Wednesday, May 12, 2010
I'll admit that I struggled to make heads or tails of Emerson's Nature. I left the reading filled with thousands of questions and no answers. As we discussed it in class, things began to make more sense. What struck me the most, though, was the idea of creative perception.
I suppose I relate most to the idea of nature as beauty. I've always loved looking at whatever scenery was placed in front of me on long car rides. Well, with the possible exception of the Saskatchewan prairie. Anyone who's driven through it will know what I mean. Although I have still managed to find several beautiful places there, so I think that should tell you my feelings about creative perspective.
I grew up near the mountains and my family often traveled four hours to Banff on school breaks. They are truly breathtaking. Majestic and strong, they are my favorite vacation destination. I would love to live near them again someday. I've also been to the ocean several times, and the vastness of it always amazes me. I've never felt so small, as when I'm standing on the beach.
These sights are truly awe-inspiring, but I think there's a quiet beauty in the prairie too. In the soft hills and fields, and lush groves of trees in the grass that can be seen from the highway. I spent the summer in Kansas and did a lot of driving (most times I was actually the passenger, which gave me time to appreciate the view from the car window) and I can honestly say that I think it's beautiful. Yes, the beauty of Kansas is quite different than the mountains or the ocean. But the peaceful, unassuming nature of wheat and corn fields across the countryside is also a worthy sight in it's own right. I don't know if it's the way the land stretches on, uninterrupted, or the greenness of fields that have been watered by the rain, or the way the colors blend into vast stretches of canvas, or how the sky seems to stretch on forever. Or maybe it's the combination of all of this that I love looking at.
But whatever it is, it's beautiful just the same.
I suppose I relate most to the idea of nature as beauty. I've always loved looking at whatever scenery was placed in front of me on long car rides. Well, with the possible exception of the Saskatchewan prairie. Anyone who's driven through it will know what I mean. Although I have still managed to find several beautiful places there, so I think that should tell you my feelings about creative perspective.
I grew up near the mountains and my family often traveled four hours to Banff on school breaks. They are truly breathtaking. Majestic and strong, they are my favorite vacation destination. I would love to live near them again someday. I've also been to the ocean several times, and the vastness of it always amazes me. I've never felt so small, as when I'm standing on the beach.
These sights are truly awe-inspiring, but I think there's a quiet beauty in the prairie too. In the soft hills and fields, and lush groves of trees in the grass that can be seen from the highway. I spent the summer in Kansas and did a lot of driving (most times I was actually the passenger, which gave me time to appreciate the view from the car window) and I can honestly say that I think it's beautiful. Yes, the beauty of Kansas is quite different than the mountains or the ocean. But the peaceful, unassuming nature of wheat and corn fields across the countryside is also a worthy sight in it's own right. I don't know if it's the way the land stretches on, uninterrupted, or the greenness of fields that have been watered by the rain, or the way the colors blend into vast stretches of canvas, or how the sky seems to stretch on forever. Or maybe it's the combination of all of this that I love looking at.
But whatever it is, it's beautiful just the same.
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