An Ecocentric analysis of an American Classic.
Ever Since Cheryl Glotfelty first introduced the term Ecocriticism as a critical approach to studying nature writing, authors across the board have begun to focus on the important aspects of analyzing a text in regards to the natural environment and its relationship with humans. Ecocriticism as a theoretical lens allows one to view and examine the metaphors and descriptions of a particular environment and how they influence the way we presently treat and think about that environment. .
We have all herd it before;.
.
This Land is your land, this land is my land.
From California to the New York Island.
From the redwood forest, to the Gulf Stream waters.
This land was made for you and me.
Yet these lyrics are not just apart of a tune we find ourselves humming from time to time, these lyrics exemplify the spirit of nature writing. Thru the use of metaphor, descriptive imagery, and tone the author instills in the reader a clear view of his representation of nature and the great lands of America. .
This land is your land was first written by Woody Guthrie in 1940, the song was originally entitled "God Blessed America". Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah, Okalahoma on July 12, 1914 and is argued by many to be the most important American folk music artist of the first half of the 20th century. .
Landscapes are an intricate part in the discussion of nature throughout this entire piece and are depicted as beautiful pieces of natural art; the endless skyway, the golden valley, the diamond desserts.
As I was walking a ribbon of highway.
I saw above me an endless skyway.
I saw below me a golden valley.
This land was made for you and me.
I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps.
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts.
And all around me a voice was sounding.
This land was made for you and me. .
Nature in this text is represented as a sense of comfort and security.
