Calypso Borealis By Muir And I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

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

with nature by using diction and impressive imagery, allowing us to fill our minds with colors, experiences, and emotions so that we could easily capture the tone and mood of each story finally to reach the sense of awe for nature.

John Muir uses both diction and imagery to help us understand his strong relationship with nature.

He mastered the use of negative and positive words to convey his feelings, his challenges and finally his joy. For example, this excerpt tells how he considers nature and his admiration for the flower: “The flower was white and made the impression of the utmost simple purity like a snow flower. No other bloom was near it, for the bog a short distance below the surface was still frozen, and the water was ice cold. It seemed the most spiritual of all the flower people I had ever met. I sat down beside it and fairly cried for joy.” Muir’s diction was graceful and positive after he found Calypso; he used words with positive connotation "purity" "spiritual" expressing his long-lasting relationship with nature creating an inspirational tone and pleasant and positive mood. Equally, Muir uses imagery when he says, “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.” This is a perfect imagery and we clearly understand how Muir felt after discovering

Calypso.

In contrast, William Wordsworth use of diction and imagery also express his admiration and strong relationship with nature but with the difference that he uses a more respectful, formal and reverent tone to express his affection for the daffodils.

Wordsworth uses figurative language when he says, “I wandered lonely as a cloud “ He started with a nostalgic diction used the word “lonely” with a negative connotation of being alone, “cloud” floating by himself. Then he shifted to joyful diction as he notices a field of daffodils, “ When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils;” Wordsworth is able to get out of his somber mood when he saw "golden daffodils," because he appreciates the beauty in nature . Equally, he illustrates in detail images of the daffodils, “And twinkle on the milky way,” “Fluttering and dancing in the breeze” , "Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in a sprightly dance." William Wordsworth is saying that the field full of flowers looks more like a sky filled with starts , when he writes that they were “tossing their heads “gives us the feeling of people dancing at a party . As a result, I can imagine the daffodils blowing in the wind, he helped me to create and impressive image of the daffodils; this is so far my favorite imagery of his

poem.

Clearly, John Muir and William Wordsworth love nature endlessly. Above all, both pieces of literature are amazingly written and use imagery and diction to captivate our attention connecting visually and mentally with their feelings and their relationship with nature. The fact that they overcome depression, sadness, discouragement with the view of flowers makes both remarkable men because of their meaningful connection with nature. Through their work they touched my heart and let me understand that life is simple, beautiful and it is available to everyone. I challenge you to read John Muir and William Wordsworth’s work, they will change the way you think, while you understand that nature has the ability to change someone’s life.