God in a Zoo?

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A tiger strolls in the same exhibit from Harrigan's piece.

Reading today's selected readings and finding something to write about was pretty difficult, something I am sure some of my classmates agree on. But one of these readings hit especially close to home. Harrigan's account of the tiger who killed his zookeeper was particularly frightening, especially considering I worked at that same zoo. As he described the tiger's enclosure I could picture the scene perfectly in my memory. I never knew that a tiger had attacked and killed a keeper at the zoo (The zoo no longer has Siberians, only Indochinese tigers). It was shocking, but at the same time not surprising. After all, ah Harrigan points out the tiger "had an intent to kill" (Course Anthology 151).

Incidents like this always beg the question: why do we love zoos so much? Perhaps reading some of Hopkins and Blake will help explain this. One poem that stood out to me in particular by Hopkins was "Hurrahing in Harvest." In his enthusiastic appreciation, one can sense the love that Hopkins has for nature and the mystery surrounding our existence. His descriptions of nature are an expression of his love for God, in many ways similar to some of Pi's experience in Life Of Pi. The poem is a description of what I perceive to be an idyllic British countryside scene. The beautiful sights inspire in Hopkins a spiritual awakening. For Hopkins God IS nature and "These things, these things were here and but the beholder / Wanting" (Course Anthology 160) Its fascinating how much wonderment and excitement nature can inspire in people. Perhaps that is why zoos are so popular. To see all of nature's creations, people can perhaps feel closer to God spiritually by taking in all of his miraculous creations at once.

Blake also takes a religious interpretation of nature. In his poem "The Lamb" Blake ponders the significance of a beautiful little Lamb's existence. Blake than explains to the little Lamb that his existence is based on God. The idyllic and peaceful descriptions of the lamb's life are than juxtaposed with God's existance, for "He calls Himself a Lamb" (Course Anthology 140). Similarly to Hopkins, Blake finds spiritual inspiration in nature and in fact nature is simply a reflection of God to him. This is an interesting take on nature, one that I am definitely not familiar with.
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Perhaps there is a spiritual aspect to nature that in particular draws people to zoos. To connect with a certain aspect of nature that we in urban communities are no longer in daily contact with. Perhaps it affirms our faith in our religious views to witness the wonders of the world. Either way, it is what it is and I can't see zoos not being a part of urban culture. Human beings are animals and every now and then we need to be reminded that we are not the only animals on this wondrous, fascinating planet.