My Forest - Original Writing

Towering nearly 200 feet tall and covered in glistening moss, this tree captures the Pacific Northwest’s magical spirit. On Olympic National Park’s “World’s Largest Western Red Cedar Trail”, this tree remains a testament to the last 1,000 years of history. Western Redcedars were called “Life Giver” by Northwest Coast Indians due to their healing and spiritual influence. This tree is thought to drive out negative energy and draw in good influences. Standing in a tiny “room” in this trees’ buttress roots, you instantly feel its immense power radiate.

In Flannery O'Connor's short story "A View of the Woods", she tells the tale of a grandfather who is very close to his grandaughter. The grandpa's name is Mark Fortune and he had many kids, one of his daughters lives on his property. She married a man called "Pitts" who Mark Fortune is not very fond of, none the less he allows them to live on his land without paying any rent. This allows his favorite grandaughter, Mary Fortune to constantly hang out with him and learn from him. A key role in this story is the woods that surround Fortune's woods. Mark Fortune is not a man obsessed with progress as much as he wants convenience, to get this convenience he plans on selling his land to get businesses closer to his home. These woods have become well loved by his grandaughter who has grown up in

Every forest has a story to tell. By looking closely at its habitants, that story can be interpreted. Much of this narrative is written in the trees: their age, their tolerance to shade, and the rate at which they grow are all characteristics that can imply a lot about their environment. Exploring these relationships and how they connect with each other can indicate the health and history of the land. Heiberg Forest, located in northern New York, was once used for agricultural purposes in the 1800-1900’s. (Nowak, Lecture Notes) Much of the land once used for farming was left to regrow back into a young forest. The life history of different tree species can be determined by examining the most common species in Heiberg.

Entering the giant forest, I saw tunnel log, a fallen Sequoia that was carved into a tunnel. Driving through the tunnel log I saw writings from other people and ancient tree rings. Climbing on top

Whether it was left for a boundary mark, or for what reason, no one could say; the woodchoppers who had felled its mates were dead and gone long ago, and a whole forest of sturdy trees, pines and oaks and maples, had grown again. But the stately head of this old pine towered above them all and made a landmark for sea and shore miles and miles away. Sylvia knew it well. She had always believed that whoever climbed to the top of it could see the ocean” (Jewett). The tree symbolizes strength and wisdom over time. As stated by writer Thomas Erskine, "When she negotiates the ‘passage’ from the oak to the pine, she undertakes a 'great enterprise,' one at once challenging and fulfilling. From the top of the pine she can see the 'vast and awesome world' that lies beyond the safety of the farm" (Erskine). This represents that as Sylvia climbs the tree, she is growing up and becoming wiser, she is changing. This ties to the theme that nature must be saved because you cannot grow without it. The author also uses similes to help reinforce the

Jane Hirshfield connects to nature at her home in Marin County, California this is where she gets her inspiration for her poems. Hirshfield published “Tree” in 2000 as a free verse poem, divided into 4 stanzas and 4 sentences to convey the nature world. The poem represents a “young redwood” (line 2) growing near a house, near a kitchen window. The redwood is already scraping against the window frame of the house, reminding the reader of the “foolish” (line 1) idea of letting it grow there. Humans were created to be one with nature, but as they evolved as a species, they were obligated to choose between the materialistic world or the world of nature.

The trees

Nature has always provided a sanctuary for me, especially during the Spring and the Summer. The beautiful trees, flowers, and long grasses in the local nature preserve have always provided me with great joy and freedom in my leisure time. More importantly, I have always enjoyed doing nature hikes with my friends. In the Spring of 2013, I decided I wanted to hike with a group of people, instead of hiking by myself. I chose Allison, James, and Sheila to be my companions for a day-hike into the depths of the woodlands. During the hike, Allison told me about a really large oak tree that she had seen deep in the middle of the forest. She had actually given the tree a name: “Big Albert”. Allison had told us that she had named the tree after her big brother. Tragically, Albert had died in a car accident in 2010, so all of us were inspired to join Allison in this spiritual quest. All of us were very surprised to hear of this tree, since old oaks were very rare in these parts. We decided that it would be our mission to find

and there were billions of trees there, and all of them gorgeous and just um..

Rion calmed from his night terror easily, and he and Percival went back to sleep. When morning arrived, Rion shot out of bed with a grin, full of his typical energy. He had no memory of his tears and screaming the previous night, which was just as well; the boy deserved peace after all the heartache he had weathered.

The poem A Forest Hymn talk of the origin of all the nature that surrounds humanity and the activities of these naturally found objects. It gives an indication that the source of all the nature that we see is God and He is the one who controls their actions in all aspects and as to that, the poet implores the entire humanity to humble itself before the creator and controller of nature and worship him, not necessarily in houses or in crowds as both of these are weak and cannot stand before the might of the creator, but in natural settings.

Trees are important not only physically but also spiritually and for many this fact is lost. Physically trees provide humans with beauty and a healthy ecosystem. Spiritually trees provide humans a connection to nature. Their importance has been lost in our modern times as humans further separate themselves from nature. While forgotten by many, their actions still resonate. The two modern poems “The Tree Agreement” by Elise Paschen and “Living Tree” by Robert Morgan trumpet the value trees hold in comparable ways. In the poem “The Tree Agreement” the speaker argues for the benefits of the Siberian Elm against a disagreeing neighbor. By structuring the poem in this manner, the poet highlights how people are blind to the services trees provide while simultaneously highlighting said services. The tree is portrayed almost as a friend or ally to the speaker. The speaker describes not only to the significance of the tree to humans like the neighbor and the speaker but also to the other living creatures surrounding them. The poem “Living Tree” focuses on the actions performed by trees in cemeteries. This poem follows a more spiritual route when compared to Paschen’s poem. This poem describes the process those who have been buried go through and the role trees play in this process. The trees in this poem are portrayed as lightning rods for the chemicals and spirits of the dead. This relationship is portrayed positively, as the trees are a monument to the passing of life. These poems

domains” (Harrison). Forests, according to Harrison, have retained to this day their associations in the cultural imagination of the West. The German tradition in particular seems to be intertwined with mythical conceptions of the forest which, in fairy tales, for example, is constructed as the supreme authority on earth, as the great provider, and as the place where society’s conventions no longer hold true (Zipes).

On October 20, 2015, I went to the Wood County Park District to do tree inventory as my service learning field trip. During the service-learning trip, I was sent to a certain spot in the park to count and identify the different kinds of trees in the forest. I was handed a tree identification key and with my group we had to figure out if the trees were under the coniferous tree key or the deciduous tree key. In my group, I helped identify the types of leaves, bark, and the place where it was growing.

It’s a bad idea. It was a terrible one. This is what I kept repeating, but it didn’t help. I truly wanted to go. To be sincere, it was even a miracle I was invited to Savannah’s party, but anyway I was going. My parents knew exactly what I knew it was a “Halloween Party” with “adult supervision” and no costumes. The no costume part I found odd, after all it was a Halloween Party.