A Sense of Honesty and Reality in Poetry

            Wallace Stevens attempts to write in an emotionless and literal point of view in his poem "The Snowman", whereas William Wordsworth's poem "I wandered lonely as a cloud" displays quite the opposite, with countless metaphors and exaggerations of the reality. But which poem exhibits a more honest appreciation of nature? I cannot identify either poem for a definitive answer to this question for they both contain some aspects of dishonesty. On a spectrum of the level of reality, these poems display the two extremes. A balance of the two styles of poetry would be ideal. What is an honest approach to nature, compared to a scientific approach? My definition of an honest appreciation is caused by the mental turmoil I face when contemplating each poem's honest appreciation of nature.
             Appreciation can be plainly defined as the recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone of something. In "I wandered lonely as a cloud" there is an abundance of appreciation of nature when William Wordsworth writes, "I gazed--and gazed--but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought" (17-18). Honesty can be translated to a lack of deceit and untruthfulness or sincerity. When Wordsworth writes, "my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils" (23-24), I can sense his honesty and empathize with the sheer amount of appreciation he holds in his heart for the scene of nature he is describing. Wallace Stevens, on the contrary, writes with absolutely no emotion, describing the scene very plainly, as if his words hold no meaning to him. Such style of writing is apparent when he writes, "Full of the same wind That is blowing in the same bare place" (11-12). The extent of analysis, allowed me to realize appreciation is closely tied to emotions. Emotions are honest and are what allow human beings to appreciate their surroundings.