Turtle Island Themes II

     In the chapter Magpie's Song I focused on three poems: On San Gabriel Ridge, Black Mesa Mine #1, and Mother Earth: Her Whales. In San Gabriel Ridge, Snyder seems to see his past relationships in fox scat. In the same way that he can see the fox's past in what the fox has eaten, he sees his past loves and relationships. In Black Mesa Mine #1, Snyder describes in great detail a scene on a mountain where bulldozers are tearing it apart. The air is filled with dust, and the mountain is being reduced to gravel. Snyder sees a parallel between the mountain destroyed by industrial society and the Navajo settlement down the road that is left in disrepair with only dried up poles and logs remaining. In Mother Earth: Her Whales, Gary Snyder details his thoughts on the world and how nations are ruining the environment. Brazilian forests, whales, deer, tigers,boars, monkeys, and all of nature are being destroyed by nations and their priorities. Humans making decisions are described as robots and he expresses disdain towards nationalism and the treatment of the wildlife by various countries. All three poems use vivid imagery and both Black Mesa Mine #1 and Mother Earth: Her Whales focus on themes of humanity destroying nature. Mountains and animals are given personalities and their treatment is seen as an injustice.