Unlike the two previous poems I have discussed from Gary Snyder's Turtle Island, The Uses of Light on page 39 did not conjure up any specific memories from my childhood years in Idaho, but more so a wide array of emotions. I believe this can be attested to the language used in each line, or in other words, specific images that aren't described, but hinted at through the use of adjectives that are intended to effect the reader's senses. To explain exactly what I mean, let us examine the following paragraph below.
"It warms my bones, say the stones, I take it into me and grow, Say the trees, leaves above, roots below."At first I was confused as to what Snyder was talking about within these first few lines, but I got sort of a fuzzy feeling while reading, so I continued on as my curiosity was now intrigued. This feeling grew into a sense of warmth as I reached the middle of the poem, almost as if I was basking in the warmer summer glow of the sun. By the end of this piece I realized that Snyder was describing not just the feeling of sunlight, but its uses all throughout the world. Not only is it responsible for the trees, leaves, plants, and warmth of the land below, but all life under the heavens need its benefits to survive. It is light that warms our planet and keeps us safe, even night dwelling creatures require its nourishment indirectly to stay alive.
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