The Uses of Light

In Turtle Island there is a poem that we did not read for class but that is something that spoke to me.  It is called "The Uses of Light".  In this poem Snyder lists in different stanzas how light is perceived by multiple entities.  First he gives a stones perspective, then a tree, next a moth, and then a deer.  Each of these lines is building towards the last stanza.  Each being have more and more awareness and the ability to think.

He ends the poem though with an experience only a human could have.  This line I believe is a perception of the light and how with light it illuminates our field of vision.  This is both literal and metaphorical, light is knowledge and if you climb up one floor more you are gaining more knowledge which in turn opens up your mind or horizons allowing you to see and understand further.

The poem build upon knowledge, starting with an object that has little or none as it is non-living, and moving through living beings from a tree with a minimal amount of self awareness or knowledge, to a moth that has slightly more, to a deer that has even more, to us finally.  It is a progression and it shines light on the idea of how light can be perceived in multiple fashions and multiple uses.

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