Ravens and Death

In the chapter “Ravens” of Terry Williams’ Refuge, the titular bird serves as a metaphor for the impending loss of Willams’ mother. Ravens have long been a symbol of loss and bad omens due to their black plumage and haunting caw. They also can serve as a bridge between the material world and the world of the dead.

Williams explores this association between life and death in this chapter, with the ravens serving as a metaphor for this association. She describes the Saltair boardwalk, which had been burned down, leaving only burnt posts behind that resembled ravens. Being the only remnant left of Saltair, they serve as the “spirit” of the deceased boardwalk in a sense. There is very little left of the pier, which could not be rebuilt after it’s closure and burning, which ties into Williams’ mother, who cannot be rebuilt either and will eventually die from her cancer. It serves as a metaphor for the loss Williams knows is coming, with the ravens serving the purpose of reminding her of this, as a memento mori.

The color black, which ties into the black plumage of the raven that gives it its poor reputation, also plays a prominent role in the chapter. Black is a color associated with death and funerals. The chapter starts with the preparation for Williams’ mother’s chemotherapy, which offers a low chance of survival, beginning with black dots on her stomach. Her mother also is mentioned to have wrapped her husband’s presents in black for one of his birthdays as a joke that he was becoming old and approaching the end of his life. As it is specifically mentioned that William’s mother is older than her husband, it is also a way of saying she is approaching the end of her life as well. And later on in the chapter, the film zombies are described with dark eyes and black clothes. In this particular instance they serve as the raven, being a bridge between the world of the living and the dead.

Williams’ ends the chapter with the statement that “there are ghosts at the Great Salt Lake”, tying together the metaphor of the bridge between life and death. At this point, Williams’ is faced with the fragility of that divide, as she had believed her mother to have gotten better only for it to be revealed that she was still sick. She is aware that her mother will most likely die soon, although she doesn’t want to believe it. The symbolism of the raven in the chapter serves as a representation of this. Williams’ mother is crossing the bridge to the world of the dead and Williams’ is faced with the reality of that.

The Cows

Visiting David Kline’s farm, the most interesting aspect to me was the cow barn. More specifically, it was the interaction between the cows outside and the calves inside. Every couple of minute, a calf would call out and a cow outside would respond, as if they were holding a conversation. I wonder if the cow that was answering was the calf’s mother. Would cows be able to tell the voice of their baby from the voice of other calves? I would think so, cows are mammals after all and thus they bond and care for their offspring. Whilst it is reassuring to know that these cows that seem so intelligent live on a farm with plenty of room to roam and are treated well, there are so many cows out there living in horribly cramped conditions where they may never see their babies after they are born. That makes me very sad. I wish all farms would be run more ethically. I understand that it is not abnormal for humans to eat animals for food but the least we could do is treat those animals with respect as living beings.

Tuscany Landscape

Here, the city of Florence is all encompassing, cobblestone roads and terracotta buildings stretching along narrow streets. There are only people, dogs, and pigeons here. In spite of its beauty, there are only a few oases of green. One block away is a tiny park of trampled grass and cigarette butts. But go one more block and you’ll reach a beautiful plaza with a wisteria bush just beginning to bloom.  The cars circle round and round the island of nature. Off to one side is a walled in area where I have often sat and drank  a morning coffee. The sounds of the street are muffled here.

Go further and you’ll find the Arno river. It is not as grey as the river of my hometown, though it is still somewhat dirty. There is a strip of concrete along the bank forming a dam where I sit and sketch. The opposite shore is bright and green. In the distance, past a weathered bridge are the mountains.

 

The mountains are the beauty that I seek. On bus rides I watch them wiz by, grass green fields and vineyards, cypress trees planted in neat rows. Rolling hill of flowers, stretching on and on, a picturesque landscape. Further on is the sea, bright and blue, more so than any body of water I have seen in America. It crashes against rocky shores. I walk along the edge, picking up water smoothed stones before returning them to their home.

The American Dagger Moth Caterpillar

While walking along the trail of Brown’s Lake Bog, I came upon an exciting discovery. A large caterpillar lay on it’s back in the middle of the trail, curled up in a ball. At first, I feared it was dead, but upon closer inspection, I could see it  was moving slightly. Using a stick from the ground, I picked it up to move it from the path and examine it. This turned out to be the right choice as I later learned that this particular caterpillar protects itself from danger by “stinging” anything that touches it. The caterpillar was quite beautiful. It had a vibrant yellow fuzzy body with several black spikes protruding from its back. It was very large, about 2 inches in length and quite wide from it’s thick fuzz. It sat perfectly still on the end of the stick. After posing for a photo with the caterpillar, I returned it to its home, away from the path to prevent it from being trampled. Later, I looked up the caterpillar, excited to learn of my new discovery. It was the American Dagger Moth Caterpillar. They are found almost everywhere in America east of the Rocky Mountains

in wooded areas. They feed on many common types of trees such as oaks and maples and are often found on the ground in the forest. I was quite excited to find a creature I had never seen before and learn a bit about it.

In the Thicket of Thoreau

“I had gone down to the woods for other purposes. But, wherever a man goes, men will pursue and paw him with their dirty institutions, and, if they can, constrain him to belong to their desperate odd-fellow society” (244).

This quote, following Thoreau’s arrest for not paying taxes, is telling of his perspective on human society. Though Thoreau is not opposed to having some visitors at his cottage, even if he would prefer to be alone most of the time, he does not wish to be a formal part of society. Instead, it seems he would rather interact with people and avoid the constrains of society, living on his own and not contributing to a state whose morals he disagrees with. That the state will not allow him to live alone on his own terms gives him great contempt for this entity that seems opposed to him. I wonder if Thoreau’s perspective is that other men should do the same and avoid paying taxes and participating in society. If all people were to do this, then the state would not be able to exist. Is this what Thoreau wants? Or does he consider himself an exception to societies rules due to the way he lives?

A Return to Knight’s Hollow

I sit here once again in Knight’s Hollow today. After searching campus for what could be called a “natural place”, I found there were few spots not in direct sight of the road that didn’t require trespassing to access. Knight’s Hollow is not that different at a glance. It is a small patch of forest adjacent to two roads and thus the sound of cars going past is an inevitability. The clearly human-made stools and board do not help this impression either. However, this place still manages to feel isolated, a thick wall of vegetation preventing one from seeing into the campus beyond. If you can tone out the noises of the road, there is a pleasant tune passing through this small grove of trees by the continuous chirping of the crickets and cicadas along with the intermittent peep from a bird. It is evening now, but perhaps in the earlier hours of the day there is more birdsong.

I find that I can enjoy myself here now. On my previous trip to this place, I was too distracted by batting away insects to find any sort of appreciation for the woods. Some bug spray was all it took to fix that issue, although I cannot help but feel some discontentment that the natural scents of the forest are blocked by the strong chemical smell. In the distance, an ice cream truck is playing it’s jingle. I do not want to focus on that however. Instead, I direct my focus to the sound of a lone cricket near where I sit, it’s chirp that much louder due to its proximity.

I have found that attempting to completely separate myself from the man-made world is an impossibility, at least whilst remaining on campus. This is an educational institution first and foremost and thus the usage of technology and automobiles is necessary. However, it is possible to find a bit of joy in the brief glimpses of nature I can encounter. The chirping crickets, the fading sunlight passing through the leaves of the trees to leave puddles of light upon the dirt, muddy and soft and unpaved. These things are not to be dismissed. Even if the human world has permeated so much of our planet, I believe we can still find nature in the smallest of ways.

Tree Plaques

Between my busy schedule and allergies, most of my observations of nature come from peering through my dorm window or walking to class. Since my Freshman year I have noticed the plaques placed in front of certain trees on campus. Now, my eyes simply pass over them as the names of the trees tell me nothing about them besides an official name that means little. What is special about these trees? In order to know, do I have to google the names? If these distinctly unnatural plaques are being placed before trees to identify them, I wish they actually did so in a meaningful way.

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