Question

What profound philosophical comment does “The Earth Only” make by what it leaves out? In other words, what does not endure?

Answer 1

Answer:

"The Earth Only" makes the philosophical claim that "Every living thing will not endure".

Explanation:

"The Earth Only" is a poem that is a kind of celebration for the endurance of the natural world as compared to that of the living things including humans. Through the words of the old men, the poem reveals the true way of life in that nature endures but others don’t.

A form of Native American literature, the poem deals with the theme of how nature will endure everything. The poem uses the old men as the epitome or voice of the true spirit, stating that "the earth only endures" while everything else doesn't. This Teton Sioux poem makes the philosophical claim in the statement of the old men "the earth only endures" while leaving out the other point that everything else including humans don't.

Thus, the claim that every living thing will not endure is made in the poem.