Similarities Between John Muir And I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

Vincent Van Gogh said, “I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?” The naturalist, John Muir, and the romanticist, William Wordsworth, also have expressed the power of nature in their writings. Even though each of them uses different methods in their writings, they still convey the power of nature to readers successfully. While Muir gains energy from observing the Calypso Borealis as a naturalist, Wordsworth beautifully illustrates his emotional relationship with nature in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." Through their use of similes as well as personification, they convey how the strong power of nature has affected their lives to readers.

John Muir mainly focuses on his experiences and how they connect with nature. He loves nature so much that he lists every element in the forest when he starts his adventure:

... wandering through innumerable tamarac and arborvitae swamps, and forests of maple, basswood, ash, elm, balsam, fir, pine, spruce, hemlock, rejoicing in their bound wealth and strength and beauty, climbing the trees,

And also he shows his admiration for nature by listing the plants he encountered. In addition, the word choices also help him depict the dangerous scenes when he goes in the forest. He finds out the challenge, “struggling through tangled drooping branches and over and under broad heaps of fallen trees.” By using “struggling,” “drooping,” he shows his fear at being trapped in a dangerous swamp overnight. He describes how dangerous the swamp is, which also shows his dread and challenge with the natural environment. Besides these devices, he writes the opposite views,“Hunger and weariness vanished, and only after the sun was low in the west I splashed on through the swamp, strong and exhilarated as if never more to feel any mortal care,” which shows the power of Calypso becomes stronger for