Strong statement of my own
opinion on Strands:
Strands is a book which has influenced a
lot of my opinions on nature writing and has helped me to reflect on the
seemingly insignificant things and learn to describe them in detail with reference
to wider implications such as the impact certain things have when Sprackland
describes what she has found on the beach. In my opinion the book was well
presented, sectioned off into clear sections such as winter and summer, which
notified the reader of these seasonal changes and also showed the passing of
time throughout the year through the months. Also it enhanced my thoughts on
the use of 1st person in nature writing, Sprackland uses it for her
own opinions but this is not forced upon the reader, I thought it was subtly
used in a sense, she talks forcefully about the damage that has been done by
the tobacco dumping at a particular beach in the book but it is not designed to
make the reader hate the previous generation that did the damage. Although it
is clear that there is ecological damage to the environment and the tobacco
waste that was meant to reinforce the cliffs actually did the complete opposite
her opinion almost verges on the fact that it has happened in history and this
is the result. It is more descriptive and less layered with forceful opinion, which
is what I took from the novel as a whole. This writing is what I most enjoy to
read. It is provocative, making me (the reader) think actively about what is
being described and the implications but also entwined with the authors own
opinions that I can actively reject her opinions if I so wish.
I thought Strands
overall, was a superb piece of writing. The description of seemingly
insignificant objects gave way to Spracklands further thoughts on issues such as
the impact on the beach and also into well researched information and sections
of poems which were relevant to the subject she was speaking about. This really
helped combine the story together and provoke further thoughts into the life of
a plastic bottle, for instance. To think about its journey across vast oceans
and the distance it has had to travel to arrive on this very beach really
opened my eyes in a metaphorical sense to the story entwined with the inanimate
object. This book really struck a chord with my thoughts and made me, for one
of the first times; really consider the variety of objects that wash up on the
beach. For that alone, anything that enhances my knowledge and makes me think
deeper about not just the beach but history and the world, is something that I
really enjoy from a book. In my opinion Strands
is a well researched and narrated book that makes you look again at the
inanimate in life, in this case, on the beach.
