What Does Tess Gallagher's 'Choices Means'?

In “Choices,” Tess Gallagher intends to make her readers feel guilty for the not only the entitlement humans feel regarding the destruction of nature, but also inspire them to be more kind to the world. Gallagher establishes that the protagonist wants “to cut saplings, and clear a view,” (poetryoutloud.org) to show the unfair trade off of people’s actions. She uses a very realistic example to spark readers’ passion and sympathy by encouraging them to put themselves in the poem. Even without intrinsic motivation, most people are struck by the idea of mistreating animals, making “Choices” an effective way to make people think twice about their actions. Gallagher also focuses on recognizing the beauty of the natural world and the relationship