Courses

Course Description

Poems about nature have enduring appeal in the United States.  It begins with romanticized odes to the world around us in the manner of Wordsworth and Keats.  But now poets address nature in more realistic and questioning ways.  Is humankind a part of nature or apart from it?  Are we nature’s stewards or must nature become victim to our needs?  Is a peaceable balance between untouched nature and our needs, both real and imagined?  Ms. Bernell thinks the best way to address such questions is to hear what the poets have to say.  So prepare for looks at nature ranging from Thoreau and Whitman to Frost, Ackerman, Berry, Strafford, and many more.  The subject is challenging, the poems enchanting.  Come join the quest for answers.