How Long She'll Last In This World

Melendez
Poem- Art of Combat
Response- It can be argued that this poem about a female boxer is completely disconnected from the enviornmental literature we have read in class. It was difficult to make a conncection to any of the authors, but on closer observation the boxer reminded me of a scene from John Muir's book where he describes his confrontation with a Bruin bear. "...he stood his ground ready to fight and defend himself, lowered his head, thrust it forward, and looked sharply and fiercely at me...we stood staring at each other in solemn silence...while I fervently hoped that the power of the human eye over beasts would prove as great as it is said to be." The boxer's determination to intimidate her opponent is close to the Bruin's determination to hold his ground. The confrontation between animal and man is like a confrontation between humans. Each attempts to break down the opponent by intimidation while secretly harboring fears of the other. The bear, although bigger than the man, still feared the stranger. There must have been a certain amount of anxiety building up in the bear's brain just as the boxer was experiencing in preparation for the battle.