american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
EMBODIED AGENCY 59<br />
entire civilization “devoid of sensibility of and respect for o<strong>the</strong>r life<br />
forms, m<strong>in</strong>dlessly engulfed <strong>in</strong> its own destructiveness” (235).<br />
The poem is most encompass<strong>in</strong>g and oppositional when Snyder<br />
draws a parallel between environmental destruction and sick country.<br />
When <strong>the</strong> “jets crack sound overhead,” <strong>the</strong> speaker responds with <strong>the</strong><br />
startl<strong>in</strong>g “it’s OK here” as if <strong>the</strong> jets represented a susta<strong>in</strong>able natural<br />
order. The rema<strong>in</strong>der of this stanza, though, shows a much different<br />
reality: “Every pulse of <strong>the</strong> rot at <strong>the</strong> heart / In <strong>the</strong> sick fat ve<strong>in</strong>s of<br />
Amerika / Pushes <strong>the</strong> edge up closer.” This “edge” is <strong>the</strong> cancer that<br />
“swells” across <strong>the</strong> land <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> first l<strong>in</strong>e of <strong>the</strong> poem; America is rott<strong>in</strong>g<br />
due to its disregard for <strong>the</strong> earth. This “rot” is not only visible on<br />
<strong>the</strong> earth’s scarred surface; it is also an <strong>in</strong>ternal condition that<br />
makes sick <strong>the</strong> earth’s circulation, its ability to susta<strong>in</strong> itself. Here,<br />
Snyder is prescient <strong>in</strong> his claim that America’s development is not<br />
susta<strong>in</strong>able, currently <strong>the</strong> buzz-word and development strategy par<br />
excellence among environmental studies scholars and planners. “Front<br />
L<strong>in</strong>es” suggests that America’s reckless development practices are<br />
unsusta<strong>in</strong>able, violent.<br />
The speak<strong>in</strong>g voice <strong>in</strong> this poem is obviously confrontational,<br />
especially <strong>in</strong> its visceral, unforgiv<strong>in</strong>g imagery and <strong>in</strong> its extended<br />
metaphors of rape and war. But <strong>the</strong> way that Snyder frames this opposition<br />
<strong>in</strong> terms of <strong>political</strong> agency is his most effective technique.<br />
Ra<strong>the</strong>r than simply outrage readers, many of whom are probably<br />
already environmentally conscious, Snyder opens and closes <strong>the</strong> poem<br />
with <strong>the</strong> voice of collective experience and agency. In <strong>the</strong> first stanza,<br />
“we feel / a foul breeze” from <strong>the</strong> cancer. This outrage and <strong>the</strong><br />
agency needed to oppose it are collective ra<strong>the</strong>r than <strong>in</strong>dividual. As<br />
most environmental organizers claim, a s<strong>in</strong>gle <strong>in</strong>dividual modify<strong>in</strong>g<br />
her behavior, consumer decisions, or practices will not impact environmental<br />
issues. If I refra<strong>in</strong> from driv<strong>in</strong>g a car it will have no discernible<br />
effect on global climate change. Any such effect would result<br />
only from macro policy decisions and enforcement.<br />
Snyder concludes <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>al stanza with a call to collective action <strong>in</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> front l<strong>in</strong>es of environmental activism. On one side of this wellmarked<br />
“l<strong>in</strong>e” is “a forest that goes to <strong>the</strong> Arctic / And a desert that<br />
still belongs to <strong>the</strong> Piute.” On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side, bulldozers, cha<strong>in</strong>saws,<br />
and realty companies rape <strong>the</strong> land. The l<strong>in</strong>e that must be drawn is<br />
obvious. The speaker imag<strong>in</strong>es a collective of environmental defenders<br />
stand<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> forest and desert beh<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong>m. Accord<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong><br />
speaker, it is “here” that “we must draw / Our l<strong>in</strong>e.” Snyder’s “we”<br />
creates both an authority more powerful than a s<strong>in</strong>gle speak<strong>in</strong>g<br />
“I” and a collective and mobiliz<strong>in</strong>g framework for environmental