The speaker begins by introducing the water lily as a stage for the activity that goes on around it. He describes “a green level of lily leaves” that “reefs the petal’s chamber and paves the flies’ furious arena,”--a cover for the activity below and the ground for the action above. The picture establishes the speaker’s view of nature as a complex body with layers that reach beyond its seemingly inactive surface. The language used by the speaker to describe the lily leaves, marked by alliteration and subtle imagery, also demonstrates the speaker’s appreciation of the beauty of nature’s “outer surface,” the face it shows most plainly to the casual observer. The speaker also personifies nature by describing it as a “lady” with “two minds,” clearly those that exist above and below its surface. Study these, the speaker notes to himself, and only then can one develop an accurate understanding of the heart of nature.…
Now days, it is hard to connect or be with the nature, especially if you live in a city. While there are people that interact with the nature every day because of their rural location. The short poem “Traveling through the Dark” by William Stafford, is about a person that encounter a dead deer in the road in the middle of the night. In the story, the narrator have to decide if he would save the unborn deer or just throw the mom deer to the river to save other people that might suffer an accident by encountering the dead body. In the poem, is interesting to see how the narrator, which represent the human world, makes a connection with the natural world by encountering the deer and debating if he/she should do something for the baby deer. Interestingly enough, Stafford give a clear description of the setting, location and time where this is occurring when he mentions, “Traveling through the dark I found a deer dead on the edge…
Schweitzer claims that the sea is a motherly realm; however, like a lover, “the voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation” (Chopin 18). Though Schweitzer and Chopin allude to the sea as possessing competing metaphorical implications, the former makes the intriguing claim that the sea possesses two internal contradictions: a voice which guides one to solitude through a language without words, and a touch which surrounds one in a gentle, loving embrace (Schweitzer…
Judith Beveridge’s poetry examines the ability of humans or the materialistic world to be interconnected with nature. In the poem Mulla Bulla Beach she examines a human’s ability to be part of nature, particularly from an outsiders perspective. She states “ A new world to me, but familiar”, demonstrating how she can be related to nature. She also examines an insiders perspective on the beach, in particular the fisherman, stating “ who are born hearing the sea always there” She examines how the fisherman have become part of the natural rhythm demonstrating how humans can be part of nature, and the tension between the material world and nature does not need to exist. She uses many similes to link humans or human objects to nature for example “Jellyfish clear as surgical gloves” and “ tide winded shells pacing quietly as shore runners”. These similes demonstrate how humans can not only understand but also be part of the natural rhythm. This is also seen in Judith’s poem, The Fox in a Tree Stump. Judith examines how the child feels a connection to the fox and its innocent nature stating, “ Fox hairs of dust sweated in my palms” although, this connection does not overpower the fear of her uncle, so she kills the fox. This demonstrates that although humans may feel connected to nature although this does not prevent them from destroying aspects of nature. Judith Beveridge examines the inherent tension between nature…
Conflict is a key factor presented in life whether we try to avoid it or not. In most cases the battle is fought against yourself. In the poems “Woodchucks” by Maxine Kumin and “Traveling through the Dark” by William Stafford, the poets both focus on animals and self confrontation in humans. Descriptive language and the overall theme provides the reader with the insight necessary to understand the speaker’s psychology as they are driven beyond the boundaries of what’s morally right and wrong.…
B. Thesis: Wordsworth and Muir convey their deep connection and passion for nature by utilizing similes and hyperboles to assert the reader how much nature has affected their life.…
Within this poem is a lovely array of splendid imagery that allows the reader to truly feel as if they were there experiencing the memory themselves. When describing her surrounds they are idyllic, and pure. Even the dangers of the trip such as the jelly fish, or the steering of the boat, are never referred to as scary or unsafe, but calm…
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…
Life is always changing. It can seem perfect for one minute and then be completely different the next. In “The Great Scarf of Birds” figurative language and imagery is used to demonstrate life’s duality.…
Discovery can be presented in many forms, whether it is physical, imaginative or inner. Often what differentiates discovery as a distinct process, catalyzed by an emotional or mental reevaluation, is that it can lead individuals towards a renewed understanding of oneself and the others around them. Robert Gray explores these concepts through the use of various language forms and features throughout his poems “Meatworks” and “Journey, The North Coast” which explore the notion of an inner realization from the persona’s self reflection, as well as depicting the importance of a physical journey as a catalyst towards a discovery of both natural beauty and mental reflection. The film by Sean Penn “Into the Wild” (2007) conveys similar paralleled understandings and notions presented by the poems of Robert Gray.…
This poem dramatizes the conflict between a mystery and emancipation, due to the poet’s unique play on shrouding her words like a morning fog and yet clearly wanting people to recognize something more. From the poem, the poet states that there is a ‘’heart trembling’’ (8) within a figurative kingdom created from leaves, and explains that they have delayed for far too long. The poet also notes that…
Believe it or not this poem was expertly written by Robert Frost to articulately open up a world of ideas that help you understand imagination and its complexities. That is what I will be elaborating on.…
Encompassing the commonalities between individuals while revealing both the ‘beautiful’ and the ‘terrible’ aspects of humanity, the Human Condition illuminates the ontological journey of the search for purpose and identity. However, comprehending the nature and scope of life in itself presents a challenge; outlining that understanding is crucial to the development of the self. Robert Frost explores all aspects of humanity, good and bad, by determining the effects of urbanisation through his ballad Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Morning, rejecting technological development as a necessary advance for humanity. This extends to his examination of the realisation of the fragility of human life, in his dramatic poem Out, Out the recount of a young boy’s gruesome death. Frost’s ideas are reiterated in Sean Penn’s drama film Into the Wild, which exhibits both the fragility of life through Christopher’s unwitting journey to death and the rejection of industrialisation resulting in his impetuous plunge into nature. Ultimately, these texts serve as searing examinations of the totality of humanity, revealing the complexities of the human race.…
In reality, many people deal with factors that coincidentally lead them to have life changing experiences that alter their lives forever. In some instances, it can be perceived that struggling against something can be seen as being weak. Nevertheless, theses experiences are how an individual grows in life and are able to deal with stressful situations. Also, life is a balance of good and bad times in the cycle of human life. In both Margaret Atwood’s short story “Death by the Landscape” and Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” the character Lois struggles with the loss of her friend and the representation of nature represents loss and innocence. While, “The Open Boat” it deals with individuals who are lost at sea and are at the mercy of nature.…
Wirt, however, wants to “get home,” and so return to the conscious world. This journey is symbolised by The Unknown existing in the season of autumn, the in-between of summer and winter. Wirt is in a stage of transition, existing in the unconscious which “exists ‘between’ us.” As he gets closer to his goal of returning to the conscious world, The Unknown transforms into winter, showing how Wirt must surmount what is the most desolate in order to return home. According to Eagleton’s Lacanian idea, the signifieds are “repressed” within the…