Resilience of Nature and Life
Very often, humanity and nature cross paths, with the latter usually being overwhelmed and subjugated by the former. Somali K Chakrabarti’s poem, ‘Resilience of Nature and Life’, short and sweet as it may seem, brilliantly highlights the fascinating resilience of nature. Despite the poem’s length, it effectively explores and describes the adaptive and headstrong attributes of the natural world. Through the close reading and analysis of Chakrabarti’s poem, I will discuss the temporal and laborious aspects of the journey of plant life and the perseverance required for them to simply exist. As a result, I will have demonstrated through my close reading of Somali Chakrabarti’s poem, Resilience of Nature and Life a fresh perspective of the resilience of plant life.
The poem starts with a humble beginning, with the single word, “Tiny”. The author continues with the gentle sibilance of the ‘T’ sound through “Tiny Tender shoots”. Despite the seemingly small and insignificant size of the shoots, the expanse in size from line two to line three bolster the emergence of many plant lives from the uprooted tree. Chakrabarti further emphasises the journey of these young plants by including a subtle yet steady cadence of the staccato, provided by the aforementioned sibilance throughout the poem. This rhythmic staccato creates a temporal aspect in the poem, as if there was a clock, ticking along as the poem is read. As such, Chakrabarti allows the reader to understand that these tiny shoots are constantly rising and flourishing out of the uprooted tree as time passes. Line five seems to be the climax of the poem, as the reader observes the once weak and “tender” shoots, “thrusting” and bursting through “a hard Stone surface”. With the notion of time factored, the reader has the understanding that the “thrusting” and “crack[ing]” of “hard stone surface[s]” is not an immediate action but instead, one that occurs slowly over a long period of time. Moreover, as line four continues to add to this temporal narrative by implying that nature can be in a state of dormancy. As a result, the reader can appreciate the seemingly autonomous attribute of the natural world as flora are capable of timely emerging at their own readiness as alluded from their “dormant state”. In addition, the reader is also offered a fascinating visualisation of “Tiny Tender Shoots”, sprouting over the course of time even if it requires breaking through hard stone, further reinforcing the constant and continuous growth of plant life in nature.
As the reader approaches the halfway mark of the poem, it becomes apparent that the journey of the plants is not just long and arduous, but also physically laborious. The centre alignment of the poem as well as its shape presents another perspective of the journey of the “Tiny Tender shoots”. As mentioned previously, the first three lines represent the emergence of the plants as they come into the natural world. Lines four and five continue the plant’s narrative, following the progression of the line lengths. The plant shoots develop and become stronger, eventually being able to penetrate “hard stone surface[s]”. The specific use of “thrusting” paints an image to the reader of the strength and intensity of the plant’s physical efforts to achieve the challenging task of soft plant cuticles breaching strong, solid and tough stone. The plant’s triumph over the stone is echoed by both the length and use of powerful words such as “Thrusting”, “crack” and “hard”. The use of enjambment in line five allows the reader to focus on the struggles and action of the plant before focusing on the plant’s victory over the stone. Interestingly, Chakrabarti does not provide clarity on the nature of the stone surface, whether it is of natural origin or from a man-made structure. It is highly fathomable that the poet’s aim was to convey the message that the plant life does not bother with trivial matters. Instead, it waits in its “dormant state” for the appropriate time, to thrust and burst through hard stone.
In the latter part of the poem, the poet, Chakrabarti, exhibits the perseverance and persistence of plant life in achieving their life goal. Lines five onwards talk about the plants goal to find sunlight. Anthropomorphising the shoot by implanting it with life goals powerfully solidify the plant’s drive and need to obtain sunlight. Without sunlight, they cannot photosynthesise and will ultimately wither and die. The nutrients they receive from the dead and uprooted tree from line two are limited, thus cementing the need to search and claim sunlight, giving themselves the right to live and grow. Therefore, it becomes apparent that the goal of the tiny shoots are not to break through hard surfaces of stone, but to find and obtain sunlight. Chakrabarti includes the uprooted tree to expound on the resourcefulness and potentially arduous beginnings of plant life. Moreover, she also includes the narrative of the shoot breaking through hard stone to demonstrate the possible obstacles and struggles that plant life can experience. Ultimately, Chakrabarti orchestrates a powerful narrative of the journey of plant life in this natural world and the resilience required for plants to attain their right to live. The final line concludes the poem befittingly. The triumphant and cathartic cry, “Resilience of Nature and Life !!” signals the conclusion of the journey but as it mirrors the title, the cry also begins the new cycle of other plant lives.
Chakrabarti’s poem, Resilience of Nature and Life, reveals many things about nature and plant life. In addition, it could also be a lesson on how such a short poem can bring forth such a powerful perspective on plant life. Through my close reading of the text, I firstly introduced how Chakrabarti’s use of sibilance of the ‘T’ sound created a sense of time within the poem, emphasising the longevity of the shoot’s journey from being dormant to overcoming various obstacles to becoming a plant with access to sunlight. I then explored the physicality of the plant’s journey and suggested the various potential difficulties and obstacles that plant life may face, such as stone surfaces. Next, I also discovered the necessity of perseverance and persistence within plant life in order for them to obtain sunlight and survive. As a result, I developed a deep appreciation for the natural world, in particular, plant life, in the way it grows, overcomes obstacles, and possesses such unstoppable resilience.
By Calvin Lau