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Essays on death in literature
Themes about death
Themes about death
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The short narrative Lady of Nature explores the complex issues and themes present in Canadian literature. The specific issues that were given focus include: the environment as a dominant force in North American literature, the relationship between identity and the environment, surviving but not thriving in the Canadian north, the gulf between man and woman and the concept of death and dying. The environment is a great cliché in Canadian literature, often serving as a fundamental motif. It is not only limited to the physical setting but extends deeper, serving a metaphorical role and giving insight into the social and mental mindsets of characters and society. This is often exhibited through the theme of romanticised isolation, which is no doubt a consequence of the post-romantic trend to focus on the sublime and picturesque. This theme explored in the text Idyll of the Island by Susie Frances Harrison, where a man is seemingly bewitched by his surroundings; “But the cool northern isle, with its dark fringe of pines; its wonderful moss, its fragrant and dewy ferns, its graceful sumachs, just putting on their …show more content…
However due to the physical, social and emotionally isolated nature of the setting, it can be deduced that the character has indeed romanticised the events. The theme of romanticised isolation, and nature as the dominant and driving force, served as key concepts for the creative response. The title itself is symbolic, denoting that the protagonist is a part of nature; it is inextricably bound to her identity. This is a stark contrast to her attitude in the beginning of the novel in which her hatred for nature becomes obvious. The power of nature transforms her into a tree, and she becomes socially and mentally isolated. However as the narrative progresses her outlook changes. She begins to accept her state, and develops empathy for nature, which inevitably drives her to romanticise about
In Mark Fiege’s book “The Republic of Nature,” the author embarks on an elaborate, yet eloquent quest to chronicle pivotal points in American history from an environmental perspective. This scholarly work composed by Fiege details the environmental perspective of American history by focusing on nine key moments showing how nature is very much entrenched in the fibers that manifested this great nation. The author sheds light on the forces that shape the lands of America and humanities desire to master and manipulate nature, while the human individual experience is dictated by the cycles that govern nature. The story of the human experience unfolds in Mark Fiege’s book through history’s actors and their challenges amongst an array of environmental possibilities, which led to nature being the deciding factor on how
themes · The roots of gender; the individual's struggle against society; the unpredictability of nature
The fundamental characteristic of magical realism is its duality, which enables the reader to experience both the character’s past and the present. In the novel, Monkey Beach, Eden Robinson uses this literary device to address the the trauma and mistreatment of the Haisla community in Canada by unveiling the intimate memories of the protagonist, Lisamarie, and the resulting consequences of this oppression. Monkey Beach illustrates how abuse in the past leads to another form of self-medication in the future - a neverending, vicious cycle for the members of the Haisla community. Many characters in Monkey Beach are scarred from childhood sexual abuse and family neglect, and resort to drug and alcohol abuse as a coping mechanism. These appalling memories are an account of the impact of colonization on the Haisla territory which continues to haunt the Aboriginal community throughout generations.
In literature nature can symbolize the healing and restoration of the mind and body. When they wander into nature, it provides an escape from reality and their internal conflict. For instance, Victor retires to serenity of the lake by his house in Belrive because the guilt of knowing that his creation holds responsibility of the death of Justine Moritz overwhelms him. He sails a boat out by letting the wind take over and lets the peacefulness and beauty of the lake envelop him. In the beginning memories of the Creature, he does not understand his surroundings and experiences a wave of confusion as new sensations overwhelm him. The time he spends in the forest, near Ingolstadt, allows him to calm his emotions and gain an understanding of the world around him. For example, he learns that fire provides warmth from the cold, identifies the noises of nature, and discovers new objects in each different environment. Both of these examples confirm that nature has its own form of medicine to a person’s body and mind. Overall these experiences in the wilderness constitute as a remedy for their inner struggles which allows them to clear the
The theme throughout the poetry collection is the emotion of melancholy and the speaker speaking with a wise and philosophical tone. She has also used the repetition of nature and religion-based implications in her poems. Most of the poem titles is named after a specific plant because it fits in the meaning of her entire poem collection. The title of the poems hold symbolism because of the flower language. You can constantly see the cycle of rebirth through the beautiful description of a nonphysical form of a soul and develop into beautiful flowers in her garden. The vivid imagery of the flowers by describing the color and the personification of these living beings. She is also trying to explore the relationship between humans and their god. The poet is a gardener who tends to the flower and she prefer the flowers in her garden over her god, “knowing nothing of the
Setting, a major gothic element, can play an important role in a story, including impacting a character’s behavior. For instance, the protagonist of the story, whose name is not mentioned, describes how she gets, “... a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf belonging to the estate. There is a beautiful shaded lane that runs down there from the house (3)”. The location of the house in the story implies that since it is an estate, it consists of a bigger area of land, meaning it is possibly farther away from the town. Being away from others and confined to the estate causes the narrator to the feel isolated. Additionally, the feeling of isolation intensifies when John, the protagonist’s husband, suggests that his wife resides in the nursery.
Wendell Berry and Fredrick Turner’s Views on Human Relationships with Nature. Many of the readings that we have studied in class have discussed the idea of human beings and our relationships with nature. The different authors we’ve studied and the works we’ve analyzed share different views on this relationship – a very interesting aspect to study. Human relationships with nature are truly timeless – nature can have the same effects on humans now as it did millions of years ago.
Both “The Clan of One-Breasted Women” and “An Entrance to the Woods,” gives a viewpoint on the human relationship with nature. Terry Tempest Williams critizes man for being ruthless when it comes to nature and other humans. Wendell Berry believes similarly the same thing. He believes that man needs nature just as much as they need civilization. However, regardless of the differences, both writers offer an insightful perspective on the forever changing relationship between man and nature. And this relationship is, and always will be, changing.
When reading the novel The Scarlet Letter, one cannot help but notice the overwhelming themes of nature, specifically those relating to the forest. In the novel, nature acts as the antithesis of the strict Puritanical society, because there are no human laws that govern over it. In the forest, Hester is able to talk to Dimmesdale without fear of anyone finding out that he is the father of Pearl, but in town the two must not even look at one another for fear of someone suspecting anything. Hester and Dimmesdale are not the only two affected by the woods - Pearl is also thought of by the reader as a “Child of the Forest.” Not only is nature used as a symbol in The Scarlet Letter, but parallels can be drawn to other books of the same general
In this poem, nature is not just the wilderness, but something much deeper. Nature in this poem can be a symbol to humans hearts. Before technology consumed the world people were much more likely to wonder and enjoy the presence of nature. The human heart was satisfied as it was filled with the awe of nature. However, when technology and money became a central focus on humans lives, the heart of man turned away from nature. Nature can be symbolized as the heart of man, but now the human heart is focused on success and money.
I am a psychology student with an English minor. While the combination seems odd at first glance, the two studies actually compliment each other quite nicely. I have always been fascinated by the way in which writing can reflect the inner workings of an author's mind, by the way it effects the reader in such a profound, defamiliarizing way, as well as by the way that it can be used to explore the many facets of human nature in a much more effective way than any research study. Because of this thought process I have been particularly interested in several of the poets that we have looked at and their exploration of the effects of the forces of imagination and sensual perception on their perception of nature. The debate over how much of our personal experience is based upon what we see and hear and how much is based on what we feel and believe is long standing and crosses many fields of study, psychology being only one of them. William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey", Percy Shelley's "Mont Blanc" and to an extent Samuel Coleridge's "Chamouny: the Hour Before Sunrise" all represent different stances on the issue and therefore aid the reader in exploring the effects of perception and of imagination on experience.
Naturalist' is about the end of his love for nature and the end of him
Woolf, therefore, takes advantage of the lyrical short stories’ structure to create a liminal space that both breaks through barriers to form a unified, impressionistic world and to emphasize the imposing negative aspects of such a transitory structure. As a result, Woolf prompts the reader to question whether the liminal space created within the short story is positive in its ability to unite nature and human or negative in its apparent unsustainability. Regardless, the form and structure of the short story are pivotal in Kew Gardens. Without the liminal space of the short story, it is questionable if Woolf could have succeeded in creating the unstable, yet peaceful, world in Kew Gardens.
Nature is often a focal point for many author’s works, whether it is expressed through lyrics, short stories, or poetry. Authors are given a cornucopia of pictures and descriptions of nature’s splendor that they can reproduce through words. It is because of this that more often than not a reader is faced with multiple approaches and descriptions to the way nature is portrayed. Some authors tend to look at nature from a deeper and personal observation as in William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, while other authors tend to focus on a more religious beauty within nature as show in Gerard Manley Hopkins “Pied Beauty”, suggesting to the reader that while to each their own there is always a beauty to be found in nature and nature’s beauty can be uplifting for the human spirit both on a visual and spiritual level.
Ecocriticism asserts that humans are “peoples of 'place'” (Bressler 231), our lives defined by the environment that we inhabit and the necessities of survival that are dictated by nature. The more we recognize this innate and deep connection—for example, through the reading and analyzing of the nature-human dynamic in literature—the stronger and healthier this relationship will become. We as humans will recognize our dependence on the earth instead of our dominance over it; we will recognize ourselves as “guardians” and learn how to better appreciate and protect the environment for future generations of authors and poets to continue to explore.