Finding Beauty in Nature
A comparison of two nature poems
Introduction
When you go outside for a walk, do you ever notice all the things nature throws at you? Do you question how they came to be that way? Nature makes you think about what you're seeing. But, nature poems make you stop and think about all the beauty that is hidden in Nature. "Ode to Enchanted Light" by Pablo Neruda and "Sleeping in The Forest" by Mary Oliver really made you think of what they are trying to say.
Tone & Word Choice
In the poem "Ode to Enchanted Light", has a calm attitude towards nature, the things that the poet writes about, you wouldn't find them humorous. For example, (line 4-6) like a green latticework of branches shining on every leaf. Instead, you'd actually find that more calm! However, in "Sleeping in The Forest" the poet throws a whole bunch of things she wants you to understand in nature, it is a poem that you need to stop and think, unlike Ode to Enchanted Light where it explains nature in clear words. The tone in "Sleeping In the Forest" is more of a confused tone. The author explains how they are sleeping (5-7) where she says, I slept as never before which can mean she slept great, or she slept in an uncomfortable way.
Figurative Language
When I read "Ode to Enchanted Light" for the first time I could already picture what he meant by all the figurative language used. For instance, the simile, drifting down like clean white sand, (8-9) when I read those two lines I immediately saw the light coming down from branches above. On the other hand, when I read the figurative language in the poem "Sleeping In The Forest" for example, "I slept as never before, a stone on the riverbed." this metaphor is a little more challenging to fully understand. It makes you think, is she sleeping in an uncomfortable way or is she sleeping very still and had a good sleep that night? This poem has figurative language that could mean more than one thing where in the other poem "Ode to Enchanted Light" has one meaning.
Structure & Form
In the poem "Ode to Enchanted Light", the poet has only three stanza's that have no rhyming pattern. It's all on one side of the paper, which means it isn't all scattered out. Although, in the other poem "Sleeping In The Forest" is all one stanza, it is a free verse poem, which means it has no real rules. Also, when you read the line "I thought the Earth remembered me, she took me back so tenderly." (line 2-3) When you look at it you see no rhyming but when you read it you'll notice me and tenderly start to rhyme.
Conclusion
All in all, I strongly believe that both poems talk about the beauty in nature and how they see it, by tone, figurative language, and structure. When they describe nature how they see it, it makes me visualize what they are writing about. It makes you feel like you are in their situation in nature and how nothing is in your way. It makes you feel like you could just walk into your own yard and pretend that you are where they are.