How does Hardy treat nature?

Hardys views of nature vary greatly in his poems, but overall it seems he has great respect and appreciation for the natural world. The Puzzled Game-Birds was written in a time when hunting was a big sport, and this poem takes the view of a bird as it reflects on how the same people who had nurtured it from a chick are now trying to kill it. The very storyline and sport itself propose a powerful oxymoron in that someone creates and rears something, only to then destroy it again. Hardy here is trying to point out the inhumanity of what was being done, and how the hunters had no regard for the game-birds feelings or life. Back in the Victorian times, hunting was a popular pastime, with people of all classes and ages taking part. This was something that Hardy seems to be against in this poem. The poetic devices employed also add to the effect of sympathy for the bird. Hardy uses rhetorical questions to involve the reader, alliteration to improve the flow of the words and syntax to help create the complex rhyme scheme that reflects the birds scattered thoughts. The use of hyphens and enjambment encourage the reader to continue the beat and rhythm created by repeating words such as us. Written in the form of a triolet, it features only one verse consisting of 8 lines. Hardy seems to be trying to capture the game-birds confusion and disbelief in what is happening, and with all of these devices and factors combined, Hardy strongly conveys his feelings of sympathy for the animal. Another poem in which Hardy sides with nature is The Blinded Bird. Here he seems to be in awe a simple bird which had lost his sight, but still sings. This is symbolic of Hardys views of religion as well as nature, because he seems to me to be questioning God and his reasoning. He pins the misfortune of the creature solely on

God, stating With Gods consent. The point he seems to be making is that whilst God wanted this bird to suffer, it is continuing regardless, singing its song. Hardy portrays the bird as Jesus in a way, showing how it has done no wrong to anyone, yet was made to suffer nonetheless. This view is strongly conveyed in the third and final stanza, where the poem ends with the striking line, Who is divine? This Bird. This is a powerful way to end the poem, as it leaves the reader to ponder on the rhetorical question proposed by Hardy, whilst absorbing the answer provided. Proud Songsters also analyses birds and attributes of their life. Here Hardy explores how a bird can start as nothing more than particles of grain, And Earth, and air, and rain. The chronology of this poem is unusual in the sense that it examines the day to day life of the bird in the first verse, and then the origins of the animal in the second. This reversal of the birds timeline makes the poem seem less conventional, and therefore more interesting. The shape of the poem reflects the song of the birds also. It seems to take the shape of an erratic and energetic sound, with no continuous and uniform structure. The syntax is also altered by Hardy to achieve greater impact. This is evident in the second stanza: of twelve-months growing. Here he has rearranged the words in order to improve its flow and to continue the structure of a song. The descriptive language is also a key element in the poem, as it helps to paint a vivid picture in the readers head. To conclude, Hardy seems to show great respect towards nature, often seeing it as pure and unspoilt. This is reflected in his poetry through the use of vivid imagery and structural features.

Jamie