Criticism Achieved through Imagery in The Courage of Turtles by Hoagland - Term Paper Example

Criticism Achieved through Imagery in “The Courage of Turtles” Introduction Edward Hoagland, in his essay d “TheCourage of Turtles” makes readers to develop great concern for the natural world, in this case turtles by imagery. Imagery is achieved through descriptions that are largely indirectly criticizing whatever the author wants people to avoid. The essay is void of figure pointing as the author seeks to express concern for animals without necessarily sounding rough towards humanity. A closer evaluation of the writing shows that the author avoids depicting anyone as villains even the characters that he seems to disregard. Readers learn the author’s wish and intentions that he does not want people to be hostile to animals. He does not tell it directly. This paper will show how Hoagland uses description and imagery to sensitize the public on their role towards the protection and care for the natural world. Overview of the Story Edward Hoagland’s essay titled “The Courage of Turtles” contained in a collection of his 1968 essays titled similarly is a concise blend of humorous descriptions about terrapins. The essay features sarcastic criticism about how people care for the world. The criticism relies heavily on succinctly constructed phrases that help to build various images in readers’ minds. The images are delivered at carefully decided moments in the essay and not embarking on accusations or criticism. Remarkably, the essay wrenches regarding the chosen approach to criticism. At some point, Hoagland criticizes himself creating the impression that the essay is not made to point figures but to deliver the desired message. The essay comprises of three stories that help to reveal the desired objectives. The essay is strategically organized with three stories. The intentions of the story are introduced earlier in “The Mud Water pond Story” that further gives general information about turtles. “The Penny Arcade Story” explains a setting where turtles are mistreated for economic gains. A last story, the “Diamondback Story” presents an incident where the author is cruel to turtles. The organization of the story gives readers insight on the authors childhood experiences and hence memories with turtles. In the introduction, the author hints that his essay is not just about the pride and joy of owning or possessing turtles. Here, he leaves the reader to contemplate because he does not give details of the intentions to the end of the essay. He only does that after a reader is enamored about turtles. Imagery in the Story Early in his story, Hoagland illustrates how turtles suffered to death after people inhabited Mud Water pond, a man-made reservoir initially swarming with aquatic creatures. People intervened to dry the water pond to create room for their houses. Turtles that initially inhabited the water pond “wandered forlornly” as they sought for the already drained water. “Turtles burrowed into the pod mud with the hope that the drought would end. The mud dried over them slowly entombing them” (Hoagland 658). This statement by Hoagland is not a gratuitously rough phrase. As it develops into the reader’s minds, however, helps to create a clear image of the horrible fate of these turtles. Here, the author does not demonize the land developers or the involved water board for causing the deaths. He openly leaves that to the readers as he refers to the drought as the cause of the draining and hence suffering of the turtles (Hoagland 658). It is not the developeers being blamed but the drought that convinced them that the water pond was not a necessary utility. The essay refers back to the story on Mud Water pond after the author jovially describes a wood turtle. The Wood turtle would rather be with the author rather than be at the Mud Water pond evident from a Hoagland phrase that where he argues that the turtle felt better with him in the than being in the Mud Water pond. Here, the author refers to the earlier mentioned turtles dying in the mud pond before going further. He gives a description that sounds more aching about the fate of the turtles. Hoagland 2005 writes that: “Creeping up the brooks to sad, constricted marshes, burdened as they are with that box on their backs, they’re walking into a setup where all their enemies move thirty times faster than they.  It’s like the nightmare most of us have whimpered through, where we are weighted down disastrously while trying to flee…” (659). Again, Hoagland does not place blame but leaves readers to link up the dots and understand the role of humans in protection and care for the natural world. “The Penny Arcade Story” commences with the phrase that “I have witnessed turtles in poorer straits” (Hoagland 659). The author makes a visit to the arcade’s owner who sold turtles after painting their shells with colorful inscriptions. Hoagland visits the proprietor’s office where he sees many turtles placed in boxes. He also witnesses a small stand where the painter painted the reptiles. The author describes the scene as well as the workers in distasteful language. His choice of words shows discontentment with the treatment of the turtles. He, though, does not tell the reader to adopt a certain stance over the subject in a direct way. Instead, he builds an undesirable image of the arcade with indirect criticism on whatever he witnessed. Hoagland perceived of the proprietor as being “smudgy-looking”, the painter as “homely and dumpy eccentric-looking, and having comical black hair” (Hoagland 660). The room is described as having “shallow bins placed on each other” (Hoagland 660) where the turtles are left to crawl. Certainly, Hoagland having been a reputable writer could have described the scene differently. He though chooses words such as smudgy, homely, and shallow to criticize whatever happens in the center. His sole intentions are to ensure that other people seeking to conduct similar businesses develop a negative attitude towards it instead. He does not express his criticism directly. Instead, readers are shown an image that is undesirable. There is no phrase condemning the proprietor’s business or the treatment of turtles or even a hint about how turtles feel. Readers are not told what to feel either. Hoagland uses concise description to achieve his objectives. The immediate scene, set with the use of description and imagery tells readers about the horrific fate of painted turtles. Hoagland 2005 writes, “Of course the turtles’ doom was sealed when she painted them, because their bodies would continue to grow but their shells would not.  The turtles would gradually crush in their shells” (660). Notably, Hoagland does not tell readers anything about the painting process. He avoids it intentionally. The condemnation of the process is oblique. Hoagland, however, avoids calling on both the proprietor and the painter. He does not say that the process or business should cease. He technically refers to turtles with the use of descriptions that he paints an undesirable image for readers. In the story, Hoagland writes that “Around us their bellies—two thousand shells—rubbed on the bins with a mournful, momentous hiss” (661). The final critical story, constituting “The Courage of turtles” is “the Diamondback Story”. Here, Hoagland turns his essay towards himself. He blames himself for failing to save turtles he came across in various occurrences. Hoagland 2005 writes, “Someway there were many turtles at the arcade and he failed to rescue even a single one. Several years later, while he walked walking down First Avenue he saw a basket full of life turtles placed near a fish shop.  They turtles were as desiccated as ancient bones left to the disposal of the sun ….” (661). Hoagland purchases one of the turtles named Diamondback that he later realizes is from the species tidewater. The other bit of the essay revolves about Diamondback’s short life banging within Hoagland’s apartment. He asserts that he would never introduce the store owner to the turtle. The store owner is described as being horrible because he would dispose turtles in sidewalks to dry out. Instead of making the introduction, Hoagland starts to find the turtle’s “inexorable presence vexing” (Hoagland 657) and throws it away into Hudson. In his description, he explains how he later realized that his action marked the end of Diamondback. He even remarks that he was wrong and regrets it. He says that he only walked away after noticing how cruel he had been to the turtle and now that he could not help it out. Hoagland implies that humans, him included, tend to be insensitive to natural world. Before his concluding sentence, Hoagland describes Diamondback reactions after throwing it into Hudson. He explains that the turtle looked surprised when he tossed it in (Hoagland 663). It also looked “scared as it bobbed about in the water, frequently looking at Hoagland from about ten feet under the water surface” (Hoagland 663). With this personification and imagery, the author’s departure seems hostile and cruel to turtles. Remarkably, though, his description is intended to appear factual and a matter of fact that he embraces all his three stories constituting “The Courage of Turtles”. He depicted other people in the first two stories as being cruel to turtles. Probably there is no point in regarding himself as being different from the rest. In any case, the author sought to show human cruelty to the natural world. In all these three stories, Hoagland seems to complicate the identity of the villain in his story. This is because he has several people that he leaves readers to indict for mistreating the natural world, in this case turtles. These include the involved water board, the developers, the penny arcade proprietor, the artist, and the store owner as well as the author himself. Hoagland uses description to create imagery that gives a picture of what different people do to turtles with turtles representing the natural world. He does not criticize people directly or tell the reader his intentions of writing the story. Anyone reading the story certainly derives the purpose with ease largely because of the choice of the words and descriptions. There is no pointing of figures or direct criticism in the essay. Instead, the focus on what turtles undergo because of human activities sensitizes readers on the need to care and protect the world from unnecessary suffering. The author’s approach leaves readers free to consider other characters in the story, as the author seems specifically interested in the lives of turtles. The descriptions leaves readers asking themselves whether they care about whatever happens in the natural world by extension. No one would read the whole story and cease condemning the developers, the painter, the proprietor, and even the author who finally turns cruel to Diamondback despite having sounded nice to turtles. Hoagland makes readers to appreciate that anybody unintentionally may harm the natural world through various interventions. He achieves this core objective without creating enemies through direct criticism. Remarkably, readers develop the sense that they encountered all that the author witnessed. Without imagery, Hoagland could have found it difficult to achieve his objectives for writing the story. Conclusion In summary, Hoagland uses imagery widely in his story “The Nature of Turtles” to ensure that readers are provoked to develop interests and care towards the natural world. In pursuit to prepare readers to think deeply about his descriptions, Hoagland commences his story by saying that it is not all about the joy of owning or possessing turtles. He, though, does not tell readers what the story is about but leaves them to join the dots and understand the message. The wrenching descriptions and imagery in this story is in phrases such as “Turtles suffocating in drying up mud, little turtle babies trapped forever in their baby-size shells, and the fully grown turtle forsaken under a dock” (Hoagland 663). The imagery is not accompanied by any slight details about the reasons or implications of the images. The story is particularly a concise criticism of people’s actions that leaves much for the reader to comprehend. Works Cited Hoagland, Edward. "The Courage of Turtles." Hoagland, Edward. Hoagland on Nature: Essays. Carlifornia: Globe Pequot, 2005. Read More