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…
Intense imagery, contrasts, comparisons, and parallelism are used in conveying the complexity of her feelings toward nature. She ties in the similarities between the terror-striking reaction to the great horned owl and the heart-striking happiness of a field of roses.…
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…
The concept of belonging indicates a sense of connection and similarities with ones surroundings, encouraged through enduring relationships and comfort zones. With the absence of such feelings ‘belonging’ is replaced by alienation, accompanied by an emotional detachments from ones surroundings. Understanding these connections and surroundings nourishes rather than prevents these feelings. In Peter Skrzynecki’s poem “St.Patricks College” and “10 Mary Street” the connections with his surroundings are explored. They are explored through the environments and culture he grows up in. In the 2007 movie “Bra Boys” directed by Sonny Abberton and Macario De Souza the concepts of the landscape, culture and alienation are explored through their connections to the environment they are in.…
Sometimes in life when we have an experience that deeply affects us, it can change our whole perspective. The story “The Thing in the forest” is a example of how this can happen. The two main characters Penny and Primrose meet when they are children and share a horrific experience in the forest. Then by chance meet back at the scene and briefly reassure one another that what happened really did happen. But their contact ends there once again almost as if seeing each other was too uncomfortable. Then oddly enough both women end up going back to the forest looking for some kind of resolve. In “The Thing in the Forest” the two little girls encounter a terrifying creature that profoundly affects their sense of reality; this results in similar personal traits and shared sense of searching for what’s real despite that they never talk of it.…
Sometimes in life people face tragic experiences that haunts them for the rest of their lives. In "the minefields" by diane theils, a poem about a man who has been haunted by memories from his childhood and how it effected him in everything he did. Theils used dark imagery and symbols to create a picture in the readers mind about a life changed forever. The poem argues that one traumatic incident can affect you and the people around you for the rest of your life.…
The world can be perceived in a number of ways and no one man or woman has the same perception of the world. This difference can be expressed through the writing of two Native Americans, N.S Momaday and D. Brown. Both of the writers use diction, imagery, and tone. However, they used them completely differently and conveyed different descriptions from two completely similar landscapes.…
From a personal experience, I find it hard reading out of my comfort zone and struggle to recall the events taking place in a story. However, Mowat kept me engaged with a profound use of imagery. In a nature book such as itself, it is essential to provide vivid imagery and specific details. Mowat shows this practice numerous times throughout the novel, placing the reader into the Barren Lands of central Keewatin. As I read throughout the novel, I began to wonder to myself, “What would I do?” and “How would I react?” This is the effect Mowat’s descriptive words have on his reader’s mind. In the beginning of Mowat’s journey, he is dropped in seemly the middle of nowhere, and observes his surroundings. “As I looked about me at the stark and cloud-topped hills, the…
When we are lost, memory swoops down from the heavens and saves the day. Memory is what connects us to the world. We use memory to synthesize with our thoughts and life experiences so that we can make sense of our surroundings and ourselves. Our interactions with the physical world—our sensory experiences, our perceptions, our actions—change us continuously and determine what we are later able to perceive, remember, understand and become (Thompson 1). These factors shape our identity. Without memory, one can lack the foundation needed to sustain a sense of self. Within Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal Dreams,” memory is one of the key thematic elements that drive self-identity and link relationships. Within this text, we will also see how trauma can effect memory thus effecting self.…
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…
Our memories shape us and our reality. In the short story, ‘All summer in a day’ by Ray Bradbury, Margot was the only child that could remember the sun. All the other children have forgotten what it felt like since they were born on Venus and the sun only appeared when they were two. Margot however, was born on earth and she stayed there until four. This enabled her to remember what the sun looked and felt like. The sun is in her reality which caused her to be isolated, excluded and outcasted because the other children wouldn’t accept her reality. Our memories also affect our perception of the world around us. There are people who had bad memories of their school life because of some drama that might’ve happened. This could lead to a strong dislike towards school because their reality is now emphasised on how school is just drama that affects their social status. All the good memories could be filtered out and that would shape their own reality. Our memories shape our reality because we can choose to remember and forget things, but it is through our experiences that we gain these memories.…
Writers have long written about their cultural experiences, so much that they have become speakers for their culture. Chief Joseph, of the Nez Perce, is one of them. He shares his struggles of being forced from his homeland to a reservation, miniscule is size compared to his original safe haven. He shows the emotional undertakings that he endured through his speech I Will Fight No More. In said speech, Chief Joseph sued imagery to show the physical and mental hardships all native tribes had to undergo.…
Enjoying the outdoors has a way of bring out your imagination. There was a full moon that casted a light over the river and reflected up on the other side.Looking at the landscape, we decided to play a game, using the trees line above to make images. We stared at the trees, letting our imagination go. We saw a mother bear with a cub, a man carrying a fishing pole, an elephant standing on a ball. This went for hours. What was real funny, we went back the next morning, the images we had seen the night before were not the same. One of the joys of Mother Nature, the daylight had changed the landscape.…
It was a warm spring day after school. My friend and I just got back from school and we were walking to his house. We were both little and at the time having a Kool-Aid stand seemed like a perfect idea. So my friend and I got as much money together as possible. We did pretty good, I dont remember the exact amount of course but I do know it was more then 20 bucks. So anyway with the day being so hot that the sweat got our clothes so soaked that they stuck to our skin it seemed like the perfect plan. So we went to the store and got all kinds of colorful packets of Kool-Aid, red, purple, green, blue, even some colors that really have a name. We came back and start mixing all the radiant colors in glass jugs. The smell of fruit punch and many other flavors made our mouth water. With our jugs of fruity mixes and the feel of a fresh spring breeze on our face nothing was going to stop us. After about an hour of hearing cars rushing past with only a few stopping, we knew we needed to get bigger. With that in mind, we called up some friends and listening to the silent and anticipating sound of the phone ringing made the day seem all the longer. When we heard the common Hello? we wasted no time in telling every one else our plan. Before we knew it the empty drive way was filled with vans and cars of almost every color. Then one of our good friends pointed out our fatal flaw. The Kool-Aid was sugarless which left an incomplete sour taste. We all laughed and soon fixed our flaw. After that we had cars almost lined up to devour our fruitful glasses of refreshment.…
memories, within the depth of the shadows, lies multiple issues that alter the plot line,…