In this speech Reagan was trying to bring together the east and the west sides of Berlin. He showed this by pointing out specific people such as Mr. Gorbachev and the soviets stating that they should take down the wall that separated East and West Berlin. He wanted to appeal to the german people and show that we were there for them and would help them. He also was saying that we support them. Reagan was calling out the Russians for keeping the wall up and not allowing them to tear it down.…
The greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated. We easily come to doubt if they exist. We soon forgot them.” (p. 47) Thoreau believed that nature was one of life’s beautiful occurrences that many neglect to appreciate. So did Christopher McCandless. Chris went on his ‘pilgrimage’ that included California, South Dakota, and Alaska among other places, to experience the natural world for himself. He realized that others did not take advantage of the world around them, so he even convinced Ronald Franz to alter his lifestyle to “start seeing some of the great work that God has done here in the American West.” (p. 58)…
In this sentence from John Green’s Looking for Alaska, the speaker's attitude toward the party is best described as indifferent. The speaker’s tone and diction implies that he lacks interest or concern in the unsuccessful party that was thrown for him. He mentions how “he could feel their pity”, but then goes on to say that “they needed more pity than I did”. This shows how although his parents pitied him for not having friends, he did not pity himself, but instead felt bad for his hopeful parents. The way the speaker describes his friends as “Imaginary” displays that he is an introvert who does not have any friends, and that the people his parents were expecting to show did not actually exist. His parents had high hopes and expectations…
As stated earlier, I also do not agree that Euro-Canadians feel that they are entitled to use Canada’s vast landforms in any way they desire without regard for the environment. The reason is that although Payne did present an argument that photographs are not fully objective and can be presented with specific viewpoints to show the (and perhaps unconsciously) superiority of Euro-Canadians, there was no evidence presented that showed the NFB viewed this land as theirs to exploit. Another point that I felt was difficult to accept is that the land’s only value is related to what economic benefit it provides to Canada. For example, her photo of the deer wading through the waters of the Rocky Mountains do not portray economic benefit provided to us by the environment, unless it was intended as a statement encouraging maximization of economic tourism benefits. I do agree, whether deliberate or not, that Aboriginals are often presented in a stereotypical manner. Whether this is for paternalistic reasons or just to portray that they have a clean, simple way of life that does not harm our natural resources can be debated. Overall, it was a well-written article that stimulates…
The piece of literature "The American Wilderness: Why It Matters" expresses Robert F Kennedy, Jr's concern about the American Wilderness. Within this piece of literature, Kennedy is addressing the general American public. This piece of literature was not meant for anyone but Americans. You can see this by the usage of his language. He continually talks about the "American" wilderness, the "American" culture, the "American" fill-in-the-blank. I could not see anyone that is not American nor connected with America in anyway having too much interest in this literature. Kenney comes right out and tells us who would disagree with him in the first few sentences in his quote, "opponents of wilderness protection". They would disagree for various reasons such as they are making money themselves to just simple disagreeance that the wilderness is something we need. However, he will have people who agree with him. These sort of people cannot be classified. You will of course have your environmentalist but you will also have the regular people who you would never have guessed would agree with this literature. He takes a very serious attitude toward the subject and audience. It…
In his critique, “The Trouble with Wilderness or Getting Back to the Wrong Nature,” William Cronon argues against the romantic conceptualization of nature that a great portion of the environmentalist movement has embraced. Subsequently, Cronon revokes the Romantic and even quasi-religious notion that wilderness spaces are separate from those inhabited by man. He argues that by eliminating the divide in perception between the human constructs of the natural world and the civilized world, man will be encouraged to take more responsibility for his actions that negatively impact the environment. In prefacing his conclusion, he writes, “Home, after all, is the place where finally we make our living. It is the place for which we take responsibility,…
“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.” – Theodore Roosevelt. In my own words I think Theodore Roosevelt implies that we need to be grateful for the natural wonders the earth has given us and the history it has behind it, to be considerate and think about the future generations of the planet. If the ignorance of selfish people destroys your home, do not let them. It is too valuable. Our limitations have escaped…
It is difficult to find writers more passionate about the natural environment than John Muir and Edward Abbey. Both Muir in a section from his book A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf and Abbey in a chapter titled Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks channel anger and frustration at the environmental policies of their time into literature that argues fervently for preservation of national parks and other areas of wilderness. In Hetch Hetchy Valley, Muir reverently describes in vivid detail the beautiful landscape of a river valley in Yosemite called the Hetch Hetchy Valley, condemning anyone who supports a government plan to dam the Hetch Hetchy River and flood the valley. In a famous quote Muir says, “no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man” (Muir 112). Abbey employs a highly sarcastic and satirical tone to outline the consequences of further expansion of roads and highways into national parks. He aims to incite anger with sharp language and insults to draw the reader in emotionally. “This is a courageous view, admirable in its simplicity and power… It is also quite insane” (Abbey 422). Both pieces easily stand alone, but when looked at together they suggest even more strongly that it is deceptive and dishonest to advertise industrialization of wilderness as any kind of favorable progress for society. This “progress” does not actually benefit anyone. Those who proclaim this as their reason for supporting industrial development are more likely motivated by the short-term economic benefits they will receive.…
On August 15, 1961, Communists began building a wall to keep Germans from escaping Communist-controlled East Berlin to West Democratic Berlin. There were guards, electric barbed wired fences, and of course the twelve foot concrete wall that prevented Germans from escaping. After the wall was built many Germans still tried to flee the west but not all were successful. The East Berlin Germans were now under total dictatorship of the Soviets. Many United States Presidents traveled to Berlin to share their views on democracy with the Communists, but the Communist weren’t persuaded. In 1987, Ronald Reagan used emotion, logic, and intellect to persuade the Soviets that tearing down the wall would help make Berlin prosperous.…
The issue of whether or not our lifestyles are environmentally and economically sustainable has been the source of an ongoing debate and prompted an opinionative piece with an accompanying photograph by Paul Evans, “Skiing into Oblivion” (March, 2008). Contending in a predominately concerned and passionate tone, Evans argues that our consumption of the planet’s resources is irresponsible and that we are becoming increasingly motivated by the need to attain unrealistic lifestyles driven by consumerism. However, he also encourages his audience to take action through the use of emotive language, saying that “it is still possible to change direction and take a conservationist route.”…
A Walk in the Woods essayIn the novel A Walk in the Woods, the author Bill Bryson entertains the reader with a humorous, yet authentically personal account of his expedition along the Appalachian Trail. He carries you along through the beautiful sceneries, endless discomforts, overwhelming joys, and infinite frustrations with an honest commentary, complete only with his colorful splash of impeccable irony. The book, as well as chronicling his individual journey, also educates the reader on various topics ranging from the National Parks Service, to tales of various AT celebrities and obscurities, to the varying aggressiveness of bears according to the particular species. However, out of the many subjects that Bryson discusses, I would mainly…
There’s something about the way trees form a thick canopy over a quiet forest that whispers of barely contained power. The wilderness seems to hold its breath and hide its secrets amidst the incursions of curious humans. However, the lucky few, such as former president Jimmy Carter, are made privy to the innermost workings of Mother Earth’s mysteries through their time in nature. Ink becomes paint, pages become canvases and Carter becomes an artist in his impassioned foreword to, ‘Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land, A Photographic Journey’. In an effort to convince readers the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry, Carter utilizes powerful imagery…
Do you remember watching the movie Pocahontas as a child? Do you remember how the lands were as green as mountain tops in the summer, and how the waters would stretch beyond the valleys? What happened to that all? Destruction is a powerful enemy to the lands we once knew. In the novel “Into The Wild”, my mind did a triple salsa; imagining the beauty of what the Alaskan territories looked like. I wish that one day I will be able to see the significance that Alex McCandless saw. I want to learn to see the world through his eyes, before it’s too late. In the Socratic Seminar discussion, Mrs.…
Though largely different, these articles lead me to think of the relationship between human and nature. I am a girl deeply in love with nature, the plants, the animals, the rivers, the mountains, and I have a date with the grassland. When I was 10 years old, I was shocked by the breath-taking beauty of the intriguing grassland on TV, hoping that one day I could ride on a fine horse gallopping across the vast plain. Now I am 20 years old and not a long time later, I will be armed with enough time and money to travel to the…
The broad lack of historical perspective about environmental history has its origins in neglect and misinformation. As a result, contemporary environmental issues often emerge in the mass media without context and then disappear with little more than symbolic resolution. Political conservatives seem not to recognize the reflection of their own values in conservation movements. Political liberals lack a sense of the traditions of social reform.…