In the 1920s, America’s conservation movement was off to a grand start. Powerful individuals, such as Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Gifford Pinchot, lent their voices in the urgent call to preserve America’s natural reserves. Congress was passing legislation protecting wildlife, natural parks were springing into life, and nature-preserving commissions were being created (Conservation in the Progressive Era). In a swirl of action, America’s conservation movement and the subsequent emphasis on the natural world as an aesthetic appeal and not an economical resource was slowly taking shape. In the midst of this organized defense of nature was the unique role of literature in the environmental movement. Authors and speakers examined the role
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For instance, the beginning line of the poem, “My Sorrow, when she’s here with me,” (1) sets the tone and stage for the rest of the poem. Readers are forced to actively question and determine for themselves what or who exactly “My Sorrow” represents. For some, “My Sorrow” is a symbolic representation of Frost’s sorrow and suffering. He did, after all, witness the death of his mother, who coincidentally passed away in November, as well as his two children. To others, “My Sorrow” represents his wife, who Frost admits influenced his works greatly (Admin). Regardless of what person or idea “My Sorrow” takes on, Frost manages to explore the relationship between humans and the wilderness when making nature the focus of his interactions with “My Sorrow.” For instance, nature is consistently portrayed as a place of enjoyment for “My Sorrow.” This is indirectly demonstrated through her actions when, “She loves the bare, the withered tree; / She walked the sodden pasture lane” (Frost 4-5). “My Sorrow” evidently finds great appreciation in raw nature, despite what most view as the unwelcoming onslaught of winter. This intricate human-nature relationship fits snuggly into the New World Wilderness Ecocriticism trope, where wilderness is portrayed as “not as a place to fear, but as a place to find sanctuary” (Brizee, Allen). In fabricating nature into a comforting place of pleasure, Frost highlights the integral role nature plays in humans’ lives, even in the more unexpected
For instance, the beginning line of the poem, “My Sorrow, when she’s here with me,” (1) sets the tone and stage for the rest of the poem. Readers are forced to actively question and determine for themselves what or who exactly “My Sorrow” represents. For some, “My Sorrow” is a symbolic representation of Frost’s sorrow and suffering. He did, after all, witness the death of his mother, who coincidentally passed away in November, as well as his two children. To others, “My Sorrow” represents his wife, who Frost admits influenced his works greatly (Admin). Regardless of what person or idea “My Sorrow” takes on, Frost manages to explore the relationship between humans and the wilderness when making nature the focus of his interactions with “My Sorrow.” For instance, nature is consistently portrayed as a place of enjoyment for “My Sorrow.” This is indirectly demonstrated through her actions when, “She loves the bare, the withered tree; / She walked the sodden pasture lane” (Frost 4-5). “My Sorrow” evidently finds great appreciation in raw nature, despite what most view as the unwelcoming onslaught of winter. This intricate human-nature relationship fits snuggly into the New World Wilderness Ecocriticism trope, where wilderness is portrayed as “not as a place to fear, but as a place to find sanctuary” (Brizee, Allen). In fabricating nature into a comforting place of pleasure, Frost highlights the integral role nature plays in humans’ lives, even in the more unexpected