Tranformation
TranformationTransformation
Most people go through life with their eyes closed, so to speak, never stopping to see the beautiful world around them. However, the people that do stop and observe the beauty often do great things with the knowledge from their experience. Two people that have done just that are Gary Snyder and Mary Oliver. Both Snyder and Oliver have written about their experience with nature. Although they have different backgrounds, write in different ways, and have different ideas of the places around them both share the belief that place in life is a very significant thing.
Gary Snyder’s work shows great influences from his strong belief in Zen Buddhism. In 1956 Snyder moved to Japan for twelve years to study Rinzai Zen Buddhism. Throughout the twelve years Snyder got the chance to spend six months in Sojourn, India, where he met the Dalai Lama in 1962. Since Snyder returned to the United States in 1969 he has fought for peace, environmental awareness, and freedom from nuclear weaponry. In Snyder’s “The world is Places” essay his sense of place is greatly recognized. His love for place and the calmness in his writings both sprout from his belief in Zen Buddhism.
On the other hand, Mary Oliver has a different background from Snyder. Oliver was educated at Vassar College a prestigious women’s college known for its graduates in the arts, particularly writes and actors. Throughout the eighties Mary taught at Case Western Reserve University, during which she wrote many books also. Also, the New York poet Edna St. Vincent heavily influences Oliver’s work.
The similarities between Snyder and Oliver’s work are very broad and apparent. The most obvious one being they both hold and speak of place with high regard. An example in Snyder’s “The World is Places” would be him stating, “Our place is part of what we are.” Snyder goes on to explain that place shapes people into who they are now. His example being a child gradually parting from home, yet home always being with them. Snyder’s accurate and vivid description of place displays the care that was taken when writing the essay. The attention and care taken within the details shows the high regard Snyder has for place. While in Mary Oliver’s “Humpbacks” she starts her poem with “ There is, all around us, this country of original fire.” Oliver is subtler in her description of place, yet her regard for place is equally shown. Oliver, like Snyder, also pays close attention to detail and manages to captivate her reader with her experience. Oliver’s ability to make the reader feel a part of the experience is a prime example of the passion used in writing her poem....
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