“The Call of the Wild”
The narrator of this poem describes the history of humanity and the Americanization of those individuals who live in the United States. He suggests that the first humans to ever walk the Earth had a wolf in them. This wolf provided earliest humanity with its most basic instincts and a drive to preserve and respect one another. As humanity has expanded, however, the narrator of this poem reflects on the fact that we now resort to bombs and war to solve our problems. No longer do we hunt or provide for ourselves. Rather, the wolf inside us has been limited and ignored, resulting in human beings that are no longer fierce or inventive, but have rather turned soft and dependent. In the poem, the narrator also comments on the cruelty of war, specifically. He views war as an abomination against humanity and nature. He specifically points out that many people associate war with human loss, but few consider the natural loss. Just as war and bombs can cause destruction to humans, so too can it destroy plants and animals. In this way, this is a poem about humanity’s changed relationship with the natural world. No longer do we protect or revere it; instead, we now actively destroy it without a care or thought for the consequences.
“As for Poets”
In this short poem, the narrator pays tribute to the creativity and ingenuity of poets everywhere. He describes different types of poets—all of whom construct poems related to the Earth. He calls these poets Earth poets and suggests that each one dedicates his or her intellectual prowess to different experiences, details, and aspects of the Earth’s features. These Earth poets are intrinsically connected to the natural world and therefore do not need guidance or assistance from men. The Air poets ride the metaphorical gales of wind, which therefore allows them to construct poems that pertain to similar themes. They never tire of these same things and are able to write about the same ideas over and over. The fire poets utilize their emotions—specifically anger—to construct poems of passion. These passionate poems may pertain to the affairs of the heart or may draw upon political issues. The water poet is described as being submerged deep within the waters of the ocean. In this way, these poets are more ethereal in nature. Their poems are very calm and soothing in nature and will likely address numerous different topics. These poets are not constrained by one theme but will rather explore anything they feel passionate about. The space poet is responsible for abstract poems, whose imaginative ideas cannot be contained by reality. These poets can be viewed as exploring the topics and ideas that lie beyond our world. The final type of poet—the mind poet—dedicates his or her poems to complexities of the human psyche. Unlike the other poems, they sit inside and examine the themes, experiences, and ideas of humanity, rather than the natural world. These poets are observers and they use their poems to record and explore the idiosyncrasies of the human race.
“The Uses of Light”
Continuing his mission to explore the nature world, Snyder dedicates this poem to exploring the numerous and vast uses of natural light. He begins by personifying rocks and stones; they proclaim that the light from the sun warms them and comforts them. The trees explain that they use light to grow and cultivate their roots, which then permits their leaves to grow. For the first time in the poem, the narrator then references artificial light and, through the personification of a moth, suggests that it is unnatural and influences the natural world in unnatural world. The moth explains that this artificial light draws him from his usual nightly blunders and, it is assumed that this light may lead to the moth’s demise. A deer discusses its powerful senses and explains that its sense of smell and hearing are remarkable, but it still needs light to reveal the minute moves of other creatures in the wood. Finally, the narrator—as human, once more—reveals that light is a high tower, which can provide sight and life to all the faces and plains of the earth.
