JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS

ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 19, 2020 ENVIRONMENTAL ESPOUSAL: A STUDY ON THE SELECT POEMS OF GARY SNYDER

Dr. R. Vijaya

Assistant Professor Department of English and Foreign Languages Mother Teresa Women’s University Kodaikanal

ABSTRACT: The study of environment is known as . The main motto of the ecological writer is to make the people realise that the Earth is losing its health owing to man’s mistake and they should not separate themselves from nature and this becomes the main idea in Gray Snyder’s writings. The main objective of this study is to understand Gary Snyder’s support for the environment and his concept on viewing man and nature in one dimension. As a writer, he is very much concerned about the ecological issues the world is facing. He believes that through language the importance and value of environment can be instilled in the minds of people. He is not only an important writer who ponders about the environmental issues, but also has prototype view for modern environmental activism. He strives with his writings to redefine the ways in which nature is popularly professed.

KEYWORDS: ecology, ecological, contemplated, prototype, environmental activism

I. INTRODUCTION

According to the life cycle of the environment all living organism is inter connected with one another. The study of environment is known as ecology. Environment is polluted in so many ways in the present scenario and as said by William Faulkner in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech it’s become the duty of the young writers to represent the problems in their writings. Eco-criticism investigates the relation between humans and natural world in literature. It deals with how environmental issues, cultural issues concerning the environment and attitudes towards nature are presented and analysed. One of the main goals in eco-criticism is to study how individuals in society behave and react in relation to nature and ecological aspects. This form of criticism has gained a lot of attention during recent years due to higher social emphasis on environmental destruction and increased technology. It is hence a fresh way of analysing and interpreting literary texts, which brings new dimensions to the field of literary and theoretical studies. Eco-criticism is an intentionally broad approach that is known by a number of other designations, including “green (cultural) studies”, “eco-poetics”, and “environmental literary criticism.” The study of Literature and environmental consciousness is an interdisciplinary study termed as Eco-criticism. The main motto of the ecological writer is to make the people realise that Earth is losing its health owing to man’s mistake and they should not separate themselves from nature and this becomes the main idea in Gray Snyder’s writings. As a writer, he is very much concerned about the ecological crises the world is facing. He believes that through language the importance and value of environment can be instilled in the minds of people. He is not only an important writer who ponders about the environmental issues, but also has prototype view for modern environmental activism. He strives with his writings to redefine the ways in which nature is popularly professed.

II. ECO-CRITICISM AND ITS DEFINITION

William Rueckert becomes the first person to coin the word Eco-criticism, in his essay “Literature and Ecology: An Experiment in Eco-criticism”. The study of ecology has not taken its gear in the beginning of nineteenth century but later it has been accelerated by all the academics. The study on eco-criticism and literature has dissolved the national boundaries. In defining eco-criticism people may have different aims and objectives but everyone is concentrated with the environmental degradation. The scholar feels that the study cannot be undertaken without ample knowledge of today’s environmental predicaments, and thus, it is not out of place to oversee few views of pioneers on eco-criticism. Glotfelty describes that relationship between literature and the physical environment and Laurence Buell has said that the study should be conducted in a spirit of commitment to environmentalist praxis. David Mazel still affirms it as the analysis of literature “as though nature mattered.” The subject has widened its scope and established as a recognizable discipline within literature departments of American Universities. The term eco-criticism may be novice but the field of its study goes back to centuries where eminent writers have written enormous about environment in their works.

2404

JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS

ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 19, 2020

About the author Gary Snyder born on 8 May 1930, is American man well known as poet and environmental activist with anarchoprimitivist leanings. He can be compared with the poet laureate Wordsworth for his deep ecological insights in his poems. He has been awarded with Pulitzer Prize for and also with American Book Award. All his works have multi-faced themes which reflect an immersion in both Buddhist spirituality and nature. The author and editor, Stewart Brand has mentioned that Gary Snyder’s poetry has addressed the life- planet identification with unusual simplicity of style and complexity of effect (“Gary Snyder and Environmental Activism” web source). Jody Norton has pointed out that Snyder has got the simplicity and complexity by using natural imagery in his poems. His simple lines may have complex meaning which touch multiple levels of the society (“Gary Snyder and Environmental Activism” web source). As a writer, he has a great concern for the ecological issues that are threatening the human species. In his poetry he is condemning the generations of unenthusiastic thinking and deed directed toward the environment. By changing the way people think about the natural world, one can also change the way they act. Therefore, by studying Snyder's poetry, humans discover a new way of interacting with the environment. Snyder can be called as a Buddhist and an environmentalist who has been combining religion and environmentalism in his writing for more than five decades. He says both men and nature are one and they cannot be separated. Snyder's poetry, religious beliefs, and his activism are all related. Objective of the Study The main objective of this study is to understand Gary Snyder’s support for the environment and his concept on viewing man and nature in one dimension. Along with Gary Snyder, Mary Oliver, W.S. Merwin, and Wendell Berry supported nature and have dealt with ecological and environmental crises which profess the importance of green study in the current situation. Approach of the Study To understand the ecological views of the Snyder and his poems Bryson’s ideas in his “Introduction” to the text “Ecopoetry: A Critical Introduction” is applied in this study. Bryson has given three important qualities to characterize eco-poetry: i. An importance on keeping up an eco-centric viewpoint that perceives reliant idea of the humankind; such a point of view prompts a commitment to explicit spots and to the land itself; alongside those animals that offer it with mankind. ii. A basic towards lowliness involved with both human and nonhuman nature. Aggrandizement of individual ego which is inherent in romanticism is absent in eco-poetry. iii. An extreme wariness concerning hyper-discernment, a distrust that generally prompts an arraignment of an over mechanical present day world and an admonition concerning the genuine potential for natural calamity. (Ecopoetry: A Critical Introduction 7) Environmental Espousal “Piute Creek” is one of the earlier sonnets of Snyder connecting to his originally distributed volume Riprap and Cold Mountain. “Piute Creek” is a river with bed of stones rather than sand. It flows in California. Through the poem the poet seeks solace from nature. Generally speaking, people love to enjoy flow of river with sand because it is tuff to walk on the rocky surface of the river side. Snyder extravagantly supports nature, so he emphasizes the importance of rocks. The poetic lines compare the rocks with the character of human being. As a writer of nature he is able to enjoy both rock’s and water’s beauty equally. He says that rock is unchangeable, fixed and powerful which signifies importance of being stable in life. One granite ridge A tree, would be enough Or even a rock, a small creek, A bark shred in a pool. Hill beyond hill, folded and twisted Tough trees crammed In thin stone fracture A huge moon on it all, is too much. The mind wanders. (1-9) The rocks do not look appealing or lovely on account of their hard and coarse structure, and most people do not love rock but rocks are there in nature. The lyric pictures the reality of rock as well how Snyder genuinely brings out his psyche in reflection of Buddhist faith and belief. According to Buddhism, man cannot exist without nature and God is also nature. The writer has written this poem giving importance to rock and emphasising the truth that mountains would not exist without rivers and rivers would not exist without mountains. He uses the word junk in the line which indicates the negative ideas and living ways of human beings and also says that junk will go with human being which gives the reader that nature will always be

2405

JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS

ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 19, 2020 crystal clear. It will not have any kind of practicality towards the human. It will give all the needy things to man equally. All the junk that goes with being human Drops away, hard rock present seems to fail This bubble of a heart. Words and books Like a small creek off a high ledge Gone in the dry air. A clear, attentive mind Has no meaning but that Which sees is truly seen. No one loves rock, yet we are here. (12-22) The poem “Old Woman Nature” taken for the study characterizes the writer’s views and love for nature. The poem becomes a lesson to people, how to face life? The world of nature does not act upon human’s expectations, but everything happens in the rotation of the world. People should accept that things happen for a reason and nature tells this message to the whole world through this poem. Old Woman Nature Naturally has a bag of bones Tucked away somewhere. a whole room full of bones! A scattering of hair and cartilage Bits in the woods. A fox scat with hair and a tooth in it. a shellmound a bone flake in a streambank. A purring cat, crunching The mouse head first, Eating on down toward the tail— The sweet old woman Calmly gathering firewood in the Moon... Don’t be shocked, She’s heating you some soup. (1-17) The poet gives treat to vision as well as to the ears through the words “a whole room full of bones! A purring of cat, crunching the mouse head first” It also says that the world is mixer of both evil and good. He at last personifies Nature as old woman who is sweet and calm without taking any response gathering firewood in the moon. Nature always does its work without partiality and expectations. This poem becomes an example of Beat poetry because it talks about the randomness of life and not on the structure of poetry. “By Frazier Creek Falls” is a simple poem in which the writer stands on the rock of the valley: Standing up on lifted, folded rock/ looking out and down—/ The creek falls to a far valley/ hills beyond that/ facing, half-forested, dry/—clear sky. He is able to enjoy the beauty of nature and the last two lines give clear vision of the writer that how he is for nature. He says that by living along with nature people can have complete life. Materialistic attachment towards anything degrades the actual nature of man as a species. He calls the earth as flowering land which has all the things which man needs to survive: This living flowing land/ is all there is, forever / We are it / it sings through us—/ We could live on this Earth / without clothes or tools! So gadgets and costumes are artificial which detach human species from the world of nature which is his habitat. The next poem “Getting in the Wood” brings out the self centred attitude of human being in cutting woods. Before cutting down the trees people should think that they have done and given so much good things to humans and the environment. When people cut trees, ants are the first living creatures that show the first protest, but the hard mind of the cutter ignoring the voice or cry of the small insects simply crushes all the ants, and cuts the trees into pieces and destroys generations’ history which the oak tree is holding for years. When trees are cut down the ants living under the trees rushing toward safety place is pictured through the lines: Lifting quarters of rounds / Covered with ants, / “a living glove of ants upon my hand” (3-4).

In “Cutting Edges” Snyder utilizes solid symbolism to express his dissent against the misuse of nature. He thinks, it is his duty to say that deforestation is an inhuman activity and he is very much furious about it. He requests people to comprehend the mistake they are doing to nature.

2406

JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS

ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 19, 2020 III. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION

As an environmentalist Snyder wants to change men’s attitude towards nature from ego- consciousness to eco-consciousness, so he is ready to battle against antagonistic thoughts towards nature. He does not stop with writing poems he also practices what he has preached to everyone. The poems taken for the study insist how the writer has seen nature and also how he has comfort from nature. The solace the nature gives cannot be given by any materials. Snyder’s works taken for the study has attempted to change the demeanour of the human beings towards nature. People should amend their lifestyle to save nature for nature’s sake; the rest will be taken care of by nature itself.

IV. REFERENCES

[1] Barry, Peter. “, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. Manchester and New York: Manchester UV Press, 2009. [2] Bryson, J Scott. “Introduction” Ecopoetry: A Critical Introduction. Salt Lake City: The U of Utah P, 2002. [3] Dr. Sharma, Vipin. “Quintessence of Eco criticism in Emerson’s Works” (2015) https://www.academia.edu/30496162/Quintessence_of_Ecocriticism_in_Emersons_Works?email_wor k_card=view-paper. [4] Earle, Jamelah. “Gary Snyder and Environmental Activism” June 22nd, 2003, from https://www.litkicks.com/GarySnyderEnvironment. [5] Glotfelty, Cheryll and Herold Fromm. Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. London: Georgia UP, 1996. [6] Snyder, Gary. (2020, June 24). Poetry Foundation. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from poetryfoundation.com:http://www.poetryfoundation.garysnyderpoems.com [7] Steuding, Bob. Gary Snyder. Boston: G.K.Hall, 1976.

2407