In their article entitled “Me”, Andrew Bennett and Nicholas Royale assert that “literature, like art in general, has always been concerned with aspects of this which can be called the…” not me or another” (Bennett 129-130). Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his Confessions and William Wordsworth in his two-part Prelude expose this issue of humanity's isolation as it relates to the attainment of a more natural state of existence. Although both Rousseau and Wordsworth analyze moments of isolation from what can be considered social normality, each author approaches this isolation differently in their attempt to better embody the natural man. Wordsworth seems to focus primarily on the internal, socially independent dynamics of his psyche, while Rousseau seeks a more natural state of being by analyzing his interactions with others. Rousseau, through the disarmingly candid tone of this work, expresses an exclusively mental isolation, while Wordsworth employs a more veiled and metaphorical strategy to achieve both mental and physical withdrawal from modern conventions. Ultimately, the constant influence of society in Rousseau's Confessions hinders his ability to achieve an effective return to nature, while Wordsworth's ability to completely isolate himself from modern influences leads to a more complete progression towards the natural state of man. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Even in the opening lines of Wordsworth's work, it is evident that the author places greater value on the clarity of thought found in nature than on the complications of human experience. He claims that a stream near his birthplace has the capacity to "...temper/Our human error", and that it "composed [his] thoughts/To more than an infantile sweetness, [him]/Among the restless dwellings of humanity/ A knowledge, a vague seriousness, calm/ What nature breathes among the fields and groves? (Wordsworth ln 9-15). The quote seems to refer to nature as a balancing force in human existence that causes mortal trivialities to become less significant. It can also be said that he makes heavy criticisms of his societal environment by contrasting his pure and calm communication with nature with the turbulent complications of interaction with humanity. Through his critique of humanity and his willful extraction from humanity, Wordsworth is able to achieve a pre-infantile state of mind which not only allows him to transcend the most simplistic human thinking, but which results in reality to a minimalist thought process never before achieved by man. is further illustrated through his personification of Nature in the following lines. By asserting that nature infuses knowledge and calm into the setting described, Wordsworth is implying that nature is an entity or being to interact with and that, because he is able to understand its message, he has progressed to become a natural man. Because Wordsworth was able to grasp this unique form of innate knowledge, he isolated himself sufficiently from the worldly distractions of humanity to communicate deeply with nature. The author further acknowledges his early embrace of nature when he asks: "Was it for this that I, a child of four, / A naked boy, among your silent pools, / Took a long bath on a summer day...? (Wordsworth ln 17-19). Adding to the sentiments of the previous quote, Wordsworth further acknowledges his innocence by detailing his nudity, but also focuses on the loneliness heconstantly found in nature describing pools as silent. Wordsworth seems to seek this independence from human interaction solely for the sake of being able to communicate more fully with Nature, even before he can make a conscious effort to do so. Unlike Wordsworth's genuine appreciation for Nature at the beginning of the Two-Part Prelude, Rousseau is challenged to define the meaning of the emotions he experiences from an early age. From the first pages of Confessions, Rousseau recalls: “I had feelings before having thoughts: this is the common lot of humanity… I have no idea what I was doing before the age of five or six years… I still had no idea about things, but I already knew all the feelings. I had not designed anything; I had felt everything” (Rousseau 8). It is evident at this point in Rousseau's work that, unlike Wordsworth, the author views himself as the rest of humanity in terms of mental capacity. While Wordsworth describes himself as being in contact with nature at the age of four, Rousseau claims that he has no memory of such an experience at such a young age. Although Rousseau's ability to maintain an emotional connection with his surroundings is vaguely seen at this point. , he focuses more on deepening his personal relationships rather than exploring this intuitive connection with nature more deeply. Rousseau goes on to describe himself as “…by birth a citizen of the republic and the son of a father whose love for his country was his greatest passion,” and that he was “…ignited by his example” (Rousseau 8) . At this stage of the work, the author feels part of a purely societal entity. He defined himself from his birth in terms of nationality and family ties, which consequently led him to devote his young life to emulating his father. The social orientation of Rousseau's early recollections firmly juxtaposes that of Wordsworth in that the latter already realizes the deeper benefit that results from this supernatural connection with the natural. Rousseau therefore seems to begin his Confessions as less mentally transcendental than Wordsworth in that the social manner in which he defines himself obscures his ability to achieve the isolation from humanity that is necessary to return to a state of nature. As Wordsworth continues to progress through the first part of his work, he deepens his description of humanity's isolation in terms of both a unique connection with nature and a willful rejection of social pleasures. Detailing this deep attachment to nature, he states that it often happens that I withdraw from the tumult/Into a silent bay, or sportily/I look aside, Leaving the tumultuous crowd,/To cross the shadow of a star/That shone on the ice/…and I stood and looked/until everything was still like a summer sea. (Wordsworth ln 170-184) This passage, in addition to showing Wordsworth's abandonment of what he sees as the intrusive and crazy atmosphere of social life, also illustrates the lack of resentment or loneliness he experiences as a result of this isolation. By using the word "sportingly," Wordsworth indicates that, although he casts a fleeting glance at the social interaction he leaves behind, he does so more in a joking manner than out of genuine interest. He seems to give only slight recognition to the actions of the rest of humanity and prefers instead to be concerned with the sublime experience of observing how the elements of nature interact with one another. Instead of lingering in a situation he considers purely chaotic, Wordsworth retreats to a safe distance in the company of an environment he seems better off with.even to interpret, observing the interactions of humanity until they resemble a condition of Nature: the tranquility of a summer sea. . At this point in the poem, it seems that Wordsworth has achieved such a complete mental and physical separation from humanity that he must define the actions of others in terms of natural phenomena. Unlike Wordsworth's successful withdrawal from humanity described in his poem, Rousseau's work seems to go no further than reflection on the potential consequences of completely abandoning social constraints. Even though Rousseau considers the return to nature crucial to his existence, he cannot separate his personal aspirations from the judgments of others. At a crucial moment of mental isolation and awareness of his difference from those with whom he interacts, Rousseau states: "I could not imagine anything greater and more beautiful than to be free and virtuous, at the "above the reach of fortune and the good or bad opinion of men..." Although a feeling of false shame and a fear of ridicule initially prevented me from living in accordance with these principles... From From that moment, I was resolute on my line of action and I only delayed putting it into practice for as long as necessary. various opposites oppose it and thus ensure its triumph. (Rousseau 346-347) Although it is evident in this passage that Rousseau seeks a connection with nature that is exclusive of the pressures of public opinion, his mental state is still somewhat tied to social obligation. In fact, he explicitly states that the reason he has delayed this conversion to his new natural perspective is that he considers it important that others oppose it first. Because Rousseau continues to view the care of others as more important than his search for a return to nature, it is evident that humanity's lack of isolation hinders its progression toward the natural state that it he seeks to achieve. Rousseau's perspective differs from that of Wordsworth in that the latter is able to accept and embrace the fact that humanity progresses without him, while Rousseau is only able to vaguely glimpse the benefits of a natural state without succeeding in abandoning its former existence. Not only is Wordsworth not afraid of the ridicule that might follow his intentional distancing from social interactions, he goes so far as to playfully acknowledge his isolation. Rousseau, however, views this same prospect as terrifying and debilitating. Although Confessions continues to focus on Rousseau's difficulty ignoring the opinions of others, the author later attempts simultaneous physical and mental isolation by settling on the island of Saint-Pierre. Upon his arrival, Rousseau states that he "... would have liked to be so confined on [his] island that [he] no longer needed to trade with mortals, and [he] certainly took every measure imaginable to me relieve from the necessity of maintaining any” (Rousseau 625). A few pages later, however, he reveals that he managed to convince Thérèse to live with him at the steward's house. Despite initially claiming that he has no use for any human interaction and has accepted his complete isolation from the modern world, his later transport of his long-time lover belies the fact that he is always hampered by his desire to belong. At the end of Wordsworth's poem, however, the author fully embraces his isolation, declaring: If in my youth I had a pure heart/If, mingling with the world, I was content/with my modest pleasures and lived / with God and Nature/ of small enmities and base desires,/ The gift is yours! (Wordsworth ln 473-478) This quote shows that Wordsworth, although he attempted to understand the reasoning behind social formalities as they were.