Environment and Poetry: An Ecological Analysis of Selected Poems from Diverse Regions

Abstract

This study focuses on the environment in the poetry of selected poets. John Keats, William Wordsworth, Christopher Okegbo and Gabriel Okara have been selected because they express their commitment to the environment in their poetry with great intensity. There are some unique environmental issues in their poems. Environmental issues are no longer limited to scientists, weather forecasters or environmentalists, but literary artists, especially poets, are also presenting environmental issues in a rich way through their art. The aim of this study is to emphasize environmental issues by using poetry as an effective tool for commitment to nature and its advocacy. This study is based on the premise that environmental issues are among the major problems of the world in the current 21st century. Keats and Okara have deeply criticized the environment in their selected poems. They recognize that the main cause of human problems and chaos is distance from nature. Their poetry resonates with an emotional connection to nature. Keats and Okara seem to be concerned with the obstacles to human progress that have arisen due to man’s neglect of nature. Okegbo and Wordsworth consider nature as the best teacher for man. A beautiful feature of their poetry is their attachment and sensitivity to the landscapes of land and sea. The poets are environmentally conscious and concerned for the survival of living beings in the environment. The theoretical framework of this research is Ecocriticism, which studies the relationship between literature and nature, while the methodology is based on the textual analysis and other teaching resources. To achieve this goal, analysis, conclusions and critical comments are made based on four collections of poetry. This study presents an ecocritical review of selected English and African poems.