Term Papers on Nature As Reflected In American Literature

Term Paper Title	Nature As Reflected In American Literature
# of Words	1116
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.46

Nature as Reflected in American Literature

     In his Poetics, Plato contemplates the nature of aesthetics and existence.   He postulates that for every existing object and idea there is an absolute "ideal" which transcends human experience.  He further concludes that art, including literature, is an aesthetic representation of real objects and ideas that is used to  better understand their "ideals."  In theory, as an object becomes closer ideal it also becomes a better subject for the artist.  American artists in particular have been given an invaluable opportunity to explore this realm of the Platonic ideal.  Because the American continent and its wilderness was primarily unsullied by the ravages of civilization, the natural world found there by early settlers was much closer to being "ideal" than anywhere else on Earth.  For this reason, nature has become one of the most important subjects of American art, especially Literature.  Specific examples from American literature including the works Moby Dick, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,  Walden, and "To a Waterfowl" can show how American authors explore the ideals of human existence through aesthetic representations of nature.
     William Cullen Bryant, who has been called "the father of American poetry," is one of the earliest artists to capture the essence of nature in America and apply it to the human experience.  In his poem "To A Waterfowl" he uses the example of a waterfowl to reach a better understanding of human existence.  In the poem, the waterfowl is portrayed as a near-perfect creation, and it is treated with a sense of reverence.  The first stanza demonstrates this:
               Whither, midst falling dew,
          While glow the heavens with the last steps of day,
          Far, though their rosy depths, dost thou pursue
               Thy solitary way?

Though it is not curious that a bird would be flying in the morning, Cullen presents the fowl in flight as being nearly supernatural.  The bird emerges from the "heavens" almost like an angel and the persona addresses it in an extremely respectful tone.  It can be presumed that the persona would agree that nature, embodied in the fowl, is close to what Plato would call an "ideal."  Bryant, through his aesthetic presentation of the bird, then deepens his understanding of human experience.  The persona and, as an extension, Bryant eventually conclude, through rumination over the flight of the waterfowl, that the higher "Power" that guides the fowl also guides them.
     This use of nature to better understand certain "ideals" is not limited to positive examples or the representation of good forces like the Power in "Waterfowl."  Herman Melville illustrates the ambiguity of nature in his novel Moby Dick by representing certain evil elements of human existence with comparable elements in nature.  His use of the shark is exemplary of this.  He portrays the shark as the epitome of what a cannibal is.  Through the creation of a well-conceived syllogism, he uses this portrayal of the shark to develop the character of Ahab.
The first thing Melville does to accomplish this is placing the shark on a higher plane of being than man by saying that they are like "angels well governed."  This is very effective because, ultimately, sharks are closer to being "ideal" cannibals than any man could be.  They kill with no remorse, ea...

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