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,

revelling in their flowers ...
His description of nature shows how do naturalists observe nature and study connections between natural elements.

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

him. 
Different from naturalists, in virtue of the poem, Wordsworth painted beautiful pictures to readers by writing techniques. Every daffodil in his hands likes a butterfly, fluttering its wings as if daffodils don’t have connections with each other. However, Wordsworth further found out that daffodils are in an integration- their fluttering in the wind is a collective dance, which is also graceful and harmonious. It is the harmonious relationship of daffodils that braces him up again. It is the integrity of daffodils that inspired him with ambition unconsciously. Compare to the lovely natural, Wordsworth “wandered lonely as a cloud” without an object just likes a cloud that doesn’t have a distinct shape. The long lake embankment likes a “Milky Way,” which can show his limitless melancholy. Luckily, he saw resplendent daffodils shining as thousands of stars in the Milky Way. Daffodils danced much livelier when the wind blows ripples layer upon layer on the surface of the lake. He is impressed and his heart is filled with energy by the spirit of daffodils.
Overall, both of authors write their personal experience to show the power of the nature and their enjoyments toward to the nature. People always say, “nature is the best medicine,” which both of the authors can prove it by themselves. While naturalists like observing the elements in the nature, romanticists depict beautiful nature as an optimistic symbol for human life; nature becomes a safe place for human beings to explore their spiritual foundations. Different people have different feeling about the nature, why not experience the nature by yourself at free time? There must be many harvests after you feel it.