Nature’s Advocates
Relationships with the natural world tend to dwindle as humans grow older resulting in disconnect. This relationship between humans and nature seems like it should be instinctive. When working on artwork and poetry, I focus on the political disconnect that humans have with the natural world. Turtle Mountain by Gary Snyder, The Rain in the Trees by W.S. Merwin, and Strike/ Slip by Don McKay also discuss the relationship between humans and nature, conveying the ever growing disconnect that humans have with the natural world. These poets express this disconnect through their personal connections. While Snyder has a spiritual and down to earth connection with the natural world and Merwin has an airy and non-physical connection,
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McKay has a more practical and detailed relationship with nature. Despite their different approaches, all three poets value the natural world. In Gary Snyder’s Turtle Mountain, the speaker conveys a strong personal connection with the natural world through spirituality.
Snyder’s spirituality through Zen Buddhism explores the connection with humans and nature. In “Prayer for the Great Family Snyder’s spiritual connection with nature is evident. The speaker states that he has “Gratitude to Mother Earth, sailing through the night and day-- / and to her soil: rich, rare, and sweet” (1-2). (24). He also states that the “dance is flowing spiral grain. (1-2, 6).” This sentence suggests that the spiritual connection with nature is through the grain and soil. A common connection that humans have with the Earth is food. These lines illustrate that core connection and are especially apparent in …show more content…
Zen. As the speaker continues to talk about the gratitude that he has towards the Earth, it is apparent that the poem is a prayer. As if a response to a spiritual prayer, the speaker says “in our minds so be it” (3). In “Tomorrow’s Song,” Snyder’s spirituality is again revealed. The speaker says that “[the people] never gave the mountains and rivers, / trees and animals, / a vote (3-5)” These lines reveal that animals are viewed by Buddhists as being interconnected with the humans and should be seen as equals. The speaker states, “all the people turn away from [acknowledging the animals and land which results in] / myths [dying], [and] even continents are impermanent” (6-7). Spirituality appears again in “Anasazi.” In this poem, the speaker talks about the ancestors of the lost pueblo people. The spirituality is not that of Buddhism, rather that of Native Americans. The speaker states that the Anasazi grow “strict fields of corn and beans” (4). Agricultural fertility was a huge part of the Anasazi culture and the Anasazi used buildings called kivas that were “deeper in earth / up to [a persons] hips in Gods” meaning that the ceremonial buildings could only be reached by ascending a ladder in the ground. The speaker states that their “head all turned to eagle- down / and lightning for knees and elbow” revealing the spiritual gods called the Kachina cult that brought rain (7-8). While Snyder practices Zen Buddhism, he also has some connection with Native American culture. Like Snyder, Merwin also has a personal relationship with the natural world through Zen Buddhism, however he does not directly mention it. His Zen Buddhism shows a perspective that is based on Zen. In “Place” Merwin’s speaker discusses how he wants to “plant a tree / [but] not for the fruit (2-4).” He wants “the tree that stands / in the earth for the first time” suggesting that while there are trees that are old enough to bear fruit, he would like to plant a tree that is young and cannot give fruit (7-8). While it seems like Merwin would focus on the tree with fruit because of human’s connection with food, he wants to have an intimate connection with the earth. This intimacy can be achieved by planting a tree that has never touched the earth’s crust. Merwin’s spiritual connection is conveyed again in “Walking into the Rain.” While planting a tree is a literal action that Merwin would like to do, “Walking into the Rain” relies on the senses rather than physical touch.
This poem expresses the connection that Merwin has with nature because of “what [he] had heard / at last” (1-2.) He had heard “the wind in December / lashing the old trees with rain / [and] unseen rain racing along the tiles” (2-4). The sound that the rain and wind makes suggests that Merwin is part of the natural elements which lets hum conjure a story about what has happened to the ‘ohias, koas, sandalwood “and the halas” (18). Despite the story stating that “the sacred [plants were] cut, the “trees [and plants] have risen one more time / and the night wind makes them sound / like the sea that is yet unknown” (18, 22-24). Merwin also says that these plants (which are native to Hawaii) are sacred. This indicates that he has a connection with nature despite not having distinct commentary on his
spirituality. “Coming to the Morning” is similar to “Walking into the Rain” because they both discuss Merwin’s relationship with nature through senses. The speaker states that “[he remembers] all the elements / [like the] sea remembering all of its waves” (2). Merwin seems to be saying that he is bound to earth’s elements. The speaker continues with “in each of the waves there was always a sky made of water / and an eye that looked once” (3-4). These two lines reinforce Merwin’s relationship because he [he has] a blood kinship with rain” (60). Again, the idea that Merwin is connected appears when the speaker says “and our ears / are formed of the sea as we listen” (11-12). Unlike Snyder and Merwin, McKay does not have a spiritual connection with the earth. Rather than have a relationship with nature through spirituality, he focuses on the more practical and detailed aspects of nature and humans: geology and machinery. “Loss Creek” illustrates McKay’s geological connection with the earth. The speaker of the poem states that, “he went there to hear the rapids curl around / the big basaltic boulders” and for them to lick “the schists / into flat skippable discs” (10-13). Even though McKay does not have a spiritual connection, he is implying that he was physically interacting with the waterfall. Later in the poem it states that he went there to “finger the strike/ slip / fissure between rock and stone” (16-17). This shows that he was touching the splitting between rock and “recognizing the sweet / perils rushing in the creek crawling / through the rock” (19-21). In “Waiting for Shay,” the speaker discusses machinery and ponders over the resulting forest, asking “Does the forest simply go on making moss / and rot and whispering translations of translations” (25-26). He states that the machinery that “is coming […] give(s) a glimpse / of a massive body” (9-11). The speaker asks if the forest “[whispers] translations, rain / into leaf into berry into bear as Shay / slides by on the tide (26-28). In part II, McKay’s agent states that “Shay is (…) / the brand-new Neolithic monster” that has a “mass of gears and rods” (37-38, 33). Another poem that expresses MacKay’s more practical and detailed connection with nature is in “Apostrophe.” The agent in this poem states that “[he] thought of earth, / [and] how it remembered us” (9). This is important because it suggests that McKay is part of the earth. The connection to earth is apparent because earth “calls [each humans]/ nutrient- rich bodies and nostalgia-heavy heads / home (10-12). This poem also suggests humans and nature are bound because we live together “as though [we are] one perfect metaphor (27-28). Even McKay is different then Snyder, they both have some similar aspects in their poetry. When comparing Snyder and McKay, it not only does McKay use geological and technological ideas in his poetry, but Snyder does as well. In Snyder’s “What Happened Here Before,” a timeline of natural and geological occurrences appears. In the beginning of the poem, three hundred million years ago, “first the sea: soft sands, muds, and marl / - loading, compressing, heating, and crumpling” (2-3). The poem continues discussing the seabed, the joining of rivers, trees, and humans. The detail that Snyder uses when describing the formations of the rivers and trees, is similar to the detail that McKay uses. Even though McKay is still more practical than Snyder, Snyder’s still uses practicality as well as spirituality. His spirituality appears when the speaker says that humans have “feasts and dances for the boys and girls / songs and stories in the smoky dark” (36-37). Snyder’s practicality is revealed again in “Affluence.” The speaker begins by stating that “damp layers of pine needle / still-hard limbs and twigs / tangled as they lay”(1-3). This shows that Snyder is still focused on his down to earth view of nature. However the next part of the poem states that logging was a “ fire hazard, every summer day / [and] was the logger’s cost” (10-11). Snyder acknowledges that logging was not good for the Earth when the speaker states that the earth was “pokey heaps with diesel oil / “[paying] price somebody didn’t pay (14-15).” When considering the relationship between Merwin and McKay, there is not much of a connection between them besides the use of senses. Merwin does not focus on the practical approaches like McKay. Despite the difference between them, both Merwin and McKay express their views well. The connection between Snyder and McKay, is much more obvious then Merwin and McKay. Both poets have a spiritual relationship with the earth. Even though Snyder uses spirituality and Merwin has a less physical connection regarding spirituality, they both appreciate the natural world. It is evident that all three poets value and respect the environment. They appreciate the relationship between humans and the natural world. By showing the bond that they have with earth, disconnect between humans and nature becomes obvious. This subject pertains to my artwork in which I not only value the environment for its natural beauty and geological features, but I focus on the political aspects of the natural world and the connection between it and humans. I feel as though this important in understanding the connection between humans and nature.
Have you noticed that we feel a powerful desire to connect with nature during difficult times? Whether we are injured, depressed or sad our inclination towards nature increases. Patients in hospitals recover faster if they are in a room with a nice view. Why? Because nature is so pure and powerful that can restore our spirits and heal our bodies and minds. The beauty of nature has been praised in art, poetry, writings and films. Naturalists, poets and writers have documented the many benefits of spending time in nature. "Calypso Borealis" by Muir and "I wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by Wordsworth are two great pieces of literature where our hearts are filled with an indescribable emotion. John Muir and William Wordsworth express their relationship
From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.
Throughout the Romanticism period, human’s connection with nature was explored as writers strove to find the benefits that humans receive through such interactions. Without such relationships, these authors found that certain aspects of life were missing or completely different. For example, certain authors found death a very frightening idea, but through the incorporation of man’s relationship with the natural world, readers find the immense utility that nature can potentially provide. Whether it’d be as solace, in the case of death, or as a place where one can find oneself in their own truest form, nature will nevertheless be a place where they themselves were derived from. Nature is where all humans originated,
In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Nature”, he develops his own perspective on the interconnection between humans and nature. As an admirable essayist and transcendentalist, he believed that man can have the ability to go and find the Truth in solitude and nature, and can return to reason and faith. “You cannot see the mountain near.” When one is near a mountain, it looks enormous; however, you can see it in its entirety from a far distance. There is no need to even perceive it as a challenge, especially if instead we focus on one rock at a time; loving and appreciating the journey. Having the right perspective towards things can help form a healthy reality. He believed nature could positively change people’s outlooks in life. In Emerson’s view, “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” In other words, he is saying that however someone feels is how they will view nature. From his experiences, he believes if a man becomes part of nature once again, loses his egotism and becomes a lover of beauty, then he has become a “transparent eyeball.” Having experience as Emerson did with nature can make one’s perspective more valuable and precious in this
Since the beginning of time, humans have always had some type of relationship with nature, whether it was negative or positive. Adam & Eve were exiled from paradise for eating from the forbidden tree. Neanderthals flourished living in caves while having constant interactions with nature. And now in this day in age the relationship continues. This ever-changing relationship between man and nature is the main focus of two writers, Wendell Berry and Terry Tempest Williams. Both writers have a similar voice and style in some aspects, yet differ in others.
There is also a sense of acuteness as the words in this stanza are short and sharp, and the lines clash and seem to contrast greatly. " Whispering by the shore" shows that water is a symbol of continuity as it occurs in a natural cycle, but the whispering could also be the sound of the sea as it travels up the shore. The end of this section makes me feel as if he is trying to preserve something with the "river mud" and "glazing the baked clay floor. " The fourth section, which includes four stanzas of three lines, whereas the third section included four-line stanzas and the second section included two-line stanzas, shows continuity once again, as if it's portraying the water's movement. "Moyola" is once again repeated, and "music" is also present, with "its own score and consort" being musical terms and giving the effect of harmony.
The poems, "The Bull Moose" by Alden Nowlan, "The Panther" by Rainer Maria Rilke, "Walking the Dog" by Howard Nemerov, and "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop, illustrate what happens when people and nature come together, but the way in which the people react to these encounters in these poems is very different. I believe that when humans and nature come together either they clash and conflict because individuals destroy and attempt to control nature, which is a reflection of their powerful need to control themselves, or humans live peacefully with nature because they not only respect and admire nature, but also they can see themselves in the nature.
This poem exemplifies Romanticism through passionate imagery, “Mid hush 'd, cool-rooted flowers, fragrant-eyed/ Blue, silver-white, and budded Tyrian,/They lay calm-breathing, on the bedded grass” (Keats 191). The speaker has either seen or dreamed that he has seen the winged goddess Psyche while he was wandering in a forest. Keats personifies flowers and gives them breath. He also has them ‘lay,’ which is an atypical description for flowers because they grow upwards from their roots. Keats gives body and breath to these plants, while also reaching the senses of smell, sight, and touch. The flowers are sexualized, like a woman’s body, as they lay on the ‘bedded’ ground. These images further the scene that the speaker imagines, which is “two fair creatures, couched side by side/ In deepest grass, beneath the whisp 'ring roof” (Keats 191). He’s able to elicit the sights and sounds of humanity, through nature, which he masters at a young age. The roof is also personified by speaking softly. He’s placing human qualities on objects like the roof and flowers, instead of the two creatures, which gives the poem a greater
Ecocriticism asserts that humans are “peoples of 'place'” (Bressler 231), our lives defined by the environment that we inhabit and the necessities of survival that are dictated by nature. The more we recognize this innate and deep connection—for example, through the reading and analyzing of the nature-human dynamic in literature—the stronger and healthier this relationship will become. We as humans will recognize our dependence on the earth instead of our dominance over it; we will recognize ourselves as “guardians” and learn how to better appreciate and protect the environment for future generations of authors and poets to continue to explore.
Here Lee uses the examples of waterlilies and how they fill with water only to dump it into the water around them. This is a comparison to how this song sung by his mother and sister pour into memories that they have each developed of their father who is no longer with them. The last two lines of the poem, which are in its own stanza, are very powerful. Lee wanted us as readers to recognize its importance to because there are only two lines in this last stanza compared to the four lines in all the other stanzas. The last lines
In American Literature many authors write about nature and how nature affects man's lives. In life, nature is an important part of people. Many people live, work, or partake in revelry in nature. Nature has received attention from authors spanning several centuries. Their attitudes vary over time and also reflect the different outlooks of the authors who chose to discuss this important historical movement. A further examination of this movement, reveals prevalence of nature's influence on man and how it affects their lives.
Nikky Finney, an environmentally conscious and well respected author, shares the opinion with me that it is important for everyone to experience this type of harmony with nature. In her introduction to her book, Rice, Finney analyzes the world's past and compares it to the world's present, noticing that "this beautiful country is being turned into one half golf course and one half toxic dump," minimizing the opportunity for people to enjoy "its incredible natural beauty" (Finney intro). This environment being destroyed is not only crucial to the wildlife that depends on it, but also vital to humans' physical and mental h...
To understand the nature-society relationship means that humans must also understand the benefits as well as problems that arise within the formation of this relationship. Nature as an essence and natural limits are just two of the ways in which this relationship can be broken down in order to further get an understanding of the ways nature and society both shape one another. These concepts provide useful approaches in defining what nature is and how individuals perceive and treat
The power of nature is all around us and can be found almost anywhere. One is able to study nature through experiencing it firsthand, looking at a picture, watching a movie, or even reading a familiar children’s story. I believe that by learning more about nature we can grow closer to God. Emerson states, “Nature is so pervaded in human life, that there is something of humanity in all, and in every particular” (Emerson 508). Like Emerson, I believe that humanity and nature were created by God and we can learn more about the Spirit of God by studying nature. I also see that nature has the power to influence our emotions and actions. I see evidence of this through various landscapes such as the desert, the beach, the mountains and the jungle. I thought about the vastness of the desert during a recent trip to the desert with my class. I think about nature and my love for it when I am scanning through my photo album and see pictures that capture me enjoying the mountains of Utah. When I watched the movie The Beach I was struck out how nature, specifically the beautiful beaches of Thailand, influenced the actions of every character in the movie. Of course it is hard to read a legendary story such as “Jungle Book” and not see what a powerful effect nature and its’ animals can have over humans.
No matter how much research is done, it is obviously known that humans will never be able to fully understand the phenomenon of the natural world, yet it is something that we still continue to explore and work with each and every day. As The Red Turtle simply explains to the viewer, nature is something that is full of chaos and unpredictability, yet it is beautiful in it’s own way and worth exploring. In today’s world of the twenty-first century, it is quite easy to see that humans are dominating the natural world. Mainly, I believe that nature is a big provider for our health and happiness, but in order to sustain this relationship, the human population must also provide for the natural world and keep the common peace.