugly so long as they are wild” (Muir). The attachment of this emphasis on an aesthetically pleasing landscape was partial truth, which drove people out the national parks. While these places where indeed wild and beautiful, Muir sold the masses on this idea of all nature being pristine and pure, when in reality that was not the
When thinking about nature, Hans Christian Andersen wrote, “Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” John Muir and William Wordsworth both expressed through their writings that nature brought them great joy and satisfaction, as it did Andersen. Each author’s text conveyed very similar messages and represented similar experiences but, the writing style and wording used were significantly different. Wordsworth and Muir express their positive and emotional relationships with nature using diction and imagery.
Nature can keep its blissful purity untroubled in the moment, not convicted by what all society has brought into this world. Furthermore, many find nature as their safe place, the one place they can go too, and no one can interfere with their happiness. John Muir and William Wordsworth noticed the peaceful nature brought to their soul when traveling on their journey. Do not let your hands be weak, for you shall be rewarded.” – 2 Chronicles 15:7 John Muir and William Wordsworth both faced challenges to get to where they were going.
John Muir has a very strong relationship with nature as said in his story named The Calypso Borealis. John Muir states in the fifth paragraph that he does not know how long he spent next the flower.In the second
From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.
" These two both show a positive relationship for nature through their use of metaphors and diction. William Wordsworth and John Muir used metaphors to create a tone and mood
Nature is a beautiful thing. No matter where a person is or where they go, nature is all around them. In all parts of nature a lesson is given to expand the knowledge and growth as a person. The texts Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant, Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow are examples of this. The three authors talk about how nature makes a person become more self-aware, and in these texts the authors explore the beauty of nature, but the effect on the person from learning from nature differs throughout each.
The Influence of Nature as Seen Through the Lens of Poetry Across literature, common themes, ideals, and messages are portrayed. With the perspective of time, one can often look back and observe periods where such commonalities occurred. One such period is now understood by historians and scholars as the Romantic period, a time during the nineteenth century in which stress was put upon things such as nature, faith, self-discovery, and the arts. More specifically, stress was put on the importance of one’s personal experience and relationship with nature, examining how such a connection affects the manner in which one lives one’s life. From such examinations, many artists at the time found that nature had the potential to have a profound influence
Nature inspires Wordsworth poetically. Nature gives a landscape of seclusion that implies a deepening of the mood of seclusion in Wordsworth's mind.
Through the poems of Blake and Wordsworth, the meaning of nature expands far beyond the earlier century's definition of nature. "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." The passion and imagination portrayal manifest this period unquestionably, as the Romantic Era. Nature is a place of solace where the imagination is free to roam. Wordsworth contrasts the material world to the innocent beauty of nature that is easily forgotten, or overlooked due to our insensitivities by our complete devotion to the trivial world. “But yet I know, where’er I go, that there hath passed away a glory from the earth.