An Eco-critical Study of Adrienne Rich’s Poems
Ringsaindi
Hasnu,
Assistant
Professor,
Department of
English,
Dhemaji College,
Dhemaji, Assam,
India.
Abstract: Eco-criticism is the
study of literature and environment, where literary scholars analyse texts that
illustrate environmental concerns. It focuses on ecological imbalance and is
critical of anthropocentric perspectives, arguing in favor of an ecocentric approach
to the natural environment.
In light of the above definition, this paper
attempts to situate Adrienne Rich’s poem, "Trying to Talk to a Man”, in which the ecological imbalance is
prompted by the testing of nuclear bombs, and the environment is transformed
into a desert. The environmental pollution and ecological imbalance have a
negative impact on human psychology, and this is evident from the unhappy
relationship between the husband and the wife in the poem. Likewise, in another
poem, Diving into the Wreck, the
woman, in order to get rid of her social limitations, escapes into nature to
find freedom. Diving into the water gives her relief and peace. The eco-critics
are of the view that both women and nature are exploited by the dominant,
destructive force. Water, being one of the most important elements, is
presented here as a lifesaver and the only reason behind human existence. It
also shows how ecological preservation can benefit humans for a better
livelihood. The connection between deep ecology and the oppression of women
will be highlighted here. For the
Record is another poem in which Rich shows how nature is innocent about
the atrocities committed by humankind, even though the phenomenon of nature may
cause natural calamities. Humans are responsible and guilty for the wars that
bring about the destruction of the environment and change the face of the
earth. Pollution arising from wars leads to the dislocation of people and death
due to starvation. Rich, through these poems, asks her readers to have a
holistic view and respect towards our ecology.
Keywords: Nature, eco-criticism, ecology,
environment.
Introduction
Eco-criticism is the study of literature and
environment, where literary scholars analyze texts that illustrate
environmental concerns. It focuses on ecological imbalance and is critical of
anthropocentric perspectives, arguing in favor of an ecocentric approach to the
natural environment. It is also known by other names such as “green (cultural)
studies”, “ecopoetics”, and “environmental literary criticism”.
Ecocriticism, as a school of literary criticism,
started in the 1990s as a meeting of American critics dealing with American
literature that led the eco-critics to the foundation of ASLE (Association for
the Study of Literature and Environment) and their Journal ISLE
(Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment), and thereafter, with
every next conference, it started gaining wide international recognition. It is
also important to note that it is the initiative taken by the young people that
stresses the longevity of this holistic and humanistic discipline. The most
widely known eco-critics are Lawrence Buell, Cheryll Glotfelty, Simon C. Estok,
Harold Fromm, William Howarth, William Rueckert, Suellen Campbell, Michael P.
Branch, and Glen A. Love. (Tosic, 44)
Ecocriticism is the word which is recently been
used in the published anthology, The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in
Literary Ecology (1996) edited by Cheryll Glotfelty and Harold Fromm. The
book is a collection of essays with an ecological approach to literary studies,
which indicates that the aim of ecocriticism is to transform literary studies
by associating literary criticism and theories with ecological issues.
Ecocriticism calls on literature to connect to the issues of the environment
and undertake a major step to redefine it. It is one of the ways in which
humanists fight for a healthy world in which they live. Over-exploitation of
natural resources and man’s disregard of the air, water, and soil that sustain
him have given rise to the question of his survival on planet Earth. The
reflection of this speaks for the urgent need to do something in this serious
matter.
Ecocriticism corresponds with the term ‘ecology’ as
both have the same aim. Ecology and literary criticism, which belong to two
separate disciplines, are combined in order to restore Earth’s health lost by
the careless behaviour of humans who dwell in it. Ecology is the science that
studies the relationship between living organisms (biotic and abiotic) and the
natural environment in which they live. Deep ecology is another term that
originated from the endeavour to promote life and stresses the fact that man is
a huge part of nature, and so he needs to realise that he is not allowed to
reduce the richness and variety of the living world, but only use it for the
satisfaction of his basic needs. It also emphasises the role of the individual
to behave as a citizen of the world and earth to take responsibility. This deep
ecology movement is gaining influence year by year, especially in America. This
movement is holistic and acknowledges the unity of man and all the creatures
and the environment around him. (Tosic, 45)
Discussion
Literature and particularly poetry have also served
the purpose of highlighting the problems regarding the deterioration of the
health of the environment around us and creating awareness for its
preservation. In this regard, it would be profitable to situate the poems of
Adrienne Rich from her selected Volumes titled Diving into the Wreck
(1973) and Your Native Land, Your Life (1986).
Adrienne Rich, the twentieth-century American poet,
has stressed the growing and widening gap between human beings and nature.
Mostly known for her women-centered poems, her works also envision
nature-related problems, which are also a part of marginalization, as
experienced by her female subjects. In this respect, Rich’s poetry deals with
issues of ecology to demonstrate the relationship among human subjectivity,
cultural discourse, and nature. It is perhaps best to interpret Adrienne Rich’s
poems through an ecocritical point of view, as her poetry moves from radical
feminism to ecofeminism.
In the poem “Trying to Talk to a Man” selected from
the first volume, the speaker and her husband have travelled to a site in the
desert where the American army is testing bombs:
Out in
this desert we are testing bombs
that’s
why we came here. (1-2)
There is a lack of respect for the delicate desert
ecosystem. The patriarchal power and arrogance threaten the world with the
nuclear weapons being putatively tested in this landscape. The landscape
mentioned is the Nevada Test Site region, which was earlier inhabited by the
indigenous Paiute and Western Shoshone, who suffered most directly because of
the effects of the patriarchal military and scientific complex inflicted on
this particular landscape. The ecological imbalance is prompted by the testing
of nuclear bombs, and the environment is transformed into a desert. It has been
well said that forests precede mankind; deserts follow, and this is due to the
atrocious behaviour of the human race. Fisheries, forests, grasslands, and
croplands altogether form the foundation of the global economic system, but in
many large areas of the world, human claims on these systems are reaching an
unsustainable level, a point where their productivity is being impaired, like
the desert mentioned in the poem. The environmental pollution and ecological
imbalance caused by the testing of nuclear bombs have a negative impact on
human psychology, and this is evident from the unhappy relationship between the
husband and the wife in the poem. The speaker also expresses that she senses a
river flowing beneath the dry and arid desert:
Sometimes
I feel an underground river (3)
which advocate for a new possibility emerging into
this “condemned scenery”, a sense of understanding that such sites sacrifice us
all, beginning with the most vulnerable, already exploited populations. The
poem is a clear indication of how humans exploit the environment in which they
live, not realizing the aftermath of their inhuman actions.
In another poem of the same title, “Diving into the
Wreck”, the woman, in order to get rid of her social limitations and
oppressions of the patriarchal world, escapes into nature to find freedom.
Metaphorically, the world in which she lives suffocates her, and as such, she
searches for tranquility, which only nature could provide, and so diving into
the water gives her relief and peace. The eco-critics are of the view that both
women and nature are exploited by the dominant, destructive force. Water, being
one of the most important elements, is presented here as a lifesaver and the
only reason behind human existence. It also shows how ecological preservation
can benefit humans for a better livelihood. As Nature represents women, the
protagonist dives into her own nature, starts to explore herself, and feels
more comfortable as she goes down into the sea. The persona came down to see
the damage of the wreck:
the
evidence of damage
worn
by salt and sway into this threadbare beauty. (67-68)
The wreck caused by the sea indicates how powerful
nature can be both as a destroyer and a saviour. She has suffered immensely
under the dominance of the patriarchal world, doing the roles that she was
expected to do, and so she wants to escape from it. The personal experiences
the deep ecology and explores the natural environment of the underwater world:
First
the air is blue then
it is
bluer and then green and then / black I am blacking out. (34-35)
She feels free and sees the sea as a place where
“you breathe differently”. Rich reveals the beauty of nature and the power that
it has over living organisms. The protagonist of the poem gets hold of the
power coming out of the water, pumping her “blood with power”. There is no
boundary in the ocean, and one can feel free and breathe differently. Nature
and woman are presented here as one, and that supports and heals each other.
She leaves all her social responsibilities and enjoys nature in solitude.
“For the Record” from the second volume is another
poem in which Rich shows how nature is innocent about the atrocities committed
by humankind, even though the phenomenon of nature may cause natural
calamities. Rich discusses the relationship between mankind’s sufferings and
his environment, declaring that men and women are responsible for the
destruction of themselves. It is their political corruption, neglect, and
unjust actions that cause pain and devastation to the people and the world
around them. The primary focus of this poem is the environment and the communal
devastation that the society is enduring. Rich was one of the many Americans
who objected to America’s participation in the Vietnam War. The war had
significant environmental implications due to the use of chemical agents to
destroy militarily significant vegetation. The vegetation became unable to
regenerate, leaving behind bare mudflats for many years. Rich writes:
The
clouds and the stars didn’t wage this war
the
brooks gave no information
if the
mountains spewed stones of fire into the river
it was
not taking sides
the
raindrop faintly swaying under the leaf
had no
political opinions. (1-6)
The clouds, stars, brooks, mountains, and rivers
are all victims of the atrocities of the modern-day nuclear weapons used in
wars. Wars cause pollution of the air and water- the elements through which
mankind survives. This pollution arising from wars leads to the dislocation of
people, and this automatically leads to death due to starvation. This large
displacement of people put pressure on the surrounding ecosystems. Forests were
cleared in order to provide wood for building shelters and cooking. Rich
writes:
The
trees didn’t volunteer to be cut into boards
nor
the thorns for tearing flesh
Look
around at all of it. (28-30)
People cut down trees to build homes, not realizing
that they should also take the initiative to grow them. Large areas designated
as forest land are treeless for this reason. Trees give out oxygen, and due to
them, we have rain, and in this way, they help to maintain ecological balance.
If we cut trees, the oxygen in the atmosphere will be reduced, affecting the
entire ecosystem. Trees breathe the same way as humans. They inhale carbon
dioxide and exhale oxygen, while we breathe out carbon dioxide and inhale
oxygen. To breathe is to live, and if we take down the trees, we are cut off
from the oxygen.
Rich, through these poems, asks her readers to have
a holistic view and respect towards our ecology. She has not only made a
significant contribution towards inculcation of environmental consciousness but
also led the world to believe that no human beings could survive without the
ecological system, and it has become the only movement where all the people of
the world, irrespective of gender, race, and colour, come together for a
genuine purpose.
Works Cited
Rich,
Adrienne. Diving into the Wreck: Poems 1971-1972. New York: W.W.
Norton & Company, 1973. Print.
---.
Your Native Land Your Life: Poems 1988-1991. New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 1993. Print.
Tosic,
Jelica. “Ecocriticism- Interdisciplinary Study of Literature And Environment”. Working
and Living Environment Protection. vol.3, no. 1, 2006, pp – 43-50.
Retrieved 20 January 2020. Web.