Compare And Contrast John Muir's Relationship With Nature

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How John Muir and William Wordsworth Express Their Relationships with Nature

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.

In his essay Calypso Borealis, John Muir mainly uses diction while using some examples of imagery to express his relationship with nature. When describing his journey to find the Calypso Borealis Muir writes, “…holding a general though very crooked course… struggling through tangled drooping branches and over and under broad heaps of fallen trees.” Using specific descriptions of his surroundings helps the reader …show more content…

They have also proved the quote by Hans Christian Anderson to be correct by showing that nature does have a huge impact on one’s happiness and mood. Muir and Wordsworth both show that the power of nature is enough to completely change a person’s day or even their life. When Wordsworth was feeling down and lonely, seeing the daffodils brightened up his day and their memory stuck with him for years. In addition, when Muir was terrified and tired on his journey to find the Calypso Borealis his feelings and confidence completely changed when he discovered it; he still considers “meeting” the flower to be one if his greatest experiences. All things considered, whenever someone is feeling distressed, gloomy, or even mournful, a little bit of nature could be just enough to cheer them

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