For centuries, nature in literature has been used as a way to reflect both our society and humanity. Toni Morrison's Beloved and Christina Rossetti's selected poems use nature as both a tool of oppression and support, challenging the inequalities and ideals of their times. However, in their contexts – Morrison writing in the 1980s about the slave trade of the 1860s, and Rossetti writing about the patriarchy of Victorian society – nature is presented from different perspectives. While Beloved depicts nature as something spiritual, a connection to the African American community, nature in Goblin Market can be seen as having erotic connotations, illustrating the close bond of brotherhood. Regardless, both texts regularly present nature as a symbol of new life and/or death. These texts can also be linked to the use of nature in Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott, with its reference to death and fallen woman. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Nature in both texts is often presented as a tool to present oppression. In Beloved's stream-of-consciousness monologue, the girl on the slave ship says, "I fall like rain." This declarative simile uses the pathetic fallacy of "the rain" as an allusion to the girl's crying over the cruel treatment of slaves during the slave trade. Morrison may have been influenced here by the autobiography of former slave Frederick Douglass, in which he wrote of his experience: "I often found myself in tears." The word "fall" further displays her oppression and the force inflicted upon her, with the word also evoking a lack of control she will have had as a slave (nature being used as a tool to reflect this). Another view could present the word as being a suggestion to the "fallen woman", because in this monologue the girl is described as having been sexually assaulted and, therefore, her "innocence" would have been taken into account – “he touches me there”. ". This can be referenced to the fall of Eve in Genesis. After Eve “loses her innocence” by eating the forbidden fruit instead, God declares, “Cursed are you above all livestock and wild animals! » Water imagery is also symbolized by Morrison's use of the stream-of-consciousness format, in which the flowing nature of the text, without punctuation, alludes to the fluidity of water. It can be seen that she, Morrison, draws on the style of "women's writing", challenging the white man's primary narrative. It could be argued that she portrays her pride both as an African American and as a woman; both parties were heavily discriminated against in 1980s America. Later in the novel, when Sethe, Denver and Beloved go ice skating, Morrison writes: "on the dangerous ice, no one saw them fall" . Here, water and the seasonal imagery of the word "ice" are used as a metaphor to symbolize the freezing of the plot in the structure of the novel. Water being symbolic of amniotic fluid and therefore of the mother/child bond in Beloved (like the imagery of Sethe giving birth: "nothing stopped the water from a broken uterus") could also symbolize the breakdown of relationships between the three figures, the water now frozen. Nature, like water, is therefore a tool of oppression which highlights the destruction of this bond and therefore Sethe's happiness. The word “traitor” evokes nature as unworthy ofconfidence, while the word “fall” evokes pain inflicted on the characters by nature. The declarative “no one saw them fall” suggests the isolation of the family, “no one” evokes loneliness. Morrison may have been referring to the isolation of slaves in the ointment trade. A possible influence could have been Harriet Ann Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, in which she wrote: "I felt so desolate and alone." The word "fall" could also symbolize the breakdown of family relationships due to the oppressive tool of nature. This argument is supported by author Liz Sands, who states that "no one saw them fall" refers to the fall the family is about to experience. It is true to say that this point in the novel is only the beginning of the family's downfall, and the way nature is used to inflict pain could be seen as foreshadowing true disintegration. In Rossetti's She Sat and Sang Always – a sonnet depicting the speaker's relationship with nature – nature is also presented as a tool of oppression through the imagery of water. In the phrase “my tears were swallowed by the sea,” the oppressive personification of the “swallowed” sea presents the speaker's pain hidden by nature. This violent imagery of the sea and the suggested pathetic illusion of a storm reflect this oppression, as well as the sinister hiss of "swallowed by the sea." Alternatively, from a feminist perspective, Rossetti could be seen as criticizing the treatment of inequality towards women in 19th century society, with nature thus symbolizing the violence and mistreatment inflicted by male supremacists. Presenting the speaker at face value as weak, along with the use of trochaic rhymes often found in traditional sonnet form, could be seen as a mockery of the main narrative and male critics within the Victorian patriarchy. Women writers like Rossetti have often been criticized by writers like Edward Fitzgerald, who said, "[female writers] only devote themselves to what men do much better." Rossetti's rebellion against such ideologies and critiques was radical for a woman of her time, and subsequently she is often considered a "proto-feminist". In Rossetti's Goblin Market – a poem describing the close bond between two sisters – nature is also featured. as a tool of oppression through the imagery of trees. In the phrase “her tree of life fell from the root,” Laura is presented as one with nature through her body and health symbolized by a tree. The connotations of "slumped" create images of ill health and death, at the hands of the goblins who fed him the poisonous fruit. This is also evidenced by the assonance of "falling" from the root, with the sound "oo" being connotative of pain and struggle. The “tree of life” could also be seen as a symbol of mysticism and spirituality. It could be argued that Rossetti's background as a devout Catholic could have had a personal influence in this regard, with trees being an important symbol of faith in the religion. In Genesis, for example, the tree of life in the Garden of Eden is known as "the tree of knowledge, good and evil." Such spirituality corresponds to Rossetti's use of the "fairy tale form" in Goblin Market. From a feminist perspective, this poem could again be a critique of the mistreatment of women in Victorian society. However, unlike this same perspective in She Sat and Sang Always, nature in the form of the "tree of life" would rather be seen as a feminine symbol, and thereforea tool to present oppression by being a victim of the hand of man (in this context depicted as monstrous "goblins". The fairy tale form in this scenario would be used to conceal Rossetti's critique of patriarchy; l The controversial opinion of a woman of her time would have been considered radical. In the imagery of the Garden of Eden, the fruit of the goblin market could be interpreted as the forbidden fruit. The goblins (represented then as Satan) use the. the tree of knowledge as a tool to oppress Laura, hence her “subsidence”, just as Eve is punished for eating the forbidden fruit by expulsion from Eden – Genesis: “when you eat of [it]. tree], you will surely die". K. McGowran supports this argument by saying: "the imagery of the fruits [in the goblin market] is biblical, reminiscent of the temptations of the Garden of Eden. through Laura giving in to the temptation of the fruit, Rossetti could criticize the way in which women give in to the pressure of the ideals of the world's patriarchy. Morrison and Rossetti's use of nature as a tool to present oppression can be linked to that of Tennyson in The Lady of Shalott – a poem depicting a woman's fall at the hands of love, notably through images of decadence and water and trees. “The willows are whitening” alludes to poor health, with the color images of white symbolizing death; just as Rossetti does with the imagery of the trees in the Goblin Market with the “falling tree of life” – just as willows are also known for their drooping branches. The connotations of Willow Tree's alternate names also feature connections to Beloved. Willows, often called "weepers", allude to the weeping of the tree, due to the oppression that nature displays physically. This draws a parallel to that of the water imagery in Beloved and "I Fall Like Rain". Similarly, Morrison also uses color images of white and then seasonal images of winter when Sethe, Denver, and Beloved are "ice skating." While Tennyson uses nature as a tool to present oppression by being a victim, Morrison symbolizes nature itself as the oppressor. On the other hand, nature is also presented in both texts as support and education. In Beloved, Amy describes the scar on Sethe's back: "[it's] a chokecherry tree...full of sap." This metaphor presents nature as protective of Sethe due to her abuse as a slave, and could perhaps refer to the healing powers of "mother nature". Throughout nature, the juxtaposition of the word “chokecherry” displays both violence and peace – “choke” evoking pain and “cherry” having connotations of innocence. The repetition of the harsh “ch” sound could also allude to a painful past. Here, Morrison could use nature to present the beauty that can result from suffering and relate to the theme of hope in the novel. Much like at the Goblin Market, trees are often considered spiritual in African cultures and can be seen as a connection between God and man. As Mr. Bonnet says: “trees…play a crucial role in African religion.” This could imply that Sethe is close to and protected by God, just like Morrison expressing how God embraces African Americans. This could be a belief influenced by his religious upbringing. In an interview with the Guardian, E. Brockes writes: “at age 12… [Morrison] joined the Catholic Church.” Alternatively, "full of sap" in the lexical representation of the scar as a tree could be read as a metaphor for Sethe's blood and vivacity, the superlative "full” paralleling the character’s overflow of love and emotion evoked by the beauty of nature. Alternatively, this outburst could represent Sethe's emotions and love intense with negative effect, alluding to the murder of her baby and the moment Paul D. subsequently describes her love as "too thick". This critical argument is supported in an interview with Toni Morrison, in which it is said: "Sethe has an excess of maternal feeling...such excesses are not good." Nature could then be seen to present Sethe as dangerous. Later in the novel, when Paul D is guided to safety by a Cherokee woman, Morrison writes, "follow the flowers of the trees." This imperative gives nature in the form of trees a sense of power to help Paul D, while creating an image of authority for the Cherokee, often seen as a symbol of spirituality and as a connection between man and nature. natural world, suggesting that she has control over nature. In a video interview with Jerry Wolfe, an elder from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, it was stated, "We've always looked down on the soil because it provides everything." Alternatively, the imperative and the word "follow" could allude to the story of the Three Magi guided by nature, in the form of a star, towards salvation: "we saw the star [of Jesus] then that she arose and came to worship her. ". This would in turn connect the Cherokee directly to the role of God. Salvation in the context of Beloved would be Paul D's liberation from slavery, with nature providing such freedom and support. This positive relationship between man and nature can be further supported by M. Bonnet, who says: "[trees] are even revered by certain tribes as God himself in his immanent aspect." Morrison could arguably reflect his African heritage's beliefs that nature and religion are one by depicting a similar culture of the Cherokee Indians in his novel, as well as the relevance of the fact that both sides were discriminated against in 20th century North America. The use of "trees" as a symbol of knowledge, harkening back to Genesis and the Garden of Eden, supports that nature is a guide for Paul D. The use of seasonal imagery and the word "flowers" also have meanings. connotations of new life and purity, following the life cycle of plants, once again emphasizing the theme of hope for the future in the novel. In Rossetti's Goblin Market, nature is also presented as supportive. and nourish through fruit imagery. When Lizzie tries to save her sister Laura, she says, "Suck my juice/Squeezed goblin fruit for you." The imperative “suck my juice” highlights a strong bond between the sisters, with “fruit” suggesting that it was nature that allowed Lizzie to save Laura and thus bring them together. At first glance, the imagery of “fruit” presents nature as a nourishing and healing power, with the word often having connotations of nutrition and luxury. Alternatively, "suck my juice" can be seen as having underlying erotic themes, perhaps alluding to lesbianism. This is emphasized by the preceding phrase: "kiss me, kiss me, suck my juice", and could be seen to take the form of a sexual metaphor with the accented words "hug", "kiss" and "suck » in a trochaic. form. The use of asyndetic tripling here could be seen as introducing a similar passion into the text. According to 19th century ideology, homosexuality between two women would be connoted by the Victorian concept of “fallen woman”. For this, Rossetti may have been influenced by the works of her Pre-Raphaelite brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and more.