Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Themes in Turtle Island

The poems in Turtle Island seem to have themes that tie into the idea that mankind has mistreated Earth and its resources, and that there needs to be changes executed in order to "save" the world. Below, I have commented on the themes within the five poems I read:

The Great Mother - Snyder writes that the "Great Mother" looks at the hands of some people, rather than just staring as they walk by, in order to see what "savages" they were. This leads me to believe that the theme of this poem is that some have had more drastic effects on nature than others.
The Call of the Wild - This poem emphasizes  the effects that mankind has had on the Earth. It addresses war and misuse of resources. The theme is that the Earth has changed considerably over the years due to mistreatment.
It Pleases - The last line of this poem is "The world does what it pleases." This shows that the theme of the poem is that the world is ignorant of nature and the changes that have taken place within it, and refuses to acknowledge it.
Two Fawns That Didn't See the Light This Spring - This poem discusses how two doe were killed, each carrying a fawn that was killed along with the mother. This suggests that the theme is that this generation's and previous generation's misuse of the planet will prevent future generations from experiencing it.
LMFBR - This poem directly addresses the use and disposal of non biodegradable products. The theme is that improper disposal of products is destroying the earth.

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