Question

What is the theme of “Pastoral” by Jennifer Chang?

Answer 1

Answer:

I believe the theme of "Pastoral" is "adaptation."

Explanation:

"Pastoral" is a poem written by Jennifer Chang, an American scholar and poet. The poem is part of her collection called "The History of Anonymity." It is a type of lyrical poem whereby the writer expresses her emotions through nature, such as plants, fruits, grass, weeds, etc.

The theme of Pastoral is "adaptation." It talks about how nature adapts to what is happening in the surrounding environment. For example, it mentioned "Something in the field has mastered distance by living too close to fences." This shows how such part of nature mastered its situation by living close to the fences.

The poem also shows how some cannot master such situation as it's mentioned in the end, "Something in the field cannot." This also shows "survival of the fittest." One example of this is grass fighting with the weeds. This happens when both fight for the nutrients in the soil. This is part of nature which they adapt to wherein only the strong one survives.