Perceptions of Essence in the Poems of "Field Guide" by Robert Hass
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Authors
Taylor, James McOmber
Issue Date
1983
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The focus of this paper will be on Field Guide. More specifically,
I will concentrate on the variations of a theme that occur in many of
the poems in the book. The central idea of this theme is the sharing
of an essence of being by all things and the consequent equality
everything possesses.
The poems in this collection are loaded with wildlife images, sea
life images, and, simply, life images. When I read these poems I feel
the speaker is striving for an empathy with the entirety of his
environment. Field Guide is an appropriate title, because of the
awareness of life in the poems, and because of the continuing self-examination
in each experience.
I will primarily be discussing the poems that deal most directly
with the idea of an underlying equality of all things. For the
purpose of discussion, I will present the poems out of their original
sequence. Here, however, are the titles as they appear in Field Guide:
"On the Coast near Sausalito," "Letter to a Poet," "Graveyard at
Bolinas," "San Pedro Road," "Measure," and "In Weather."
Description
iv, 45 p.
Citation
Publisher
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved.