Free Essay On Poem Analysis: Learning By Doing By Howard Nemerov

Lessons we have in life are not necessarily lessons we will learn. Sometimes the power of human selfishness is too devastating to withstand it, so that people don’t draw conclusions from their mistakes and continue harming themselves and their surroundings. To prove his superiority, a man might go too far and end up fighting with nature, which eventually would bring him no good. Hurting nature a man hurts himself, since the gift given to people by God was meant to be tended to and cultivated, while it is blatantly neglected and violently destroyed instead. The poem “Learning by Doing” by Howard Nemerov is a lament of a man who is struck by people’s indifference to nature destruction.
The poem’s narrator is an observer of people’s foolish arrogance whose heart is filled with silent resentment for unrestrained human greed. He doesn’t drop a single word out of his mouth; he attentively looks at the process and listens to excuses expert people make for bringing the tree down. Simultaneously, his soul is deeply hurt. The depressing thought that people are too inconsiderate in their actions completely takes him over. The speaker starts drawing parallels between sawing down a tree and society’s constant pursuit of illusionary values, which doesn’t make the life of people any better.
The mood of the poem is gloomy and melancholic at times. To me personally, the poem seems to be consistent all the way through. The shift, however, occurs at the point when the speaker realizes that after the tree is cut down, nothing but grass will be sown on its place. Saying that we learn to hide our mistakes deep into the ground he ultimately gives way to despair, which holds us in a firm grip till the end of the poem.
The theme of the poem, to my mind, may be viewed from two angles. First and foremost, it is unstoppable human urge for self-establishment and limitless power, which blindfolds a human mind and makes a man remove any obstacles appearing on his way. Secondly, the desire for absolute power is intertwined with the idea of self-destruction, since a person or a society has to make sacrifices in order to get what they really want. The price of such a sacrifice, however, may be too high to pay and consequences too inevitable to change.
The central idea of “Learning by Doing” is expressed in the form of contemplation over the sawn-down tree. The speaker is surely sorry for the tree that used to have a mighty trunk and branchy crown but is now fallen with its pieces scattered on the ground. He blames people who don’t have any respect for nature in pursuing their own ambitions rather than appreciating and protecting its pristine beauty. Finally the speaker makes quite a pessimistic assumption that in the future no new trees will be planted and the area will become nothing but a wasteland. All in all, human beings have never been thoughtful of consequences of their actions. No matter how many mistakes are being done, they are always seen as reasonable and underlying greater good for the society.
The poem’s title “Learning by Doing” is also closely connected with the theme and central idea, as it implies that one learns something only by doing or practicing it. Therefore, if a man has lifted an axe in his arm to destroy nature once or twice, he is sure to do it again and again. Moreover, learning to treat nature this way, he imparts the same attitude to others. In this light, the poem appears to be a precaution for people to think carefully before chopping down a tree, which echoes with the brutal act of killing.
In my opinion, Howard Nemerov draws attention to the fact that people have defined fake values for themselves and are now trying hard to get hold of them. Real values, however, are drastically opposed to fake ones, which makes them vulnerable to human negligence. We should learn to protect nature by doing it and, thus, make the world a better place to live in.