Environmental Conservation and Advocacy in the Selected Poems of Mary Oliver (Essay Sample)

The essay is a book review and reflection on a selection of poems by renowned poet Mary Oliver in her book "Devotions" concerning environmental conservation and advocacy. Mary Oliver's selections of poems are nature-inspired, culminating from her love of nature walks and her deep connection with nature since she was a young girl. Although the poems are mainly for enjoyment and written for all audiences, they seem to make us more environmentally aware by living thoughtfully, purposefully, and honoring our environment. in the poem "On Meditating, Sort of," she draws an interconnectedness of humans and the environment when she speaks of being part earth and part water. This brings to the fore that destroying the environment will eventually destroy us. For example, deforestation, carbon emissions, and environmental degradation have brought about climate change leading to devastating tsunamis, hurricanes, and adverse weather conditions, not to mention droughts and desertification. This is also depicted in their poem "From This River When I Was a Child I Used to Drink," as she grieves the now dying and drying up river. Although the poems were for enjoyment, they address environmental issues like loss of biodiversity, environmental degradation, and ecological ethics. They also support environmental advocacy and justice by including ecosystem preservation when planning for human development. Thus, the poems' are important in addressing environmental issues and promoting advocacy and activism to preserve and reclaim the ecosystem.