Gary Snyder: The Power of Imagery
In Snyder’s poem “Praise for Sick Women” he approaches the controversy of women’s rights. During this time, women had begun to fight against the stereotypes placed upon them by men, but many still believed women were inferior to men. Snyder’s poem offers a unique perspective, instead of showing women off in a positive light, he takes the side of men and writes about how they view women.
“Apples will sour at your sight.
Blossoms fail the bough,
Soil turns bone white: wet rice…” (Snyder 292)
When Snyder gives us the image of a rotten apple, withered flower, and unusable soil, he suggests that women who are not able to bear children are useless to society, a view that many of the men in this period held.
By addressing these views, he is effectively adding to the controversy of this period and seemingly making a mockery of this. While many may have believed that women who could not bear children were lesser than those who could, openly stating that they are the same as rotten apples seems absurd. Embracing men’s perspectives while mocking their arguments made it easier for those who held onto their ideas to recognize the issues that arose from them. Snyder’s use of these parallels may persuade misogynists to reconsider their views by demonstrating the ridiculousness of their position.
Snyder also writes on the environmentalist movement in his poem “Mid-August at Sourdough Mountain Lookout.” He worked in the mountains of Washington in his younger years.
“Three days heat, after five days rain
Pitch glows on the fir-cones
Across rocks and meadows
Swarms of new flies” (Snyder 289)
By describing the quick change in the environment, Snyder showcases the first problem he sees. Immense heat after days of rain indicates that there is something amiss in the climate, in this case, the issues that society was beginning to see with climate change. He follows this by describing the “swarm of new flies” that are all around the forest he worked in. By using swarms of flies, he implies that the environment is decaying, similar to how flies swarm toward a decaying body.
Gary Snyder uses imagery to open the public’s eyes to the problems he sees. His images stir conversations through their controversial perspectives and phrases. By using imagery, Gary Snyder adds to the growing awareness of these movements and helps the causes he writes about.
Snyder, Gary. “Praise For Sick Women.” The Portable Beat Reader, edited by Ann Charters, Penguin Books, 1992, pp. 288–292.
Snyder, Gary. “Mid-August at Sourdough Mountain Lookout.” The Portable Beat Reader, edited by Ann Charters, Penguin Books, 1992, pp. 288–292.
