Tareva - Week 1

I feel somewhat foolish for just now beginning to blog considering it is the fourth week of classes, but have no fear, I have been keeping a written tally of what I want to blog about each week.

For the first week I want to talk about the Gary Snyder text. I missed the very first day of class so my best friend picked up all of my assignments. When I received word that I was to read a section out of the Gary Snyder text, my first thoughts were, "Who the hell is Gary Snyder"? Once I started reading his work, however, I was blown away. He has the ability to take the reader all the way into the places he's been. I feel like his writing makes me connect with my surroundings ("nature") in a way I never have, nor ever thought was possible. In class discussion we talked about how Snyder introduced the idea of "sacred energy exchange." Wow! That's a very deep and profound way of looking at the life cycle. I was telling my roommate just the other day that I enjoy meeting people, or reading books, or having professors that make me think about things I don't think about all the time or have never had the opportunity to think about. And trust me, I'm a thinker! But when I read Snyder's work I feel as if my thinking is being rewarded! He gives us something to ponder in such a way that is unusual yet philosophically smart, if you will. I'm rather impressed by Snyder's ability to play with language in order to really tap at the soul of the reader. "Nature is not a place to visit, it is home - and within that home territory there are more familiar and less familiar places." That is one of my favorite lines. There is so much power behind his writing! I'm excited to finish this book.