“We see that everything in Nature called destruction must be creation - a change from beauty to beauty.” - John Muir. This quote from John Muir’s My First Summer in the Sierra, interprets that nature is both beautiful through destruction and creation. Authors such as Al Martinez, Anais Nin, and Robinson Jeffers illustrate the disasters of fires to reflect the beauty of recreation from its destruction. As as result, a common understanding is established of accepting nature in it’s positives and negatives. Each author incorporates figurative language, diction, and rhetorical devices to show how one must accept nature in its ugliness of destruction and the beauty of its recreation.
“Fire in the City, Fire in the Canyons” by Al Martinez suggests …show more content…
The author references the fire as a “battle with the flames” and the “men fighting the fire as they would a war” (Nin 1). This highlights how powerful and destructive the fire is due to the comparisons of a war-like battle. She also expresses how the “fire grew immense, angry, and rushing at a speed” that “would rush along and suddenly leap over a road” (Nin 1). The use of personification towards the fire emphasizes how rapidly the fire was moving throughout the forest. When the fire was over, “January rains brought floods” that resulted in streets “covered with mud”(Nin 2). Nin was then asked to accompany a ranger to record the disasters. The author describes the event as “terrifying to see the muddled waters and rocks, the mountain disintegrating” (Nin 2). The words “terrifying” and “disintegrating” provides a visual image of the tragedy of nature’s destruction from the flood and fire. Nin later expresses how she was “laughing and scared too” when she notices that “the ranger is at ease in nature, and without fear” (Nin 2). This reveals a moment of realization that “it is easy to love nature” when it is peaceful “ but one must love it in it’s furies too” (Nin 2). Nin illustrates a vivid image of the forest fire and the aftermath of the disasters to eventually conclude that nature should be appreciated for …show more content…
The author begins the poem using figurative language in the following lines, “under the smoke in front of the roaring wave of the brush-fire; I thought of the smaller lives that were caught” (Jeffers 1). After describing the fire, the “thought of the smaller lives” (Jeffers 1) suggest that the use of figurative language displays a mental image of the less unfortunate animals seized in the flames. Jeffers then presents a paradox in the phrase “beauty is not always lovely” (Jeffers 1), which leads the audience in perceiving beauty in the scenery even with the fear and loss of the animal’s lives. Later on, the author illustrates a “insolent and gorged” (Jeffers 1) eagle lured by the “fire for his beater to drive the game” (Jeffers 1). The diction in the lines suggest a predatory and intimidating perspective on the eagle due to being drawn to the burned area of dead animals. This act represents the beauty in death and destruction even though the fire destroyed the forest, however, it was a beautiful sight to watch. When the fire killed the lives of animals, it brought the gift of new life, such as the eagle. Towards the ending of the poem, the author uses repetition of the word “merciless” (Jeffers) to describe the sky, the black hills and the eagle. Each aspect is identified as beautiful, which Jeffers redefines nature’s beauty as a beauty that shows no
“Fire in the City, Fire in the Canyons” by Al Martinez suggests …show more content…
The author references the fire as a “battle with the flames” and the “men fighting the fire as they would a war” (Nin 1). This highlights how powerful and destructive the fire is due to the comparisons of a war-like battle. She also expresses how the “fire grew immense, angry, and rushing at a speed” that “would rush along and suddenly leap over a road” (Nin 1). The use of personification towards the fire emphasizes how rapidly the fire was moving throughout the forest. When the fire was over, “January rains brought floods” that resulted in streets “covered with mud”(Nin 2). Nin was then asked to accompany a ranger to record the disasters. The author describes the event as “terrifying to see the muddled waters and rocks, the mountain disintegrating” (Nin 2). The words “terrifying” and “disintegrating” provides a visual image of the tragedy of nature’s destruction from the flood and fire. Nin later expresses how she was “laughing and scared too” when she notices that “the ranger is at ease in nature, and without fear” (Nin 2). This reveals a moment of realization that “it is easy to love nature” when it is peaceful “ but one must love it in it’s furies too” (Nin 2). Nin illustrates a vivid image of the forest fire and the aftermath of the disasters to eventually conclude that nature should be appreciated for …show more content…
The author begins the poem using figurative language in the following lines, “under the smoke in front of the roaring wave of the brush-fire; I thought of the smaller lives that were caught” (Jeffers 1). After describing the fire, the “thought of the smaller lives” (Jeffers 1) suggest that the use of figurative language displays a mental image of the less unfortunate animals seized in the flames. Jeffers then presents a paradox in the phrase “beauty is not always lovely” (Jeffers 1), which leads the audience in perceiving beauty in the scenery even with the fear and loss of the animal’s lives. Later on, the author illustrates a “insolent and gorged” (Jeffers 1) eagle lured by the “fire for his beater to drive the game” (Jeffers 1). The diction in the lines suggest a predatory and intimidating perspective on the eagle due to being drawn to the burned area of dead animals. This act represents the beauty in death and destruction even though the fire destroyed the forest, however, it was a beautiful sight to watch. When the fire killed the lives of animals, it brought the gift of new life, such as the eagle. Towards the ending of the poem, the author uses repetition of the word “merciless” (Jeffers) to describe the sky, the black hills and the eagle. Each aspect is identified as beautiful, which Jeffers redefines nature’s beauty as a beauty that shows no