Comment on the way the relationship between individuals and the natural world is presented in Before the Sun by Charles Mungoshi and She dwelt among the untrodden ways by William Wordsworth.

In Before the Sun and She dwelt among the untrodden ways, a commune relationship between nature and the individuals are presented. The 2 poets differ in their approach in showing the reader their relationships, utilizing different imagery, structural techniques and word choice.

The relationship between Lucy and nature in She dwelt among the untrodden ways is one of mutual authority; neither is the inferior. Lucy is presented as an equal to nature, as William Wordsworth refers to her as ‘fair as a star’. However, in Before The Sun, Charles Mungoshi clearly shows the superiority of the sun over the boy, which can be seen in the play of words in the title and word choice. ‘Before the Sun’ could mean that the boy is being brought ‘before the sun’, as if the sun is judging him. Another idea which shows that the sun is superior is how it is being served by the boy, ‘And when the sun finally shows up…I have got two cobs of maize ready for it’. The two different associations each show us similarities and differences in the relationships; although they are both different/equal in authority, they both are closely attached to each other.

The attachment between the individual and nature is further emphasized by how both have no physical friends. In Wordsworth’s poem, Lucy is shown to be living in isolation, as suggested by the title or how ‘She lived unknown, and few could know when Lucy ceased to be’ and in Mungoshi’s poem, there is no mention of any physical friends. Both poets utilize their isolations to highlight the closeness between them and nature, by making their only companions nature. We can see this especially in Before the Sun, where the boy personifies the sun, giving it human qualities representing it as a close...