Abstract
The role of nature in contemporary poetry resounds in waves throughout periodic epochs in literature. The elements for expression in verse are weaved through inspiration derived from states of heightened perception and conveyed through imagistic landscapes as a parallel symbiosis within the physical and natural realms of existence. Contemporary civilization has navigated historical revolutions from industry to technology where the natural world remains resolute in a beauty graced by the spiritual hand of divinity yet scarred by sprawls of urban decay that campaign for ecological awareness.
The analysis delivered henceforth explores the thematic flow of nature as a source of inspiration against environmental distress where solace from nature as a panacea is challenged against the perils of technology and urbanization. The purpose within the scope of this thesis is towards establishing a harmony of coexistence where the role of poetry in contemporary literature exemplifies the voice for social responsibility. Structured within the framework of natural symphony towards environmental discord through the poetry of selected contemporary poets, is an examination of figurative devices in poetry towards a synthesis of the role of nature in contemporary literature.
Nature as a Panacea
An analysis of the role of nature in contemporary poetry will be rendered incomplete without a comparative introduction to the classic poet, William Wordsworth (1770–1850). Informed by his love for nature, Wordsworth’s thematic expressions of beauty and joy, reflective insights through internal dialogue and refreshing bursts of inspiration establish the foundation for the role of nature in contemporary poetry.
In The Penguin Short History of English Literature, Stephen Coote states:
“… the timeless mystery of sorrowful humanity and its radiant beauty … to birds and flowers reflect (an) intensity of response, the most famous of these being ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ … (as) perhaps the most anthologized poem in English Literature that takes the core of Wordsworth’s poetic beliefs.”
“… the vision of the daffodils is reflected by the poet’s ‘greater organic sensibility’. He has that power of imagination whereby he can relive such ‘spots of time’. For the true poet, the re-created memory of such deeply perceived scenes becomes an assurance of spiritual grace:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the daffodils.
Nature in contemporary poetry is perched by a poet such as Mary Oliver (1935–2019) who in her poem “Wild Geese” encourages solitude in nature through the appreciative evocation of observation:
Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
You do not have to be good
You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles
through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are
moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the
deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are
heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers
itself to your imagination,
rolls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Oliver’s “Wild Geese” is consolatory verse that offers nature as a panacea to “despair” and “loneliness”. The psychological angst that plagues contemporary society is kindled in nature for relief, reassurance, and the revival of the human spirit symbolically represented by birds in flight.
Nature Poetry as Protest
The campaign for ecological awareness through poetry is conveyed in the poem “Illusion” by Clive Blake (1954–).
Illusion by Clive Blake
Although Mother Nature
Has been raped and abused,
Her basic laws ignored,
So misread and confused,
Our living world remains
A most beautiful place,
A jewel that stands out
From the darkness of space,
Help her to recover;
Nurse her back to full health
For without her, how empty
The illusion of wealth.
In Blake’s poem, environmental consciousness and social responsibility towards preservation of the natural landscape is vocalized as outrage in words such as “raped and abused”, “ignored”, and “misread and confused”. Nature is portrayed in innocence, where the avarice of the assailant human’s quest for “wealth” is a mirage that exists in a vacuum.
An appeal for compassion is admonished through emphasis in the lines:
“Our living world remains
A beautiful place,” …
An ecological lens through poetry represents the role of nature in contemporary literature. The poet’s voice through protest advocates consciousness through awareness for the impact of climate change, deforestation, urban squalor, and pollution. The role of nature in contemporary poetry is illustrated and echoed in waves for revolutionary discourse sensitized to the perilous passage of economic development and expansion against the fragile spirit of survival for environmental conservation and social reform.
Figurative Devices in Poetry That Depict Nature
Vivid imagery and sensory language is evocative of poetic expression for the depiction of natural landscapes. Contemporary poets harness metaphor and symbolism to portray depth stitched within and between identity, culture, and the natural world.
Conclusion
Conclusively established, the role of nature in contemporary literature embodies a platform for ecological activism through poetic enlightenment. This harmonious symphony blends poetic verse as melody for a global chorus against environmental decay within the philosophical interior landscape that reflects the exterior world in nature.
References
- Coote, S. (1993). The Penguin Short History of English Literature. Penguin Books.
- Watershed Ecotherapy (n.d.). Eco-Poetry: Mary Oliver’s “Wild Geese”. Retrieved from https://www.watershedecotherapy.com/articles/for-everyone/eco-poetry-mary-olivers-wild-geese
Biography of the Author
Amazon’s description of Bilkis Moola is, “the poet with strong imagination (who) is able to create the song of the soul”. With three collections of poetry, “Wounds and Wings: A Lyrical Salve Through Metaphor”, “Ebb and Flow of Love” and “Footsteps in Shadows”; Bilkis Moola has distinguished the international poetic arena as recipient of the Writers Capital International Foundation, Panorama International Literary Festival 2024: “Lifetime Achievement Award: Global Icon”. An expansive career as an Educationist, Bilkis Moola is an acclaimed poet who has presently commenced post-graduate studies in English.