E349S March 29: Natural Disaster = Humanity

Rushes on the River

Alice faces another dilemma in "Wool and Water," as she struggles to acquire scented rushes along the bank, traveling the brook with the Sheep. After repeated attempt, she realizes although "she managed to pick plenty of beautiful rushes as the boat glided by, there was always a more lovely one that she couldn't reach." [1] Even though Alice gathered many "new-found treasures," she fails to appreciate the beauty of nature's gifts.[2] Rather than enjoy the previously picked rushes, Alice constantly searches for superior one along the bank, giving no importance or proper respect to the natural wonders surrounding her. In the grander scheme of the story, these rushes symbolize the fleeting and short-lived nature of beauty. Thus, Alice is mesmerized by the enticing temptation of more beautiful flowers. Carroll utilizes Alice to emphasize the lack of appreciation man holds for natural beauty in the world, especially considering the greedy search for the next-best-thing. In her attempt to grasp nature's beauty, she loses sight of the limitations of beauty, given the difficulty found in preserving that which is beautiful. In her rigorous search for rushes, she neglects her gathered ones, leaving them to "fade, and to lose all their scent and beauty."[3]

In the search for the perfect wild-flower, 1 will be found. 2, 376,875 wild-flowers will be forgotten.

While Alice lacks sound appreciation for the simplistic beauty of nature, Hopkins truly admires nature and all its wonder. In Binsey Poplars, Hopkins's "aspens dear"  are "all felled."[4] Just as Alice has no resounding appreciation for the banks of rushes, the individuals who destroyed the natural landscape of the aspen trees had no compassion nor appreciation for natural scenery.

Last Tree Standing

By removing the aspen trees from nature's living portrait, Hopkins implies that no one will ever again "guess the beauty [which had] been."[5] A true appreciation of nature requires one to bask in all of natures subtle nuances and imperfections. Without a specific focus on the environment and demand for natural preservation, the  ephemeral beauty of nature is lost. Similarly, in God's Grandeur, Hopkins emphasizes that "nature is never spent,"because nature is everlasting, nature is ageless, nature is enduring. [6] Although nature's beauty is short-lived, Hopkins wants the reader to realize the necessity in appreciating each momentary glimpse of natural beauty he or she observes. The individual must enjoy the intricate, living portrait of nature. However short it may be.

Nature's beauty is only found in the moment. It is a brief glory, too soon lost. 

Hopkins's poem implies the inability for the many to see the true beauty of nature because  they are too blind to see the glory which surrounds them. Because of humanity's lack of compassion for nature, the realization behind nature's existence is lost. Nature exists as a separate entity from mankind, forged from the hands of God as a true testament to creation. Only by recognizing the intricacy and simplicity of nature, can an individual truly grasp the importance of natural beauty.

Poplars on the Epte

Claude Monet's Poplar Series paintings parallel this same ideology through the extremely detailed portrayal of nature. Monet's Poplars on the Epte depicts an extensive line of poplar trees along the river. The reflection of the trees amplifies the poplars' beauty, as the bright green hues of the forestry brighten the overall lighting of the painting. Each brushstroke defines trajectory of the trees upon the water, and lively hues of spring accent the simple array of poplars. The painting emphasizes each sharp feature, from the stalky bodies to the soft shrubbery above, placing the poplars are the center focus for viewers. Beauty is a temporary feature of nature, but the still painting captures this natural essence, providing individuals with a permanent display of the fleeting beauty of nature.









Works Cited
1. Lewis Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2000), 204.
2. Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, 204.
3. Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, 204.
4. Gerard Manley Hopkins, The Major Works Including all the Poems and Selected Prose (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), 142.
5.Hopkins, The Major Works, 142.
6. Hopkins, The Major Works, 128.