Humans In Their Environment

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 12th grade February 2008

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Robert Gray, Arthur Miller and Rachel Carson are writers that each explores the 20th century interaction and relationship between humans and their environment. From their texts 'The meatworks', 'North Coast Town', 'Death of a Salesman' and 'Silent Spring' we learn of conflict between man and his environment-which can be everything from man's surrounding area, conditions and influences. And this conflict harms both man and nature causing degradation, exploitation and destruction for nature whilst isolation, alienation and soulessness for man.

Robert Gray is a poet who is openly concerned about the state and truths of our human interactions with the physical and natural environments. Gray's poems' contain themes of a negative and depressing quality but his vivid use of imagery creates a response in the reader that is both thoughtful and dramatic. We see the results of man's conflict with his environment- degradation, exploitation and destruction of nature, whilst also the isolation, alienation and soulessness it creates for man.

In 'The Meatworks' Gray focuses upon what he sees as the brutal and inhumane slaughter of animals. Gray is disgusted and possesses a negative opinion about our treatment and destruction of the natural environment and reveals his view on the timeless issue about the right for all living things to live an untroubled existence, we see this clearly in his use of many concrete images and figurative language. These vivid and concrete images he creates paint a picture of the degradation, exploitation and destruction of the beauty of the natural environment-its animals, whilst it also destroys himself within for witnessing these horrid acts, isolating, alienating and making him soulless. The horrid destruction of nature can be seen through the images 'the pigs fear made them mount one another at the last minute' This shows the pain, distress and suffering this brutality is...