The difference between me and my dog

In his “What are poets for?”, Heidegger explains the fundamental differences between the man and “other beings”

First, Heideggar makes a distinction which us in the 21^st century know very well - The idea that man has a will, whereas plants and animals do not.

But, Heideggar does bring up some very new and interesting points as well. Whereas plants and animals are simply “in” nature, man is “with” nature. Man places himself over nature and objectifies everything. There is nothing that man does not categorize, or name as an object including “the open.” However, It does not seem that Heidegger views this characteristic of man as superior. He talks of how man’s nature with much negative language, for instance he speaks of man “forcing everything under its dominion.” Moreover, he speaks of how out of man’s nature, arises great problems. For, man’s self-assertion makes it where he is constantly aware of the possibility of he himself becoming simply an object like everything else around him.

“He himself and his things are thereby exposed to the growing danger of turning into mere material and into a function of objectification”

I do understand that Heideggar is presenting a tension between the self consciousness of man and the problems that this creates. But on a different note, I am confused as to why Heideggar is writing this particular selection. It seems to be written like a lecture, but a lecture for what? What is he reacting to/ against? Also, he is providing a lengthy analysis of poetry from a few select authors, is he doing this to “teach” the poetry, or is he simply using the poetry and the ideas that it evokes as a platform/ vector for the viewpoint that he is presenting? A little bit of background would bring a lot of clarity.

I commented on Ajackson's "Jabberwocky"