In the Forest by Thomas Shapcott

In The Forest by Thomas Shapcott has been used to convey the destructive nature of inhabitants. It highlights how the inhabitants are selfish and destroy the landscape for their own benefits. However, they have little acknowledgment for the impacts of their actions on the landscape and the wildlife that relies on it for their survival. In this poem, Shapcott had given a voice to the wildlife and attempts to portray how human actions impact upon their lives.

The landscape is often referred to as ‘mother nature’ as it provides for its inhabitants. In the poem, the landscape is portrayed as caring for its inhabitants by protecting it and providing resources for their use. In stanza three, the composer states, ‘The snake moves into the reeds quickly’. It shows how the snake is able to seek protection from the landscape as it shields them from the dangers of humanity. However, the landscape also provides for humans because it offers resources for them that allow for their survival. The composer also utilises the technique of irony to show how the trees that once ‘sheltered’ the inhabitants have now been crushed.

The power of humans to influence and dominate the landscape is clearly evident within society. This is portrayed in the poem ‘Flames and Dangling Wire’ in which the inhabitants of the landscape are easily able to alter and manipulate the landscape in which they live as highlighted in Stanza two, ‘The dark of forest is so solid that its undergrowth should never break’. This directly juxtaposes with stanza five, ‘and the gash in the forest, and light to break’. This shows how initially the landscape was thought to be indestructible and that no power would ever be able to penetrate through its darkness. However, humans have the resources to build machinery and weapons that is easily able to destroy the landscape, causing the ‘light to break’ through. The light that breaks through can also be perceived as a plea from the composer for inhabitants to recognise what they are doing, and the impacts they are having and ultimately provide a hope that things will improve in the future.

The fast paced lives of inhabitants, causing them to have little consideration for the impacts they have on the landscape is also explored throughout the poem.  This is clearly evident in stanza four, ‘That! Slap of an axe. That!’. The use of repetition of the word ‘That’ and the short sentence structure draws the readers attention to this point and places emphasis upon it. It highlights the fast paced nature of the inhabitants, emphasising the lack of consideration inhabitants have for the landscape. Rather they act spontaneously, thinking little of the impacts they will have and not providing sufficient time in order to allow the landscape to regenerate. This highlights the selfish nature of the inhabitants as they continue to take from the landscape only to benefit themselves.

The fast pace of inhabitants is further explored through the repeated motif of time. The repetition of the phrase ‘Has the time come?’, in both stanzas two and three utilises the technique of a rhetorical question in order to show how the wildlife of the landscape has been forced to ‘wait’ in anticipation for the coming of destruction.  It highlights the change that is to come to the landscape due to the fact that the inhabitants do not consider what impact we have on society.

The destructive nature of the inhabitants is clearly evident within society. In stanza seven, the composer refers to ‘the skull of the forest’. The skull can be perceived as a metaphor for the forest and symbolises its death and destruction. The lush vegetation of the forest has been removed and it has left the forest exposed and barren. Although the forest was once living, it is now all gone, which can be seen as a representation of the future if societies destructive habits are not ended. The skull is now only a symbol that the forest had once existed.  The skull can be perceived as a warning of the danger that is to come if society continues to take and take until there is nothing left and also it draws the responder’s attention to this issue and highlights the impacts of deforestation. The repeated motif of destruction is also repeated throughout the poem. This is portrayed through the use of words such as ‘gash’, ‘fallen’, ‘crushed’ and ‘broken’, which all connote the negative impact of inhabitants on the landscape. In the last stanza, the composer declares, ‘But the birds have forgotten they have claimed other trees. They settle for sleep’. This reveals how the animals have been forced to adapt and come to term with the impacts of the inhabitants. It appears as though deforestation ahs become a part of life and much like a routine. This further emphasises the issue of deforestation as it presented as a common issue and therefore it is socially acceptable. The composer wishes to see this altered in the future and therefore has successfully used this line, to end the poem in order to underline how this needs to change in the future.

The impact of inhabitants upon the landscape is clearly evident throughout society. The domination of inhabitants over the landscape and there manipulation of the landscape for their own benefit is clearly evident in the poem ‘In the Forest’ by Thomas Shapcott. The composer has successfully utilised a variety of techniques in order to emphasise how he perceives deforestation to be a significant issue within society. Through his poem, he attempts to make the responder recognise how they directly contribute to the destruction of the landscape through their greed and selfish nature. By placing emphasis on this he wishes for inhabitants to change their attitudes and effectively alter their actions.

‘In the Forest’ by Thomas Shapcott can be compared with the poem ‘Flames and Dangling Wire’ by Robert Gray as both poems address the impact inhabitants have upon the landscape. Both highlight the selfish nature of society as they take from and destroy the landscape and they appear to be oblivious to the impacts of their actions. However, the poems concentrate on different issues as ‘In the Forest’ presents the issue of deforestation whereas ‘Flames and Dangling Wire’ highlights the issue of pollution within the environment.

‘In the Forest’ can also be compared to the poem ‘Australia’ by A D Hope. Both poems show the effects of foreign inhabitants on the landscape and also there lack of consideration for the original inhabitants. However, ‘In the Forest’ portrays the aliens as being the humans who destroy the wildlife for their own benefits. In contrast, ‘Australia’ by A D Hope portrays the ‘aliens’ to be the Europeans who colonised Australia and had little consideration for the Aboriginal people.

Sources:
Thomas Shapcott, 2011. Retrieved: March 7, 2011, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Shapcott