Nature is prominently featured in poetry, and its use can expose essential ideas and feelings within a poem. Poets can convey complicated emotions and thoughts through natural imagery, making their works relevant and meaningful to readers. The significance of nature as a setting is discussed in the following poems: “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost, “Living in Sin” by Adrienne Rich, “Morning Song” by Sylvia Plath, and “The World Is Too Much with Us” by William Wordsworth as elaborated below.
Paul Dunbar compares society’s veneer with the underlying feelings underneath in “We Wear the Mask.” The dripping tears indicate unseen misery and sorrow (Dunbar 5). The imagery of “worlds of white and worlds of blue,” as well as “the sunshine and the rain,” underscores the contrast between the beauty of nature and the ugliness of human deception (Dunbar 11-12). Robert Frost uses nature in “Nothing Gold Can Stay” to demonstrate the transience of all things, including the transitory beauty of the earth. The poem emphasizes the fleeting nature of spring and the shifting colors of leaves, finishing with “Nothing gold can stay.” (Frost 1-8). This conveys that even the most beautiful and valuable things in life are temporary, urging readers to appreciate the world’s beauty while it lasts.
Adrienne Rich uses the natural landscape to depict the decay of a broken relationship in “Living in Sin.” The ‘rusted’ tap and ‘broken’ blinds indicate the couple’s relationship dissolution, while the ‘rats’ in the walls and ‘grime’ on the windows represent degradation and neglect (Rich 9-14). Using nature as a metaphor conveys the concept that, like nature, relationships require effort to maintain. In “Morning Song,” Sylvia Plath depicts the vital force of new life via the natural environment. The imagery of “clear vowels rising like balloons” and “the newness that was in every stale thing / when we looked at it as children” allude to the wonder and freshness that a newborn infant brings (Plath 3-6). Nature is used to depict the possibility of new beginnings and the hope that comes with them.
William Wordsworth uses nature to show the separation between people and the natural world in “The World Is Too Much with Us.” The poem criticizes how people have become disconnected from nature, absorbed by worldly possessions, as expressed by imagery such as “getting and spending” and “late and soon.” (Wordsworth 1-8). The poem’s use of nature emphasizes the need for reconnection with nature and a deeper purpose in life.
In conclusion, nature as a background in poetry effectively conveys complicated themes and emotions. It provides a setting for poets to explore themes like identity, impermanence, disillusionment, and the human experience. Nature can reflect a broad spectrum of emotions and concepts, from joy and beauty to misery and despair. Natural imagery allows poets to address essential topics in a universal and highly personal way, eliciting emotional responses from readers. Ultimately, incorporating nature into poetry provides depth and meaning to the works, allowing poets to communicate their thoughts and emotions in a powerful and sympathetic way.
Works Cited
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. “We Wear the Mask.” The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Valerie A. Smith, 3rd ed., vol. 1, W. W. Norton & Company, 2014, pp. 327-328.
Frost, Robert. “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” The Norton Anthology of Poetry, edited by Margaret Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy, 5th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2005, p. 936.
Rich, Adrienne. “Living in Sin.” The Norton Anthology of Poetry, edited by Margaret Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy, 5th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2005, pp. 1202-1203.
Plath, Sylvia. “Morning Song.” The Norton Anthology of Poetry, edited by Margaret Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy, 5th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2005, p. 1262.
Wordsworth, William. “The World Is Too Much with Us.” The Norton Anthology of Poetry, edited by Margaret Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy, 5th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2005, p. 416.
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