Nature Writing – English 465 – 11-4-2009
It is rather warm for November today. I need not wear my jacket all the way on. This grass clearing in front of Anderson has this kind of idyll that cannot be replicated even in the summer. There are no mosquitoes or pests to bother me right now because they have gone away for the season. Also, this Autumn scene gives a picturesque quality that can only show for a short time, and cannot show again for another year.
The falling and fallen leaves reflect an idyll that is best seen in pictures of the New England region of our country. Even though Kansas is stereotypically farmland, this is a college town, and many college towns have a tendency to look picturesque like this. Kansas State University must have a large landscaping budget, because they did a real fine job at making this campus look uplifting.
Soon, winter will hit, and this beauty and ideal temperature will all be gone for a few months. All must take time to appreciate and soak in the beauty, and even take snapshots with their cameraphone to make it last longer, as this scene is but a fleeting moment in the workings of nature.
I feel like adding colors to these descriptions would aid the development.
ReplyDeleteAs far as cliche goes the biggest description that jumped out at me was the last sentence a 'fleeting moment' is a pretty over used phrase there might be a more original way to describe this without such cliche.
Other things i liked were the mention of new enngland, and the mention of the landscaping budget.
Yes. What colour is it all?
ReplyDeleteYellow? Red? Brown? Green?
The first week in November is often like this.
"Picturesque" has a certain historical meaning/concept, though. It is usually used for cultivated gardens designed to look like a picture.
How does the uplift affect you?
Thought I might give you several examples of natural/ecological writings. I generally tend to stay away from evaluative judgements of the landscape.
Can certainly relate to the unseasonable November warmth which you mention!