Compare And Contrast Muir And Wordsworth

“There is no Wi-Fi in the Forest but you will find a better connection” For certain, if these two iconic naturalists John Muir or William Wordsworth were here today they would agree with this modern quote. In regard to Muir he was a courageous transient and his heart led him to unfrequented swamps and forests where he climatically found the love of his life…she was a flower titled “Calypso Borealis.” On the other hand, Wordsworth a very passionate poet, who once on a stroll for a breath of fresh air came upon the arresting sight of thousands of daffodils. Interestingly, the discoveries left each with an indelible impression that stayed with them for decades. In reality, most people reflect on human encounters.

  Obviously, The written works “Calypso Borealis,” and “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, by authors John Muir, and William

Wordsworth presents a kindred connection with the natural world, and in their own unique fashion each portrays a preference for individualism rather than any one individual. In Particular John Muir is the epitome of the term, “Outdoor Enthusiast.” To illustrate Muir relates in his essay that he was departing “on the first of my long lonely excursions, botanising in glorious freedom around the Great Lakes.” To be sure, when reading the essay Muir expresses his relationship with nature along with every detailed description he gives of his surroundings such as this excerpt, “rejoicing in their bound wealth and strength and beauty, climbing the trees revelling in their flowers and fruit like bees in beds of goldenrods, glorying in the fresh, cool beauty and charm of the bog and meadow heathworts, grasses, carices, ferns, mosses, liverworts displayed in boundless profusion.” Clearly, the reader senses his fascination and elation with every aspect of nature.

Eventually, on this particular jaunt Muir totally secures his title as a true naturalist when he recounts his

encounter with a rare flower and divulges this fact, “it was more memorable and impressive than any of my meetings with human beings excepting, perhaps, Emerson and one or two others.” Moreover, Muir goes on to impart that he would wander for days lacking proper sleep and little sustenance. Here is text from his essay stating that fact, “How long I sat beside Calypso I don't know. 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.” In sum, his desire for human contact and that of his own safety and comfort was of little importance and only needed for brief interludes to secure a loaf of bread or a snack. In truth, his bond with nature took precedence over encounters with people.
Comparatively, Wordsworth, a poet also shows similar passion with his natural surroundings, but interacts in a tamer fashion.

To enumerate, when on a stroll, Wordsworth puts forth his confrontation with a horde of daffodils in a more eloquent fashion such as this stanza,
Continuous as the stars that

shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in a sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
Interestingly, the poet correlates the celestial world and rivals the sea against the daffodils, his recital  imparts his vision so clearly one can conceptualize the scene. Equally important, in this poem Wordsworth reveals that at the time he did not comprehend the significance of this encounter until later in his life when in solitary reflection and in the last stanza  concedes: 
 For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
On the whole, and significant to note the poet establishes a peculiarity about his person from the start to the finish of his poem, when he quotes that he is “Lonely as a cloud” and at the close of the last stanza he divulges he is content with “The bliss of solitude”  Both are a reference to isolation. Furthermore, Wordsworth’s reminisces about his relationships with nature as one might the birth of a child or a marriage.

    In the final analysis, Muir the fearless botanist  and Wordsworth a romantic dramatist left their own impact with the world in vivid written form. Therefore, allowing readers to visualize the world through their eyes. As a result the take away is that each author in their own exclusive style communicated that the force of nature to them was internal in that it affected their heart and soul. Conversely, while most people appreciate and wonder at the beauty of nature, their emotional attachments are with other humans. In brief, Muir and Wordsworth lived seemingly solitary lives, yet they quenched their devotion for every blossom great and small, and their hope was that in this life the lesson is; whether people or plants do not take occasions for granted at all.