Escapism's The Strawberry Battlefield

Accordingly, the nature was one of the Romantic themes adored by numerous readers during this era. The author’s description of untamed environment and striking sight inspires and impresses the readers. Soothing and relaxing people through these illustrations, author takes them away from the impersonal society. For example, The Most Sublime Spectacle on Earth by John Wesley Powell vividly displays the spectacular views of Grand Canyon to make readers forget the depraved reality. “The carving of the Grand Canyon is the work of rains and rivers,” Powell stresses that Grand Canyon is the splendid work of nature, not the artificial work of

The author of “Chickamauga,” Ambrose Bierce, created this short story as a naturalist visualization of the devastating effects that wars and battles had on the soldiers which fought in them. The short story “Chickamauga” is defined as naturalist literature because of the author’s employment of specific literary techniques which define naturalism, such as the way the author gradually darkens the mood of the storyline as it progresses, the amount of description and attention paid to grisly and macabre details that shed wars in a whole new light, as well as the unfolding nature of the main character as the story

Cole has no restrain in describing the beauty of all the elements found in the American scenery. He talks about the mountains, the sky, the streams, the sunset, waterfalls, all of which are overflowing in richness, full of magnificence, and unsurpassed by any other. For Cole the scenery and nature are subjects which must be present in the souls of every American. While he considers himself and even others underserving of “such a birthright”, he is thankful for the beauties given to us by nature. Cole suggests to his audience that the reason behind him painting natural scenes relates to the experiencing of a particular emotional response while doing so. This is a response which can only be compared to a “calm religious tone”, full of “tranquility and peace.” Witnessing the beauties of the American scenery, anywhere one goes, makes one realize how “the sublime and beautiful are bound together in an indissoluble chain. In gazing on it we feel as though a great void had been filled in our minds.” Cole places great emphasis on the importance for all members of society to learn how to cultivate “a taste for scenery.” This can be achieved by appreciating the physical beauty of nature and the ability of said beauty to provide mankind with a different perspective about life and with

In the essay, “A Literature of Place”, Barry Lopez expresses the importance of nature as it applies to human life. Through this he states that humans’ imagination are inspired by the scenery around them. Lopez revolves around a central perspective; Ancient american literature has always been rooted in nature. By acknowledging that modern human identity has been interpreted by nature, Lopez describes how the landscape of an area can shape the structure of the communities and how it can help with spiritual collapse. Nature writing has often been summarised by being one of the oldest threads in american literature. With our nation's aging one needs to reflect on their literary past; therefore, Lopez insists that we find our path to nature that

While reading “The Raid” by Leo Tolstoy, one is instantly struck by the strong contrast between the peaceful nature scenes and the violent battle scenes. One minute the sounds of crickets and frogs are charmingly echoing through the night, and the next you can hear the “clang of a heavy gun” and the “sound of bayonets touching one another” (Tolstoy 20). In one scene, the generals and majors stand watching the gory battle below, yet they continue to discuss the beautiful nature around them as if nothing else could possibly be worth their attention (Tolstoy 25). However, upon closer readings, it becomes evident that the war and nature scenes are not as separate as they seem. As the story progresses, the two begin to weave together, until distinguishing them is nearly impossible. Indeed, this subtly merger can be seen throughout multiple scenes as the story evolves.

Berry’s mention of the farmer and an understanding of his farm is a constant theme in this essay. Agriculture, a distribution of products born from the earth and its entrance into our bodies as nourishment, describes an interdependence. The development of highways, industry, and daily routine of work and obligation, has caused a romanticization of wilderness. High mountain tops and deep forests are sold as “scenic.” Berry reminds the reader that wilderness had once bred communities and civilization, and that by direct use of the land, we are taught to respect and surrender to it. But by invention of skyscrapers, airplanes, we are able to sit higher than these mountain tops and this is his first representation of disconnect from Creation. Mechanical invention leads one to parallel themselves with godliness, magnifying self worth and a sense of significance. What is misunderstood is that through this magnification, because there is no control or limit, we “raise higher the cloud of megadeath.” Our significance is not proved by the weight of our material wealth, rather

illusion, a life where television is one’s reality. This is how life is represented in Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, in which a society has changed into

Both William Wordsworth and John Muir use imagery to express their relationships with nature. In paragraph two of The Calypso Borealis, Muir describes the environmental obstacles he encounters when he sets off to find the elusive flower: “fording streams more and more difficult to cross and wading bogs and swamps that seemed more and more extensive and more difficult to force one's way through.” Muir’s choice of words helps the reader imagine how difficult and harsh the environment was as

In the city of Las Vegas, people go through the daily trails and tribulations that the city has to offer. People constantly on the go, worried about the collection of money, pollution filling our lungs and tackled with the constant worries of reality. Being in the city, it seems as there is no escape from the madness that is being offered. Surrounded by the man made building and artificial light that illuminates the struggle of these streets. Although, there is a place that offers freedom about fifteen minutes away from the cities madness. A place where the air is fresh, a place where gargantuan rocks act as buildings, a place where the sun, moon and stars are the source of light and a place that provides freedom from the worries of the city. This center of nature providing freedom from the busy city life is Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon as a space has a rhetorical significance as a location of freedom from city life with the multitude of space it provides. Red Rock Canyon serves as an example of space and place in rhetoric and also creates ties to visual rhetoric with the unique scenery and imagery being offered. In addition aspects of memory such as cultural memory and public memory can be connected to Red Rock.

The beauty and tranquillity of the sanctuary explores the uniqueness and innocence of human life. This is achieved by relating the environment with vivid visual imagery, such as describing the swamp as “tobacco brown” (1) and the “flocks of” birds “flitting over the wet light” of the ocean (2). This imagery conveys the beauty of an individual’s life, through Jim Saddler, as he becomes very attached to the landscape. Aside from the “birds of prey” (1), the sanctuary is an apparently perfect place leaving Jim in “state of dangerous innocence”(100) as it shelters him from the violence and horrors of war, symbolised by the

Page 1: Sensory Imagery- The first several sentences of the book give the reader a very descript vision of the scenery.

While modern day television programs contain enjoyable or unrealistic material that makes the viewer seem like he/she is actually doing it in real life without having to lift a finger, they have transformed most modern day Americans into lazy technology absorbed individuals. In "The Worst Years Of Our Lives", Barbara Ehrenreich makes it evident that our modern day televisions do not correctly portray the negative transformation of the American people through her use of comparisons, descriptive details, and figurative language. Ehrenreich notes that these fantasy-driven activities (chasing fast cars, drinking lite beer, shooting each other at close range, etc.) give the illusion that the viewers are actually performing these tasks in real life without having to actually give

Critical Analysis #3 “The Loss of the Creature” by Walter Percy is about his views and beliefs on whether or not everyone receives the same experience from visiting a new place. The author believes that no one will ever get the same experience as the person who first discovered the land or object because they have expectations from hearing or seeing facts about it somewhere. Percy’s purpose in writing this essay is to argue how strongly he believes that people should live in the moment, not be afraid to get off the beaten path of life, and try things they never seen themselves doing before. The author uses examples, such as, how when Garcia Cardenas discovered the Grand Canyon, it was like nothing he has ever seen before, to make his argument.

In Nature & Landscape: An Introduction to Environmental Aesthetics, Allen Carlson proposes that scientific knowledge can enhance our aesthetic appreciation of the natural world. He draws a connection between technical know-how used in the context of natural landscapes and art history or criticism in the context of conventional art forms. In either case, the viewer would find relatively more meaningful experiences of aesthetic appreciation than if one looked at a painting or landscape without any prior knowledge about it. Carlson endorses this point within his larger Natural Environmental Model, which asserts that though the environment is not entirely of our creation, it does not mean that we have to approach it without any prior understanding.

The appearance of Dover Beach at this time is only of what the human senses can envision. The speakers looks beneath the surface of Dover Beach and unveils the true nature of the sea. When Arnold stops to really listen to the sea, “he only hears the sea’s melancholy, long, withdrawing roar.” (9). Arnold justifies the theory that things are not always what they appear to be. The world only ‘seems’ to be beautiful, but is ‘really’ a place of conflict, chaos and dangerous misunderstandings.