Ever take a walk after a stressful day and feel a sense of calm? Many do not know it but being in, or even simply viewing nature has the power to heal the mind and body. Within the novel Indian Horse by renowned indigenous Canadian author Richard Wagamese, there are numerous instances of when he illustrates the healing power of nature and the connection humans have with it. This essay will discuss how nature heals, how Wagamese describes the connection between humans and nature, and some of the examples in the novel of when nature heals.
So how does nature heal the body exactly? There’s two parts to this, firstly, the mental aspect. Studies have shown that viewing nature: “reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings.” By
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Benjamin finds his way back to his family though has been inflicted with tuberculosis. Saul’s grandmother, Naomi, upon realizing this declares to the rest of the group that they must go to God’s lake: “We needed to take Benjamin to a place where the air and the land could ease his spirit.”(Wagamese 17) Once they do arrive, Benjamin’s symptoms do seem to ease up, less coughing, less shortness of breath, he seems to be getting better. Until it all catches up again one night and he’s dead by morning. The land healed him to a degree to give him a less burdening last few days with his family. Near the end of the novel God’s lake once again shows nature's healing qualities. Saul goes back to God’s lake to reconcile, and when he walks along the shoreline, the land heals and soothes him: “The angst in my belly disappeared. My thoughts cleared. I walked in a peace I could not recall having experienced before.” (Wagamese 204). Saul, now knowing what he must do to heal, revisits his homeland, and the land helps to heal him by momentarily ridding him of the frustrations that have been inside him for years for a moment of clarity. With Benjamin experiencing less pain and symptoms, and Saul having lower stress levels and not-so-clouded thoughts, it is clear to see that nature does a fairly good job of healing those in need of
Through a process of tremendous struggle, Saul eventually came to his senses and decided to go on an immense journey of healing. Through this journey of pondering and reconnecting with Native roots and biological family in a spiritual manner, Saul filled the empty void within
In this scene, Ben was suffering through the virus. He describes how he looks and how the virus affected his life and looks completely. Not long after, he gets taken to the camp where they healed him, but only enough for him to function, not so much back to his normal health, and Yancy wrote,“‘We’re going to need you.’ ‘Need me?’ ‘For the war’”(114).
The Influence of Others on Saul Indian Hose People around us shape who we will become in the future; they influence us to become who we are today. Some people positively impact while some negatively impact one on their journey to find peace within themselves. The influence of others around us help us find peace within ourselves. In Indian Horse, written by Richard Wagamese, three influential characters help Saul find peace within himself: Father Leboutilier, Erv Sift and Jim Gibney . Throughout the novel, these three important characters help Saul on his journey to find peace within himself in their own respective approaches.
” Nature is depicted as beautiful, but in reality, it buried the bodies of the outcasts and left no trace of humans inhabiting that area. Bret Harte’s use of imagery allowed him to show that nature is not merciful to
This informs readers how Eliezer looked after being in a camp for weeks. Due to the young boy’s physical changes, the only desire on Eliezer’s mind was food. In addition to the physical changes, Eliezer also experienced emotional changes.
Through the Medicine Wheel, we are reminded of our lifelong journey that is continuous upon birth and living through youth, adulthood and senior years. In Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse, the protagonist Saul experiences many obstacles which shape and develop his character. Saul’s life can be divided into more than the four stages of life to better understand his journey. Saul’s Life with His Family The time Saul was able to spend with his family was very short due to the effects of the white men.
Not only does spiritual changes mean soul and environment changes but also mental changes. He gets hurt a lot, not just physically. “I had watched and kept silent” pg 39. He's scared, he just watched his own father get stuck and he didnt do anything about it. That hurt more mentally than physically.
Ben, the narrator of the second half of the book becomes the interpreter of Jakob’s writing, and is the one who helps make sense of what Jakob was trying to say. When Jakob is rescued by Athos, he is found buried in the ground after narrowly escaping from the Nazi’s. He had just witnessed the death of his parents and has been running ever since. At this point Jakob is absolutely traumatized which affect him for the rest of his life. “In many ways, Jakob’s subsequent life after his trauma manifests the typical post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms: fear of being left alone, nightmares, flashbacks, and being haunted by the
The following poems all teach readers the importance and significance of wildlife and the horrible treatment they too often receive from human beings. As everything becomes more modern, we can not help but stray farther away from nature. This increasingly insensitive attitude can have detrimental effects on the environment. Although the elements of poetry used in the following poems vary, Gail White’s “Dead Armadillos,” Walt McDonald’s “Coming Across It,” and Alden Nowlan’s “The Bull Moose,” all share one major conflict; our civilization 's problematic relationship to the wild.
In his passage from “Last Child in the Woods,” Richard Louv uses various rhetorical strategies in order to make his audience more supportive of his argument. The passage discusses the connection, or really the separation, between people and nature. On this subject, Louv argues the necessity for people to redevelop their connection with nature. His use of tone, anecdotes, rhetorical questions, and factual examples all help develop the pathos and logos of his piece.
His experiences as a child in the car with no distractions influenced his mind to grow strong and healthy. As a child, he would draw on the fogged glass and count cows and telephone poles. He believes this helped him appreciate what he saw on long car trips instead of being preoccupied and completely missing those things. Being able to appreciate beautiful nature grows the visionary area of the mind, which is much needed, especially in children. Richard Louv’s rhetorical devices in his essay, Last Child in the Woods, efficiently get his points across.
People encounter many obstacles in their lifetimes, obstacles that are too arduous to overcome by themselves. They must find a way to get through these difficulties, and there is always something, or someone, that helps keep them sane through these hard hours. To Saul Indian Horse, the main character of Richard Wagamese’s novel Indian Horse, that obstacle is St. Jerome’s Residential School and the very element that kept him sane was hockey. In the residential school, Saul is abused both mentally and physically, witnessing the continued deaths of his Indian classmates. Fortunately, Saul was able to keep himself sane through hockey.
Nature is easily projected onto, as it allows for a sense of peacefulness and escapism. Due to its ability to evoke an emotional reaction from the masses, many writers have glorified it through various methods, including describing its endless beauty and utilizing it as a symbol for spirituality. Along with authors, artists also show great respect and admiration for nature through paintings of grandiose landscapes. These tributes disseminate a fixed interpretation of the natural world, one full of meaning and other worldly connections. In “Against Nature,” Joyce Carol Oates strips away this guise given to the environment and replaces it with a harsher reality.
The relationship between the human self and nature is strong because: To be happy is not getting satisfaction out of objects. Being happy comes from being outdoors and nature has a healing
Nature is one of the most powerful and mysterious forces of the universe that influences man greatly. Philosophically considered, the universe is composed of nature and soul. It controls all the living, non-living, human, non-human, organic, inorganic and visible, invisible things. It rules over the universe like a monarch and man can’t escape from the influence of nature; he is influenced by both nature and culture. To man nature is the pure and original source of happiness.