Discovery and Reassessment in the Poetry of Robert Gray Caitlin Turner 12th Grade

Through the discovery of new values and places, individuals may reject socially construed ideas as they come to new perceptions of their broader society. However, some individuals may remain indifferent. It is these individuals that pose the biggest risk to society, as they are unaware of the imposition of their actions to the natural world. One’s ability to be affected as composers question the routine and ramifications of broader society is influenced by the context surrounding the reader. The context of the reader is proven to be influential by Robert Gray in his poems. In his poems "Meatworks" and "Flames and Dangling Wires," Gray's contextual personal practises of vegetarianism and connections to Buddhism build his criticism of industrial slaughtering systems, reflecting the notion of all Buddhist detachment in alleviating oneself from desire and subsequent suffering, a process based on the four noble truths to receive enlightenment. He also continues to question society and challenges confidence in the benefit of forward movement and technological progression in both "Late Ferry" and "North Coast Town" as informed by the particularly Zen Buddhist idea of non-human spirit and subsequent respect for the natural world.

Gray...