Problem of Nature

The issue of nature is a significant one that the writers have discussed in a variety of ways. The aspect of nature's dilemma has been brought out very plainly in the four readings: The panther, A young Birch, A beaten Path, and To make a fire. Human activities are listed in the literary works as contributing factors to the environmental crisis. The papers aim to explore the nature dilemma as posed by the four writers in their literary works.
In his poem Panther, Rainer Maria Rilke describes animal confinement in cages as a nature issue. The poet attempts to describe the pitiable environment that human make animals to go through, thus making them to lose the nature of habitat. In the initial quatrain of the poem, Rilke describes the animal under captivity as having grown weary, such that all that he observes are things of no significance (Rilke 139). The environment that surrounds the animal bars its vision so that it can barely see what lies beyond. The panther thus does not have hope in anything and to him life is rendered meaningless.
The poet goes ahead to illuminate the problem of environment by showcasing the circulatory movement of the panther. The unending movement of the panther portrays that it is in a bid to destroy some forces of immobility and imprisonment (Rilke 140). Rilke tries to create an image whereby the animal is restricted to a circular movement, so as to bring out the primal chaos of nature.
The poet reveals the environment suffering that animals undergo in the hands of man. He even grieves over the captivity of the animal whereby they cannot get the care they deserve from man. The captive panther is presented as a figure of tragedy that invokes pity. In a way the poet is trying to castigate the nature of man that does not care about his environment and space. The poet, through the poem calls for the intervention of man to stop neglecting his environment by taking care of whatever he has dominion over. The poem is a real satire to the person who has caged the animal without any sense of freedom in his life.
A young Birch by Robert Frost
Robert Frost in his poem “A Young Birch” has equally addressed the problem of environment by establishing the futility of existence of nature. The birch tree is described as beautiful, but the truth is that it has no hope in future life. The speaker in the poem depicts the growth of a birch tree by comparing its size to a number of man- made objects like that of a fishing pole and the cane.
The poet uses the cane and the fishing pole to symbolize unavoidable death that will face the birch tree soon before it grows bigger (Frost 12). Undeniably, some of the man- made objects is made from wood which means that a tree was cut to make the objects. Here the speaker tries to portray the extent at which human being does not care about nature. He further depict the ever- present death that await trees, even when they are still at their growing stages. The speaker goes ahead to describe some of the trees that were killed to make man- made objects around the young birch tree, therefore portraying that it will equally be killed. The image of the death described in the poem depicts the vulnerability of nature in the hands of human being (Frost 17). Frost is portraying the extent at which man has stopped to take care of its environment by killing tree which should be left to grow to maturity. The poem tries to appeal to human being to be custodians of nature instead of killing the life. In conclusion, Frost has managed to address the problem of environment through the poem by showcasing some of the activities of man that affect the environment.
A worn Path
In the short story, A worn path, Welty depicts the problem of environment through the protagonist character, Phoenix Jackson. Jackson narrates the journey that she goes through as she walks along a path. In her journey, she takes various kinds of terrain where she encounters certain people and animals. The thoughts and words of Phoenix establish her self – conscious, coupled with love and courage and other important qualities that the author uses to analyze the environment that Phoenix encounters (Welty 7). The image of a solely old woman walking in the winter is an indication of her love to the environment and the deep- rooted love for the people. In her journey she meets a hunter with a dog who points a gun at her; however she is not shaken as she says that she has had several guns pointed at her. Here, the author tries to portray the environment of the old woman where there are people who are there to threaten the lives of others, while there are those who are ready to help.
Phoenix alludes to the supremacy of the whites on the innocent blacks (Welty 8). Another environment problem that the author portrays is the little care about nature. Probably the hunter with a dog is looking for the animals, which instead he should be a custodian. Throughout, the short story Phoenix admits the reality that many of us would take as a fantasy.
To build a fire

To build a fire by Jackson depicts how lack the free will to address the aspects of nature and how the nature has mapped out the fate of man. The author further depicts morality and absence of responsibility by man in handling his environment. When a man accepts that an accident that occurs to him is as a result of bad luck, then it can be understood that does not have free will to anticipate unforeseen powers (London 68). In a way London puts it that people should act responsively for their actions. The author addresses the conflict between human and nature.
The protagonist of the story, a young man believes that he understands the frozen wilderness, yet he still has a tenderfoot that has not yet understood the aspect of environment and nature. London in story shows that a tenderfoot does not have an imagination which is imperative asset that need to be tested when dealing with the harsh environment (London 70).
Conclusion
The authors of the literary writing have managed to successfully address the problem of environment in their writings. They have pointed at some of the human activities that lead to the problems. Panther, for instance appeals to human being to put some consideration while they dealing with the animals like, they should be let free and taken care of. Similarly, Frost in A Young Birch castigates the behavior of a man of not letting the trees to grow to their maturity because of their activities.






Works citedTop of ForBottom of For
Frost, Robert, and Louis Untermeyer. Robert Frost's poems. Macmillan, 2002.
London, Jack. To Build a Fire. Mankato, Minn: Creative Education, 2008. Print: 64-79
Rilke, Rainer Maria. "The panther." R. Bly,(ed. & trans.), Selected poems of Rainer Maria Rilke (1981): 139.
Welty, Eudora. "A Worn Path." Critical Inquiry 1.1 (1974): 1-9.