Wordsworth and malouf
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HOW DO WORDSWORTH AND MALOUF CONVEY THEIR IDEAS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMANITIES RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NATURAL WORLD?
Both William Wordsworth and David Malouf portray this importance through storytelling, and inspirational journeys. This is evident in Malouf's Imaginary Life and the poems 'The Solitary reaper' and 'The Prelude' through the stories of Ovid, and the narrator, from each composition respectively.
In the story Imaginary Life a journey creating change is exposed via the use of the narrator, being exiled from the city of Rome, and the development of the Character Ovid. Through the character being removed from his normal environment, Rome, he is placed in a town, Tomis, which is classified as the 'wild' to him, due to the lack of knowledge and also the communication barriers that are faced.
Using techniques such as vivid detail, metaphor and first person language, Malouf is able to create a personal story that generates feeling for the characters within the novel. Using this connection between characters and responders, he is able to demonstrate a life changing experience through the exiled character learning from his mistake, and punishment which all allow him to become in touch with his psyche, and also become whole with nature.
Malouf creates the need for nature to be in every human's life by showing how natural experience can allow growth of a person, and mental development. He does this by telling the story of Ovid and the 'wild boy', and the journey that they go through starting as a physical journey and escape from Tomis, this journey then transforms into a spiritual journey for Ovid and allows him to realise that being civilised and older, does not show that his life has been fulfilled, and that his childhood is something to be cherished, and constantly remembered, This is shown in the quote "I am 3 years old, I am 60". This quote was at the end of the journey that Ovid takes with the Wild Boy, through the natural and inspiring environment, which had allowed him time to reminisce and think of his past
Similarly, in Wordsworth's poems, the use of physical journey transcends to allowing his narrator to travel the vales, row the boat, experience the hike, only to enjoy the freedom to think and foresee his plans, without any other polluting input to thought...