Gary Snyder Themes

"Source," "Pine Tree Tops," "For Nothing," and "The Uses of Light" are all poems included in book, Turtle Island, written by Gary Snyder.  All four of those poems share similar themes.  The main theme of the poems is based around the environment and it's beauty and necessary conservation.  In "Source" and "The Uses of Light," Snyder emphasizes the earth's beauty and how different points of view may enable us to see natures' beauty at its full potential.  In "For Nothing," Snyder's theme basically says that the earth is readily offering beauty, but when no one takes it and makes proper use of it, it fades away.  Also, I think that Snyder is also trying to say that we do not appreciate nature, almost to say that we are wasting God's gift.  In "The Uses of Light," Snyder shares the same theme as in "For Nothing" when he describes his visions as he travels to a new perspective.  Snyder, I think, wants to encourage us to look at nature and the environment from a new outlook to gain an understanding of its true worth and beauty.