Whether or not everyone admits it, nature has and always will be an influential force in our everyday lives. Especially in today’s society, our earth’s environment is the only true outlet to experiencing the natural, simplistic lifestyle we were meant to lead when people first originated the world. Writers Jewett, Frost, and Dickinson convey the appreciation of nature, as well as the human-nature connection throughout nineteenth century literature.
Jewett’s story, “A White Heron,” portrays a romantic perspective on the connection between a girl, Sylvia, and the nature around her. Sylvia is more connected to nature in this story than to actual people. She feels a sense of security and freedom in the woods around her that she appears to lack when attempting to relate to other people. Jewett describes Sylvia, “She was not often in the woods so late as this, and it made her feel as if she were a part of the gray shadows and moving leaves.” Immediately, Sylvia seems one with nature. She has connected so much to her natural world that she has become a part of it. When Sylvia hears a man whistle in the woods, she immediately senses aggression and fear. However, she describes how if heard a bird’s whistle, she would have felt friendliness and peace. Nature serves as a symbol for the endeavor that Sylvia goes through: deciding whether or not to tell the stranger (who hunts birds) where the white heron bird lives so that he can kill it and, consequently, pay Sylvia’s poor family money in which they need. She describes this endeavor, how this “human interest” (the hunter) can come in and “sweep away the satisfactions of an existence heart to heart with nature” (take away her connection to the natural world). I think Jewett does a great job of showing not only how much Sylvia appreciates nature, but also how much nature appreciates Sylvia. When she goes to climb the tall white oak tree, she is described in a playful manner as a “harmless housebreaker” to the birds. The story concludes with Sylvia refusing to “tell the heron’s secret and give its life away.” Sylvia chooses to sacrifice her own personal lifestyle and limited amount of income to protect nature. Nature plays the role of Sylvia’s internal endeavor of struggling to make the right choices. Did anyone else realize that silence was also a prominent theme here? Whenever Sylvia was asked a question regarding something she did not want to answer, she remained quiet. This was her way of not only protecting nature and the white heron, but also her way of avoiding telling a lie and keeping her dignity.
Frost’s poem, “After Apple-Picking” seemed to present nature as a symbol of life itself. The first couple of lines discuss the apple tree and a ladder that is pointed “toward heaven still.” I thought that this symbolized that the man picking apples was leading an honorable, pure life, as his ladder ‘still pointed to heaven.’ However, I could also see it as a symbol that death is nearing for the man and that he is on his pathway to heaven. Regardless, it appears that the man is feeling this connection through nature and the apple trees. He then becomes drowsy and drifts off thinking of “magnified apples” as they “appear and disappear.” I think that again shows the connection of nature, how even when the character is going to sleep, he incorporates nature in his dreams. Then, he states, “I have had too much of apple-picking: I am overtired of the great harvest I myself desired.” This could mean a number of things. Is this a metaphor for the fact that people sometimes “bite off more than they can chew” in life? That as people, in particularly Americans, we take on too much of a heavy load that we drive ourselves to pure exhaustion? Nature plays the role of life’s conflicts: taking on too much of a challenge and getting over-excited about the numerous available possibilities. The man saw all of the apples and got overwhelmed with the amount he could pick.
Lastly, Dickinson portrays nature as an outlet to break free from the current religious trends occurring in that time period. She mocks religion in her third poem, describing how a certain light in the winter afternoon’s are “oppressive, like the weight Of cathedral tunes.” Just like the light creates an oppressive heat and overwhelming glare, cathedral tunes (essentially religion) emit a repressive sound and atmosphere for Dickinson. In her first poem, she simply describes that while “Some keep the Sabbath in surplice, I just wear my wings.” Dickinson is stating that while some people go to church just for the title, so that they can be highly viewed in society’s eyes, she sticks to nature as a way to connect with the world and her spiritual self. Dickinson’s second poem dealt mainly with symbolic nature, and not as much with religion. For instance, she describes how “When butterflies renounce their drams, I shall but drink the more!” The whole poem describes Dickinson drinking and enjoying nature. I think this shows how Dickinson feels freedom from judgment whenever she is surrounded by her natural environment. In Dickinson’s poems, nature serves as a contrast for religion, as it is her way to celebrate spirituality. All three of these writers portray nature through a positive, romantic perspective and attitude, but Dickinson appears to be the only one to tie in religion.
I really enjoyed reading these stories and poems because I felt I could relate to them. My family doesn’t go to church and I haven’t established any organized religion I believe in yet. However, we are a very outdoors-oriented family. We love hiking, running, swimming in the ocean, rock climbing, and anything to do with nature. We’ve talked about how being in our outdoor environment gives us some connection to spirituality, which I think is the same sense of connection many people get from going to church (maybe what Dickinson was talking about). Especially in today’s society where computers and technology have become mainstream, people tend to sacrifice their connection to nature for what they think is a more fun or efficient way to spend their time. It’s scary to think how disconnected people have become from nature even in the past 10 years. I think it’s important to appreciate nature for what it is, because before we know it, technology, buildings, and pollution will corrupt it.
Frost’s poem, “After Apple-Picking” seemed to present nature as a symbol of life itself. The first couple of lines discuss the apple tree and a ladder that is pointed “toward heaven still.” I thought that this symbolized that the man picking apples was leading an honorable, pure life, as his ladder ‘still pointed to heaven.’ However, I could also see it as a symbol that death is nearing for the man and that he is on his pathway to heaven. Regardless, it appears that the man is feeling this connection through nature and the apple trees. He then becomes drowsy and drifts off thinking of “magnified apples” as they “appear and disappear.” I think that again shows the connection of nature, how even when the character is going to sleep, he incorporates nature in his dreams. Then, he states, “I have had too much of apple-picking: I am overtired of the great harvest I myself desired.” This could mean a number of things. Is this a metaphor for the fact that people sometimes “bite off more than they can chew” in life? That as people, in particularly Americans, we take on too much of a heavy load that we drive ourselves to pure exhaustion? Nature plays the role of life’s conflicts: taking on too much of a challenge and getting over-excited about the numerous available possibilities. The man saw all of the apples and got overwhelmed with the amount he could pick.
Lastly, Dickinson portrays nature as an outlet to break free from the current religious trends occurring in that time period. She mocks religion in her third poem, describing how a certain light in the winter afternoon’s are “oppressive, like the weight Of cathedral tunes.” Just like the light creates an oppressive heat and overwhelming glare, cathedral tunes (essentially religion) emit a repressive sound and atmosphere for Dickinson. In her first poem, she simply describes that while “Some keep the Sabbath in surplice, I just wear my wings.” Dickinson is stating that while some people go to church just for the title, so that they can be highly viewed in society’s eyes, she sticks to nature as a way to connect with the world and her spiritual self. Dickinson’s second poem dealt mainly with symbolic nature, and not as much with religion. For instance, she describes how “When butterflies renounce their drams, I shall but drink the more!” The whole poem describes Dickinson drinking and enjoying nature. I think this shows how Dickinson feels freedom from judgment whenever she is surrounded by her natural environment. In Dickinson’s poems, nature serves as a contrast for religion, as it is her way to celebrate spirituality. All three of these writers portray nature through a positive, romantic perspective and attitude, but Dickinson appears to be the only one to tie in religion.
I really enjoyed reading these stories and poems because I felt I could relate to them. My family doesn’t go to church and I haven’t established any organized religion I believe in yet. However, we are a very outdoors-oriented family. We love hiking, running, swimming in the ocean, rock climbing, and anything to do with nature. We’ve talked about how being in our outdoor environment gives us some connection to spirituality, which I think is the same sense of connection many people get from going to church (maybe what Dickinson was talking about). Especially in today’s society where computers and technology have become mainstream, people tend to sacrifice their connection to nature for what they think is a more fun or efficient way to spend their time. It’s scary to think how disconnected people have become from nature even in the past 10 years. I think it’s important to appreciate nature for what it is, because before we know it, technology, buildings, and pollution will corrupt it.
I'm with you, Ally, in thinking that it's a sad state of affairs that so many people take nature for granted and never truly appreciate it because they're too busy inside with their technology. Whether you love nature in the utilitarian sense (that it provides you with happiness when you can go fishing or boating or even hunting) or whether you love it intrinsically (because it has inherent value), it's plain to see that the natural environment can do wonders for us as human beings in our pursuit of happiness and self-understanding. But too few of us realize it!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your view of nature connecting you in some way to spirituality. I had to explain to my unreligious boyfriend why I believe in a higher power, and my first response was that something incredibly beautiful and powerful had to create nature. My family was very outdoor oriented simply because my mom has been obsessed with horses since she was a teenager so we were raised out on horse riding trails and farms.
ReplyDeleteI think it is cool that I have read all our group's blogs for this week, and every single one of us had a different perspective on what Frost's apple picking metaphorically represented. I really liked your view that his exhaustion with apple picking symbolized Americans working too hard or "biting off more than they can chew." I thought maybe he just was tired after all the effort and care he had put into "picking the apples." I thought that it might be representative of working hard for different opportunities through life or something, but I was really unsure about it.