Turtle Island Poems 3
In the poem No Matter, Never Mind, Snyder is giving his opinion on the way people should think. The poem is a lineage of the mind, with its parents being the Great Mother and Matter. With the Great Mother referring to a "Mother Nature" or "Mother Earth" type figure, Snyder is trying to say that the mind was developed to understand that nature matters and should be thought of often. This poem lets the reader know that people are not thinking as they were designed to, and should revert to the ways of thinking that are valuable to the sustaining of the environment.
In the poem Control Burn, Snyder writes of the Indians that would burn the forest every year to keep the brush and grasses under control. As the poem progresses, Snyder discusses how the brush is overgrown, and logs and grasses clutter under the trees, creating a fire hazard. He wishes that he could burn the clutter to prevent the whole forest from catching on fire and being completely destroyed. He praises the Indians and longs for the days "Before." Control Burn shows how even when resources are not exploited, they can still be neglected, when can be just as detrimental to the rest of the surrounding environment.
In Prayer For The Great Family, Snyder praises Mother Earth, the Great Sky, and the plants, animals, air, water, and sun for existing and enriching the lives of people. At the end of every stanza except for the final one, Snyder ends by saying, "in our minds so be it." Humans should be grateful for the Earth and all of its natural contributions to life. Gratitude should be shown through human actions of conservation and respect of the environment.
In the poem Control Burn, Snyder writes of the Indians that would burn the forest every year to keep the brush and grasses under control. As the poem progresses, Snyder discusses how the brush is overgrown, and logs and grasses clutter under the trees, creating a fire hazard. He wishes that he could burn the clutter to prevent the whole forest from catching on fire and being completely destroyed. He praises the Indians and longs for the days "Before." Control Burn shows how even when resources are not exploited, they can still be neglected, when can be just as detrimental to the rest of the surrounding environment.
In Prayer For The Great Family, Snyder praises Mother Earth, the Great Sky, and the plants, animals, air, water, and sun for existing and enriching the lives of people. At the end of every stanza except for the final one, Snyder ends by saying, "in our minds so be it." Humans should be grateful for the Earth and all of its natural contributions to life. Gratitude should be shown through human actions of conservation and respect of the environment.
Each of Alexis' three poems can be related to bioregion and how humans are currently not being as cautious as they should, or as they were in the past to the careful balance between humans and nature. Also, in the analysis and description of "Control Burn", it could be argued that the overgrown brush and clutter under the trees symbolize the overpopulated planet and the abundance of technology juxtaposed to the lack of concern towards the environment.
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