Discuss the different relationships between man and nature in Cormac McCarthy’s ‘All the Pretty Horses’ and in a selection on poems by William Wor...

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In ‘All the Pretty Horses’ Luis states ‘among men there was no such communion as among horses and the notion that men can be understood at all was probably an illusion’, by this he means the relationship man has with nature is totally unique, it is sacred; the relationship between men is a misapprehension. In some respects the reader may agree with the statement because it is true, man’s relationship with animals and nature is fairly simple compared to man’s relationship amongst each other which is far more complex due to conflict of opinion and other complications. John Grady Cole’s relationship with Alejandra faced much turmoil and complication, one of the biggest issues they faced was the fact Alejandra’s family condemned their relationship and forbid her to be with him. To a certain extent John’s romance with Alejandra mirrors Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in respects to their forbidden love, however their story does not end in tragedy. Wordsworth shows nature to be more of a companion for man in ‘The Solitary Reaper’. The woman reaps the crops alone in the field singing with a voice so ‘thrilling’ it resonates ‘Long after it was heard no more’. Although she is lonely, she is wholly reliant upon the sustenance she receives and the relationship she has with nature. The poet proceeds to compare her to the Cuckoo and the Nightingale stating ‘No Nightingale did ever chaunt more welcome notes to weary bands’ being compared to birds with such beautiful song surely displays her oneness with nature. Unlike the ‘maiden’ Victor tries to control and dominate nature, this resentment could stem from the fact his mother died of the fever, making him go to extreme lengths in constructing this figure from different body parts to create a cre...

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...s as the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way’ painting a very vivid image in the readers mind, the poet find joy and comfort in nature, he explains ‘And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.’ Mary Shelly in ‘Frankenstein’ illustrates the relationship between man and nature through the character Dr Victor Frankenstein. Mary Shelly explores man’s endeavours to dominate nature and has concluded through the actions of Victor that nature is irrepressible and spontaneous and man should not try to control something which is not theirs to control. Instead man should work in coherence with nature, both giving equal respect. Overall, McCarthy, Wordsworth and Shelly all display the importance and prominence of nature to mankind, which we should work alongside nature to improve our quality of life and minimize the negative impact on nature.

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