Throughout the Romantic Era, literature, particularly poetry, began to encaptivate the sublime within nature and poets were drawn to vivid and imaginative descriptions of the natural world. Following this period of innovation, Emily Dickinson arose and through a distinctive meter and form, took continued to integrate ideas of nature into poetry. Dickinson took a more realist approach and wrote with a unique individuality which while unpopular at the time, now stands as some of America’s most celebrated poetry. Mary Oliver, a renowned contemporary poet weaves similar themes of love, hope, immortality, and religion with flora and fauna imagery through minimalistic, free-verse poetry. Her free-verses largely resemble Dickinson’s brief yet moving
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In one of her most widely quoted lines, Oliver states, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life”(“The Summer Day” 18-19)? Oliver contrasts the physical wilderness with the innate wild spirit of humans. She blurs the line separating human beings from other animals, challenging the human-held belief that man is above other animals in the social hierarchy. For Oliver, a connection with nature remains a spiritual experience and in the final rhetorical question she rouses the emotions of her reader, directly calling them to action. She disputes the traditional anthropocentric belief and instead, suggests that humans will find happiness by embracing their animal-like primitive state. Through the personification of a lonesome female grasshopper, she implies that the insect seems to understand her place in the world, therefore humans must follow the example of animals and nature in the world around them. Observing and following the example of animals free from technology, politics, and general societal expectations allows humans to …show more content…
Dickinson describes a “happy” stone, carefree of careers and fears, instead feeling a general sense of freedom and independence. This personification of a stone as an independent being juxtaposes the reality that many humans face in which they feel oppressed by societal pressures and expectations. Humans may wistfully envy the simplicity of the life of a stone and while Dickinson describes this sense of jealousy, she also suggests that independence is an inherent trait present in everything in the natural world, including humans. Humans are not unlike freethinking stones in that both crave a sense of freedom and autonomy, however, humans must learn to move beyond the pressures of society to live a fast-paced, competitive life of unfulfilling careers, instead seeking a more relaxed life and finding comfort in this desire. The irony of a person envying a stone reflects the aberration of the human world. Humans inherent self-interest and desire for order plagues mankind, and instead, true happiness stems from a minimalistic outlook on life. This simplicity exists in the natural world, therefore humans must seek out harmony in nature, modeling their lives off
In one of her most widely quoted lines, Oliver states, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life”(“The Summer Day” 18-19)? Oliver contrasts the physical wilderness with the innate wild spirit of humans. She blurs the line separating human beings from other animals, challenging the human-held belief that man is above other animals in the social hierarchy. For Oliver, a connection with nature remains a spiritual experience and in the final rhetorical question she rouses the emotions of her reader, directly calling them to action. She disputes the traditional anthropocentric belief and instead, suggests that humans will find happiness by embracing their animal-like primitive state. Through the personification of a lonesome female grasshopper, she implies that the insect seems to understand her place in the world, therefore humans must follow the example of animals and nature in the world around them. Observing and following the example of animals free from technology, politics, and general societal expectations allows humans to …show more content…
Dickinson describes a “happy” stone, carefree of careers and fears, instead feeling a general sense of freedom and independence. This personification of a stone as an independent being juxtaposes the reality that many humans face in which they feel oppressed by societal pressures and expectations. Humans may wistfully envy the simplicity of the life of a stone and while Dickinson describes this sense of jealousy, she also suggests that independence is an inherent trait present in everything in the natural world, including humans. Humans are not unlike freethinking stones in that both crave a sense of freedom and autonomy, however, humans must learn to move beyond the pressures of society to live a fast-paced, competitive life of unfulfilling careers, instead seeking a more relaxed life and finding comfort in this desire. The irony of a person envying a stone reflects the aberration of the human world. Humans inherent self-interest and desire for order plagues mankind, and instead, true happiness stems from a minimalistic outlook on life. This simplicity exists in the natural world, therefore humans must seek out harmony in nature, modeling their lives off