Optional Blog Post

Wordsworth attempts to capture the importance of nature to daily life in Book 1. Within the first 30 or so lines Wordsworth speaks of nature in a way that allows the reader to understand the spirituality that can be grasped from the subtle things in nature. He begins by providing examples of these natural subtleties he is enjoying, explaining how it feels to be back in touch with nature instead of being caught in the hustle and bustle of civilization. While he doesn’t seem to be condemning city-life, he makes it clear that it cannot provide the same insightful teachings that nature can when more one on one with it. “escaped From the vast city, where I long had pined A discontented sojourner: now free” summarizes his relief to be away from the city and the freedom that can be felt from enjoying the outdoors and all that it provides. This idea of being free takes him through the next few lines of the poem in which he essentially explains that the world is his, and is asking where he will decide to live by wondering which piece of nature can coax him into settling there or what will point him in the direction he decides to go; a clear stream, wandering cloud, trackless field, something floating in the river, are some of the ways he predicts nature may show him the way. Wordsworth submits to us that this way of living is a great way to free oneself from responsibility and really unlock creativity and optimism that can be locked away by life. He understands this and recognizes his ability to grab this by the horns and take full advantage of the creative potential that is being provided. It is interesting to look at things through this epistemology that Wordsworth provides. How this relationship between man and nature can create such harmony and evoke such a spiritual response that can provide creativity and passion never felt before. Being bogged down by the daily grind of life can really take away a person’s ability to appreciate the subtleties of nature than can provide these uplifting feelings. Within the first few lines he mentions a breeze, once as a gentle breeze then as a soft breeze; this becomes a great example of something that can be very enjoyable when allowed the time to relish it. This lesson of nature and appreciating the subtleties of it is a great lesson that Wordsworth seems to be providing to readers in this book. Starting the beginning like he does then going on to provide examples and anecdotes from his life that show learning experiences of morality from nature.