Throughout travels and experiences an individual gains an affiliation with the natural world
Throughout travels and experiences an individual gains an affiliation with the natural world
In “To Paint a Water Lily,” by Ted Hughes, the speaker examines the complex aspects of nature by revealing the challenges he faces as an artist in capturing its real meaning. When he looks at the scene, he sees an exciting little world of constant movement and activity, hidden by the peaceful stillness of the water lilies that float at the surface of the pond. Ted knows that to paint the water lily and do it righteousness requires more than a simple description of the plant itself—he must also somehow capture its environment; the busy life that surrounds it. The power with which the speaker describes this incredible task and the appreciation he feels for the outstanding convolution of nature is expressed through the use of tone, language, imagery, diction and figurative language.…
The poem “Urban Indian: Portrait 3” written by Richard Wagamese, shows how an experience in nature can help create a connection not only with nature but also with humans. The speaker remembers an old experience of his when he was paddling “..and he can still feel the muscle/ of the channel on his arm/ the smell of it/ potent, rich, eternal/ the smell of dreams and visions..” This feeling and connection has been kept within him and has helped him become who he is now as an adult: “..and heads down the stairs/ out into the street/ to find the kids/ he teaches to carve paddles now.” He may be far from that place where he once was, but he shares this memory to carve the paddles of a canoe: “..in the moonlight/ what he brings to them.” This reveals…
Beauty is found in nature to a point that this unique attributes only found in the world’s characteristics can blind the effects of our ambitions of being close the essence of…
When reflecting on the past image of his generation's childhood, Louv aspires to truly slow his readers down and to fully grab their attention. "We were fascinated with roadkill, and we counted cows and horses and coyotes and shaving-cream signs, " he recalls. Louv deliberately establishes these images in his readers' heads, in a succession-like manner. To his audience, these pictures pass through the mind as he lists them simultaneously, almost as if we are driving by this sequence of events, while looking out the window of a car. By doing this, Louv hopes to define and give life to specific instances of the respect for nature that we once had. By focusing on memories, he shows us the current state of our nation: we have forsaken the natural world as a source of subtle but long-lasting inspiration for, electric stimulation of our…
Escapism has existed ever since the hypothalamus developed inside the human brain. Its four functions have kept us alive as a species, managing fight, flight, food, and sex. But when that flight manifests itself in interpersonal relationships, in spirituality, in attempts to avoid the unavoidable, things start to fall apart. In Siddhartha, by Hermann Hess, escapism is just one more untruth for Siddhartha to overcome.…
Similarly, in ‘Remittance Man’ an individual’s relationship to their physical environment is shown to impact both their sense of belonging and identity. “Blue blowing smoke... red blowing dust of roads”. By using vivid, colourful imagery and metaphorically describing the Australian breeze as breathing, Wright effectively evokes a sense of being physically and emotionally influenced by his relationship with the ‘living’ and vibrant Australian landscape. The ability for different…
A vast range of literary techniques is employed in the text, all of which contribute to exploring the negative outcome of journeys. Imagery is a predominant throughout the entire text, appealing to the auditory, olfactory, tactile and visual senses. This is highly effective in depicting the wild beauty and the horror of nature. Quotes such as “…the clouds brewing above and the dirt swirling around his feet” and “skyline rushing down to drown his brittle form” conjure up images of the uncontrollable force of nature and the insignificance of humans in comparison. Fudge also encompasses more harsh imagery to further reinforce the harshness of life. This is evident in the quotes, “…spluttered mucus and blood” and “…covered in crusted blood, jaws ripped from his skull”. All these descriptions are then directly linked to nature’s ferocity. Fudge has characterised “The Land” as nature’s representation in the text. He emphasises and reinforces The Land by encompassing heavy use of personification. “the Land was speaking”, “the Land throbbing” and “the Land had suffocated his family” all use personification. The repeated use of ‘the’ before the subject, ‘Land’, combined with the effect of personification, emphasises and reinforces the authority and dominance of nature.…
Different for ever individual, what we experience in different landscapes sculpts our connection to the natural world. Memories can have a large impact on the emotional, cultural, personal and imaginative landscapes we develop in conjunction with the physical landscape, which provides the stimulants for the memories we link to particular characteristics. The many different environments we have experienced can elicit various different emotions and reactions. Therefore, connections to the natural world can vary between different memories associated with it; memories define our imaginative landscapes, and thus, our connection to our environment. It is obvious that different emotions contribute to unique experiences, resulting in the way we remember the landscape as unique. The emotive experience portrayed through an author provides the reader with an experience, a memory not their own, which shares the imaginative landscape of the writer with the reader. The differing portrayals of various scenarios, environments and people are directly related to the memories of the writer, which aids the connections development between the landscape portrayed and the reader. Memories of a landscape allows individuals to develop connections to that landscape and further a sense of identity, the strength or weaknesses in relationships to both those around them and the environment they inhabit, and whether the traditions are upheld or discarded. A strong connection to ones environments is created, and maintained by strong, positive memories within the landscape. However, in contrast, a disconnection to one’s environment can lead to isolation and alienation as a result of negative, or lacking of, memories within the environment. The lack of connection to the landscape we inhabit can result in a disconnection to culture, society and traditions. This is portrayed by Rachel Perkins, director of movie “one night the moon”, a film about the loss of child that communicates the difference in…
The art of seeing things: Love and desire for nature sharpens the eye to help us see the natural world. You can not be a passive observer must engage in nature. We need to take leasure in the small things; we step over four leaved clovers do not see them…
(William Cronon, ed., Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1995, 69-90;…
In my life I have been lucky enough to travel to striking places around the world. I believe that this assignment allowed me to express some of my experiences on the canvas. Specifically, traveling to Whistler Mountain with my family in previous winters I saw very distinguishable pieces of land that where intruded by humans. One piece of nature that stood out in my mind was a single tree that survived in the middle of the barren land. I believe my painting represents the change that we experience. Moreover, the more change we experience the stronger we become as a result of the experiences and hardships we face. The clear-cut land shows severe change; furthermore, the strong solemn tree represents how change can make us stronger. My painting also holds meaning of solidarity. Every year I travel to Whistler Mountain with my family. Every year since I was twelve I have lived away from home. Moreover, this yearly trip to Whistler Mountain was a getaway to spend time with my family and cherish these memorable moments. This trip was one of the only moments I got to spend commending time with my family. Since these trips are such a rarity, they hold a prodigious meaning to me, and as a reflection so does this painting. This painting and assignment holds many personal attachments within my…
In “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, the beauty of nature is reiterated multiple times. When recounting his personal experience in climbing the Devils Thumb, Krakauer described a picture he had seen of the mountain as having, “held an almost pornographic fascination for me(135).” Christopher McCandless was one of the many who was so drawn to the wild that whenever the chance arose he whisked himself away from his family and embraced the wilderness. The year upon his graduation of high school, McCandless went on an extended camping trip by himself, and did not return until just a day or two before school started for the next year. This however was just one of Chris’s trips. Since he was a young boy he had always been drawn to nature. His family worked nearly nonstop, but when the chance arose the family would take to the road and camp out of the back of the truck. Christopher’s father Walt recounted, “Chris loved those trips, the longer the better (108).” These lengthy trips must have given McCandless a taste of the glamour nature held, because he carried on with the adventures all through high school and college.…
Katcher, A. and Beck, A. (1987) Health and caring for living things. Anthrozoos, 1, 175–183.…
It brings me back to when I was a kid. Even if it is embarrassing, I usually find myself climbing around on the rocks and wanting to explore the whole area. The time flies when I'm in a natural environment, and honestly it is a refresher. When the author said "It is a necessity" I came to the conclusion that, yes, I think it is necessary for me. While I don't think I need it very frequently, I think, in general, that refresher of my memories of youth, and the remainder of that child still in me, does make me feel more human. I am hopeful that as I get older and life becomes more and more difficult, I will still be able to get that same youthful feeling that many people crave and cannot achieve. I'm not a huge believer in spiritualness, but there is something behind the necessity of nature to a humans mental state. I think nature can be considered both a necessity and a luxury. We need it to remind us that in a modern world, we can still find peace in the simpler things in life. At the same time, I think nature providing that feeling is a luxury we should…
These thoughts find parallels in the works of Robert Smithson who also found that the act of walking and the experiences and sensations encountered during walks in the real landscape proved invaluable, as the interaction between himself and a changing environment provided a rich seam of ideas for his artistic…