Although she grew up near the ocean and fascinated by the power of nature, Sylvia Plath spent much of her life in the suburbs and cities. In July 1960, however, she and Ted Hughes went camping for a week in Rock Lake, Canada. Not only were she and her husband far from the constant pressures of writing and teaching, but they had never been so far from the civilized world she was accustomed to before. His reaction was therefore understandably intense. These feelings were reflected in "Two Campers in Cloud Country," which describes the new world Plath discovered in Canada, completely separate from the respectable (and some say elegant) life she had previously led in the American suburbs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Plath's descriptions of the lake and the life behind it create two distinct worlds, as she distinguishes between the tamed city with its concrete details and the wild country with almost magical possibilities. The first line of the poem reads, "In this country there is neither measure nor balance," suggesting that the rules she is so accustomed to no longer apply. Rather than the usual restrictions that accompany her status as a woman in the mid-20th century, there is a profound sense of freedom. Instead of tiny “tagged elms,” the trees surrounding her are tall and wild enough to reach the “clouds that put man to shame” above. Back home, Plath is used to walking in public gardens full of "tame tea roses", but feels more invigorated surrounded by an unlimited and wild landscape where rocks and woods dominate. While his language for describing home is familiar and concrete, his new observations are more mystical. For example, she describes feeling small compared to the forest that surrounds her by saying that she cannot control the trees here "like the local trolls under the spell of a higher being." Clearly, this strange new world is both more challenging and more terrifying than Plath's orderly life back home. Despite the profound differences between the two places, the poem makes it clear that both are a kind of civilization. Boston is full of “polite skies,” “plates and forks,” and “uncle-friendly” skies. The Canadian wilderness, however, is not yet so clearly delineated. Instead, Plath imagines that the rocks and trees are creating a place where people are not entirely welcome: a "dynasty of perfect cold." As the meaning of civilization is transformed in the poem, the speaker's sense of self is also altered. Although he initially believed that he had the ability to adapt as he was in this place, he realizes as the poem continues that he must see himself as smaller and less important in order to properly understand his surroundings. Despite (or perhaps because of) Plath's perfectionism and self-importance, she says in response, "It's convenient, for a change, to mean so little." Away from the stress of academia, she is free to exist without anything being asked of her. As she begins to feel smaller and less connected to the rigid social rules of the house, she tells the reader, "In a month, we'll be wondering what plates and forks are for." human civilization is further represented in several historical references. She calls the wilderness “the last frontier of the great brash spirit,” a phrase reminiscent (perhaps intentionally) of Fitzgerald's discussion of early settlers' reactions to the New World at the end of The Great Gatsby. However, instead of the deeply flawed society that Gatsby portrays, Plath implies that this time it will be different: humanity has no.