Thanatopsis William Cullen Bryant was taught a harsh Calvinistic religion, which sets the stage for his views of nature reflected in the poem, “Thanatopsis. Nature speaks through many ways in his poems. He used metaphors to demonstrate melancholy and disintegration. Throughout the poem Thanatopsis, William Cullen Bryant shows a transformation of the earth! In the following line, “To him who in the love of Nature holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks; a various language; for his grayer hours, She has a voice of gladness and a smile....”. Indicates that nature has a peculiar way of speaking, whispering in the day and night with great force and direction.