Topic > Discovery and Reevaluation in the Poetry of Robert Gray

Through the discovery of new values ​​and places, individuals can reject socially interpreted ideas as they arrive at new perceptions of their larger society. However, some individuals may remain indifferent. It is these individuals who pose the greatest risk to society, as they are unaware of the imposition of their actions on the natural world. The ability to be influenced as composers question the routine and ramifications of society as a whole is influenced by the context surrounding the reader. The reader's context has been shown to be influential by Robert Gray in his poems. In his poems “Meatworks” and “Flames and Dangling Wires,” Gray's contextual personal practices of vegetarianism and connections to Buddhism build his critique of industrial slaughter systems, reflecting the Buddhist notion of total detachment in relieving oneself from desire and resulting suffering, a process based on the four noble truths to receive enlightenment. He also continues to question society and challenges faith in the benefits of forward movement and technological progress in both "Late Ferry" and "North Coast Town," as informed by the particularly Zen Buddhist idea of ​​the non-human spirit and the consequent respect for the natural world. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayGray conveys his rejection of consumerist and utilitarian values ​​that set aside an individual's worth, describing how an individual's context causes acceptance of certain ideals that can later be reevaluated and contested. The physical act of travel tests the boundaries of what society already knows, these new experiences can lead the individual to reevaluate preconceived ideals. Gray uses physical findings to engage readers and inform them of his purpose in his poem “Journey: The North Coast” to portray the harmful effects of urbanization and consumer values ​​that sideline an individual's worth. The repetition of "and" and a subjunctive line that opens like "the train rumbles and pops" reinforce the transitive nature and immediacy of the character's physical discovery of the landscape, while the stop consonants draw attention to the urgency and suddenness of the situation. Gray engages the reader through his use of onomatopoeia as the mimetic technique creates negative connotations to position the reader against man-made technological progression as a dominant force that acts as an imposition on the environment and "tears the wind to pieces ". This conception is influenced by Gray's connection with Buddhism's respect for nature and the non-human natural world, particularly under Zen Buddhism and the notion of non-human spirit. This speculation of new worlds and places through the realization of values ​​that contradict our own is also represented in "North Coast Town". Gray's juxtaposition of the "pane glass" and "tile covering" modern American imagery with "an Abo, not trying to hitchhike, out of town" as the character discovers in "North Coast Town" suggests a new American colonization, like British colonization this is often inevitable. The reader begins to understand how a character's discovery of Americanization and prevailing Western values ​​impacts small towns, and how this realization can alter an individual's values ​​and consumption routine and potentially change his or her life indefinitely. However, Gray also compares those who fail to recognize the harmful effectsof urbanization to those of the colonizers, naive, as the colloquial and derogatory use of the word "Abo" satirizes the values ​​of the colonizers, yet Gray creates hope in the existence of a pristine future by mentioning the existence of an “out of town” . This is influenced by Gray's connection to Buddhism and his promotion of respect for the natural world and detachment from the apparent consumerist desire of the north coast city. A renewed perception of our morality separates us from others, encouraging individuals to question the ramifications of society. Gray's poem "Meatworks" criticizes the industrial slaughter industry, as informed by Gray's personal practice of vegetarianism to describe how an individual's personal context influences his or her values. The exclusive language exemplified by "most of them worked around the slaughter" immediately separates the person from the other butcher shop workers to establish his morality over them. The ambiguous term “bypasses” denotes that the workers were close as well as “bypassed” and avoided the moral issue of animal slaughter. The enjambment with the following line emphasizes the word “slaughter” and gives the carnage a brutal atmosphere as Gray positions us to reject the imagery of meat in general, informed by his Buddhist connections and Buddhist ideals of respect for nature and from the Zen Buddhist notion of the non-human spirit through reincarnation, as well as its humanistic concerns regarding self-determination. Gray continues to criticize those who fail to realize the ramifications of their actions; his poem "Flames and Dangling Wires" advocates moral self-determination and respect for the natural world that is not centered on human existence. Gray's spiritual discovery, evoked by imagination of place and belief in divinity, is depicted through infernal allusions to the devil's pitchfork which evokes famous depictions of Christian hellish imagery in "forking rubbish on dampened fires". It thus conveys humanity's attempt to limit and control nature which has led to an apocalyptic vision of the future. Gray uses “the landfill” as a comparison for mankind, symbolizing the dystopian wasteland that society could become. This portrays the need to stop a "consumer society" that consumes itself, as informed by Gray's connection to humanism and his rejection of a consumer culture, as well as the rejection of divine edicts as the moral center for humanity , instead promotes respect for the natural world. , a void of superficial human desires. The impact of the discoveries can be transformative for some individuals as they enlighten us about the power of our world and nature and the imposition that society places on nature. Gray describes in his poem "Flames and Dangling Wires" how individual narrative discoveries can impact the reader and provide hope for social transformation. The reference to “dangling threads” gives the poem its name and reinforces the perception of cultural decline. The thread continues the motif of confinement and waste, and the use of hyphens emphasizes the epiphany that comes from the discovery of “an old radio,” seemingly personal to the person while the pronoun becomes self-referential and exclusive again. The reference to the title causes the character to awaken from the decadence of consumerism which has transformed the "landfill" into a "coast of light". This is indicative of Buddhist enlightenment, which is to see the insignificance of human activity compared to the grand scale of the universe. Gray's rejection of divine edicts as the moral center for humanity is evident; instead it promotes respect for the world..