What do you feel when you see a sunset? Warm, happy, amazed, awe-inspired? The sun rose yesterday, and will again tomorrow, and will again the day after that, it’s not as if the sunrise is a miraculous event, yet the emotions are visceral. It’s beautiful, and this strikes a deep, primal chord inside. John Berger attempts to unravel this mysterious attraction to beauty in his essay, “The White Bird”. The white bird in question is a small, wooden carving of a white bird, hung in the kitchens of certain cultures that experience long winters, such as the Haute Savoie region in France. According to Berger, the birds are an attempt to hold onto the fleeting beauty of nature, and a reminder of the spring to come. “Nature is energy and struggle. It …show more content…
Berger claims, “beauty is always an exception, always in despite of. This is why it moves us”, because there is rarely a glimpse of beauty in the harsh distain of nature, when there is a moment where the clouds clear and the sun peaks through, it moves us (82). Berger calls this the “aesthetic emotion”. It is difficult to explain in words, but is an emotion grounded deeply in all humans. Think about the sunrise, or a waterfall, or even something as simple as a flower. That warmth in your chest? That’s the aesthetic emotion. It is hope for a brighter future and, as the villagers who hang the white birds in their kitchens and chapels during long and cold winters; it is a reminder of summer and brighter days …show more content…
As a gay man who lived and died during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980’s, Morrisroe’s photography captures a moment of beauty and happiness during a time of pain and turmoil. One photograph in particular, Untitled (John S. and Jonathan) encapsulates this mood. Two men are clutched in a strong embrace, arms wrapped around each other, heads resting on chests and shoulders, and the tiniest hint of a smile, barely visible from behind a tangle of limbs. They are clearly close friends, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume the two are lovers. Either way, the two men are intimately familiar each other. The way the photo was taken appears as though it was taken in motion, taken just after the point of connection. Perhaps they ran at each other from across the room in joyous exuberance. This moment is made even more significant when the time period is considered. The way Berger describes nature as “fearsomely indifferent” can be applied to Morrisroe, HIV infected individuals regardless of age, sex, or ethnicity. The gay population was under attack from an enemy they didn’t understand, and consequently, thousands died. Morrisroe himself died from AIDS only four years after Untitled (John S. and Jonathan) was taken. His photograph is a beacon of light in the dark- proof happiness can still be found even in the darkest
Somehow I related to this painting at the moment. Looking back in the distance in the sky you see that there was a turbulent time. Saturday was such an awful morning. When backing up you see the bottom of the picture. The lush lively flowers show the bright side happy ending. This was my reminder that there is a calm after the storm just like in the picture.
...nging feeling. The longing feeling is not exclusive to the cherry blossoms, but can be subtly directed towards a person also. Spring brings beauty in the form of the cherry blossoms, but ends with a desire to see it again. Furthermore, life, whether human or natural, is not eternal. It will only go on for so long before it reaches an end. Each season only comes once a year, and everything associated with it will not return till the next year. As a result, the relatively short-lived life is regarded as a reason to appreciate every last bit of beauty in the season however minor or seemingly insignificant. Everything is taken into account and admired. Once it is gone, the only choice is to wait for it to return in a year. Throughout the seasonal sections of the Kokinshū, this connection between natural beauty and the human condition can be seen through the poetry.
The poem “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant reveals a very unusual aspect of nature. While most people think of nature as beauty and full of life, Bryant takes a more interesting approach to nature. He exposes a correlation between nature, life, death, and re-birth. Using nature as a foothold, Bryant exercises methods such as tone, setting, and imagery in a very intriguing way while writing “Thanatopsis.”
The sun has been an endless source of inspiration, both physical and spiritual, throughout the ages. For its light, warmth, and the essential role it has played in the maintenance of the fragile balance of life on earth, the sun has been honored and celebrated in most of the world's religions. While the regeneration of light is constant, the relative length of time between the rising and setting of the sun is affected by the changing of the seasons. Hippocrates postulated centuries ago that these changing patterns of light and dark might cause mood changes (9). Seasonal downward mood changes of late fall and winter have been the subject of many sorrowful turn-of-the-century poems of lost love and empty souls. For some, however, “the relationship between darkness and despair is more than metaphoric (6).
At other times, nature can be a source of solace for those who have suffered. Following the death of Gladys and Kate, Grainier looks to the horizon to seek comfort from his crushing loss. “All his life Robert Grainier would remember vividly the burned valley at sundown, the most dream-like business he’d ever witnessed waking – the brilliant pastels of the last light overhead, some clouds...
With imagery she provided a detailed visual of what that looks like, how it sounds and gave readers an understanding of what magic feels like. Finally, characters told the tale with ambiguity so that each and every member of the audience could relate and draw references to the people in their own lives. The poem perfectly unified beauty with basics, showing that true beauty does not always have to be elaborate. True beauty lies within the simplistic details, the character of those involved, the love that is felt and the goodness of mankind, that alone is magic. The theme that all moments are worthy of gratitude no matter how often they occur or how simple they appear is beautifully exemplified in the poem “Common Magic”.
John Updike’s poem “The Great Scarf of Birds” expresses the varying emotions the narrator experiences as he witnesses certain events from nature. His narration of the birds throughout the poem acts as numerous forms of imagery and symbolism concerning him and his life, and this becomes a recollection of the varying emotional stances he comes to terms with that he has experienced in his life. These changes are so gradually and powerfully expressed because of a fluent use of diction and figurative language, specifically symbolism and simile, and aided by organization.
The French 1884 oil on canvas painting The Song of the Lark by Jules-Adolphe Breton draws grasps a viewer’s attention. It draws an observer in by its intense but subtle subject matter and by the luminous sun in the background. Without the incandescent sun and the thoughtful look of the young woman, it would just be a bland earth-toned farm landscape. However, Breton understood what to add to his painting in order to give it drama that would instantly grab an onlooker’s interest.
There is beauty and there is beauty. The two are not mutually exclusive, but rather represent two poles on a continuum. At one pole is the beauty that is associated with a sense of lightness and balanced order. It has a faintly decorative quality to it. At the other extreme is the much darker form of beauty that we associate with profundity and truth. This latter form of beauty I will analyze in terms of the containment of the sublime. The distinction between these two extremes of beauty has less to do with the objects under consideration, whether a flower, a sunset, a poem, a painting, or a piece of music, than it does with the attitude of the considerer of the object. That is, anything that possesses beauty of the first kind can also be viewed as possessing beauty of the second kind, if the attention of the viewer is directed appropriately. The differential across the continuum is constituted by the degree of awareness of the element of the sublime in the beautiful.
Imagine someone looking to their right, and being met with the sight of a beautiful meadow, flowers swaying from the soft breeze of the clear blue sky, the sun shining brightly in the distance. Said someone widens their eyes, and concentrates hard on their surroundings, to the point where it feels like they’re one with nature. Now suddenly, the scene changes, as the person is now, this time around, turning to their left, and seeing a dark, gloomy, night sky, dead plants and birds littered across the dirty path ahead. Would they feel any different? Similar to this figurative situation, the short story “The Birds”, by Daphne du Maurier perfectly captures how the use of imagery affects human emotions. Her descriptive language regarding the weather,
Just like in the beginning exert of “A Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson, the author introduces suspense and invites readers in by first setting the scene of an ideal and perfect world where,”…all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings.” The scene the author is painting shows nature and humans coexisting together and this type of interaction brings an image of beauty and peace to mind. She also mentions that the country was especially famous for its abundant and various types of birds and makes several references to them throughout the story. Different types of birds carry a different symbolism each for example, the dove is a symbol for peace and friendship but a crow can signify that something terribly wrong is near.
In the poem by Joy Harjo called “Eagle Poem,” Harjo talks about prayer and life and how they revolve around mother-nature. She suggests that while being one with nature, we feel we are in a place in which we haven’t imagined and the things in which we would love to do in that magnificent and calming place. After one reads the poem, he/she enjoys the lyrical type of it. This is because “Eagle Poem” sticks to one idea and extends it throughout the entire poem. For instance, it talks about prayer, nature, and animals from start to finish.
By using the literal device of imagery Louise Mallard’s egocentric emotion is shown by the vivid description of nature. When Louise Mallard believes her husband is dead, she retrieves upstairs to the privacy of her room. When Louise enters the empty room she finds herself sinking into a comfortable chair facing an open window. Out the window, she sees "…the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air…and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves” (Chopin 236). Although the trees, plants, and growing life have always been there, for the first time, Louise just now realizes how alluring the scenery is. The brilliant descr...
Flourishing nature is most beauteous in areas which have not been maimed by the human race. The idea that spiritual and philosophical wellness can be found in nature is supported world-wide. Many different cultures use their eco-rich surroundings to become more spiritually/philosophically endowed. In the short story “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett there are two fundamental relationships with society and nature that reflect the author’s point of view in support of this idea. The first is a good example of how nature can positively affect the spiritual/philosophical wellness of a person through an appreciative, loving, and tolerant relationship (Sylvia). The second is a destructive, parasitic relationship that is only beneficial to one party (the hunter). Sylvia struggles with her loyalty to her own innocence and respect of nature because of the exciting new possibilities the hunter promises to her. I will elaborate on topics such as the nature of Sylvia’s relationships, the narrator’s point of view, and the writing style in the text to demonstrate an understanding of how the author saw the relationship of society and nature in “A White Heron”.
(HRSA) What was first thought of as a gay disease quickly became noted as a disease anyone could get through having unprotected sexual intercourse or receiving blood that was from a HIV positive individual had it not been for eighteen year old Ryan White a hemophiliac who contracted AIDS after a blood transfusion the stereotype that it is a “gay” disease would still live on. With widespread panic and the public not having much knowledge of the disease an epidemic swept across the world in the early 1980’s and still continues today. Through much research, public explanation, films, and songs the world quickly understood more about the disease and AIDS victims now are not persecuted as much. In the 90’s a few musicians decided to educate the world through their mus...