The Natural World Poetry
The poems found in the “Natural World” cluster are bold. They are so brutally honest that they are easily understood. Despite the different techniques used, all of the poems in this cluster relate to one major pattern: exposing the issues of human perception of nature.
One major theme that arises in this poetry cluster is human relationship with nature, and the majority of the poems are steeped in cultural criticism. One poem, “Bird Song Interpreted” by Tom Disch uses rich dialect and apostrophe to make its point that humans ruin ecosystems with their intrusions. Disch drives this argument on by making the bird speak to the reader in dialect. He makes the bird sound uneducated with statements like “‘Scuse Me… Didja hear what I said?” (lines 1-2) and “Vamoose! Amscray!” (line 3). This use of dialect shows that humans often perceive nature as inferior to humanity. Another technique Disch uses is apostrophe; the bird directly addresses the reader with statements like “Everything was hunky-dory / Till you disturbed the eco-balance” (lines 4-5). This further shows humans are constantly interfering with nature by directly addressing the reader.
Another poem that criticises humans’ relationship with nature is “Dead Armadillos” by Gail White. White uses metaphors and writes an epigram poem to highlight the problem with humans and their perception of what deserves to be protected in nature. Using the metaphor “small blind knights / in armor” to describe the armadillos makes them seem to be brave and noble creatures who are a bit foolish (lines 9-10). White uses the metaphor to show that armadillos may seem insignificant but they are living creatures and they deserve attention. An example of how White’s poem is an epigram can be found in the end of the poem where she says “There are too /… many Armadillos, and beauty, / like money, is worth more when it’s scarce” (lines 13-15). Here, White sounds sarcastic and disappointed with humans’ lack of concern for the armadillos. Overall, these two poems address man’s relationship to nature as a broken one since humans often have a twisted view of nature.
Ultimately, the poems in this cluster clearly show that human perception of nature is unfortunately skewed. The poems do not shy away from the truth but embrace it, chasten it, and hope readers will too.
