Jerry's+Page

**//Introduction//**
====In today’s society, nature, although further away from us compared to the situation 400 years ago, still plays a critical role in our life. In interviews, many expressed their awareness of nature and the protection of it. However, the extent of actively doing something for nature varies. Interestingly, elder people tend to take the task of protecting nature more seriously and are willing to sacrifice a decent amount of time and money for that. The younger the interviewed people are, the less they participate in nature and its protection when these actions bring inconvenience. In the following passages the readers could find some clue about the history of American culture and its attitude towards nature. Starting from some modern personal points of view, this webpage then goes back to the ancient creation stories, follows the early explorers and settlers of America, witnesses the founding fathers of US and their views, recapitulates the rise of cities and urban wilderness, and finally arrives at our society now. Hope that at the end of the page, the readers will be able to see how we inherited our views of nature from the past, and maybe even some suggestions to future problems. ====

[[image:http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/images/sustainable-development-21333244.jpg align="right"]]
====Nature to me is like a gift. Nature does not exist for the human, but occasionally people can utilize the natural resources. For me, a teenager who spent the first 16 years of life in Shanghai, nature certainly does not mean the park surrounded by skyscrapers, or the mini-mountain with twenty thousand visitors per day. Nature is not even equal to the mountains and lakes in Tibet, which became tourist attractions in recent years. Nature has to be a place where one can meditate while immersing oneself into the awe of nature. It does not have to be untouched because that was not even possible. People are part of nature and we affect nature all the time, whether in history or now. Therefore, instead of pursuing an environment undisturbed by human, I define nature as place where one can experience the atmosphere of the wild, where one has to live with so many creatures far from our daily life.====

**//How do we treat the environmen//****//t?//**
==== We treat the environment mostly as a useful resource. Everything around us is made of natural resources. The clothes are made of wool, plants, and petrol. The papers of books we read are made from trees. Even our bodies are built by consuming other animals and plants. Having self- centered ways of life, we will use nature even when we know that our action will alter nature mostly in a negative way. For example, AC is always on in my house during the summer, but I am fully aware that my A.C. is causing the urban heat island effect. However, we will not live as comfortably as we do now if we do not utilize nature. There is a balance between our need and the need to preserve the nature for future needs. Even when we say that we should protect nature, we are still self-centered. For example, we leave about 6% of the land of US untouched because we need some place to relax. We let the tree grow now to cut it in future. We let some plants to flourish, but with the others, we put them aside and wait for them to turn into fertilizer. Normally, people are selfish about the use of nature and become worried only when the situation became so bad that it destroyed our comfortable ways of live. However, the specialists, such as Dominy and Brower, tend to think further than us and they spend their whole life pursuing the ideal nature in their mind. ====

[[image:http://www.djc.com/blogs/SeattleScape/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/enviro_tower.jpg width="252" height="272" align="left" caption="The middle way of treating nature"]]
====**//Using the two initial texts, explain how our society views and should view/use/treat nature and wilderness. Citing examples from the two texts create a piece that states where we are today with our understanding of nature and it’s use and influence on our lives. Take from the many things we discussed to illuminate your point.//**==== ====Our society views nature as a sacred place that should be left untouched and as an energy source that should be utilized for our life as much as possible. The two conflicting points of view mix together to form most of the controversial environmental arguments. From encounter with Archdruid, Dominy and Brower spend most of their life to create an ideal nature. However, their ideals are so different that they decide to destroy the other's dream in order to reach theirs. Dominy and Brower never realize that there is a third way between the two extremes. The Idea of a Garden introduced the middle ground, stating that altering nature is inevitable since we are living in nature. The perfect way should be reaching a balance between our will and the nature's way. This article remarks that "an ethic based on the garden would give local answers...he recognizes that he is dependent for his health and survival on many other forms of life...the gardener doesn't take it for granted that man's impact on nature will always be negative". The passage suggests that one should treat nature respectfully but one should not hesitate when fighting with the negative side of nature. The balance is hard to reach and there are failed examples such as the Cathedral Pines where the council is so respectful toward Cathedral Pines that they forget we are a part of nature. Another extreme example is the dams built in 1970s, which block wild salmons and ring the knell of this specie. The debate between whether we should utilize nature and to what point should the balance be set is and will still be in debate for the next few decades. Nonetheless, __ all the view points above reflect our culture and our history. It will then be interesting to look at the attitudes of our ancestors towards nature and try to find a shadow of ourselves in them. __====

**//From the three creation stories' point of view, what is the position of nature in our life?//**
====The creation stories from genesis, Pima, and Iroquois all have unique ways to utilize nature because of the difference in culture and geography. In the genesis, God tells us to become the ruler of everything on earth. Western society in the past usually equalized this as the pass to take any resources available. The tree of knowledge indicated that people not only can get their daily supplies, but also can learn a lot from things surrounding them. However, the ruler, like a benevolent king, should also benefit the nature in return. Man gives names to animals and makes them meaningful. In a modern point of view, human should preserve nature so that it can better serve our needs. These creation stories is the source of justification for Cotton Mather. ==== ====In Pima's creation story, God has a different figure that is far from perfect. In fact, God makes mistakes when he created the humans and he destroyed the bad ones. This even serves as a warning for now, as according to Pima, human will be destroyed if we go too far. Iroquois's story goes further than the usual convention. The earth is made of a female spirit, indicating the maternal society of Iroquois, and the twin brothers created everything on earth. The good spirit created useful species and the bad spirit created barriers for humans. The distinction between good and bad is whether we can use it or not. At the end of the story, the good triumphs, but the bad does not disappear but hided as an evil spirit, indicating the potential of evil rising again to power and taking away the natural resources. The spiritual side of wilderness is emphasized more in Pima and Iroquois creation stories. __The creation stories inevitably affect how people react according to their historical background and we can see this phenomenon in the following biography of de Vaca and Cotton Mather’s writings.__====

**//Alvar Nuez Cabeza de Vaca//**
====The biography of Alvar Nuez Cabeza de Vaca talked about his adventure as he followed the Spanish expedition to America. The Spanish expedition was disastrous mainly because they are not used to the natural environment. The expedition suffered attacks, famine, and getting lost in the sea. Nature obviously did not welcome the strangers from Europe. However, many came to America because of the chance to prosper, "not by conduct but by accident"(30). They saw the "uncivilized land" as a new source of wealth and ignored Indian's opinion and opposition. The Indians however, did not see their land as properties. They fled from their old towns because of Christian slave traders. It was hard to live in Indian villages, with few resources and food. Indians did not plant in their new land, so Cabeza occasionally suffered from hunger and thirst. He also had physical pain when he worked in the woods. Natives avoided taming nature mainly because the cost outweighed the gain. Europeans treated nature as a way to acquire personal fortune and to conquer the nature. Indians on the other hand saw nature only as a source of food and often times a place full of danger, pain, and disease. ====

[[image:http://www.fishtrap.org/images/rodnash.jpg width="326" height="389" align="right" caption="Roderick Frazier Nash"]]
//**Extra reading:**// //**Wilderness and the American Mind**//

By Roderick Frazier Nash
====If one wanted to look for the roots of modern American opinion on wilderness, one had to first study the Europeans. The definition of wilderness in the European mind was very clear, “it was instinctively understood as something alien to man- an insecure and uncomfortable environment against which civilization had waged an unceasing struggle.”(8) Therefore, the Europeans saw good environment as civilized and controlled. In that case, we are now living in a heaven that innumerable Europeans and American dreamed of. Most environments have so much influence of human that we must draw out areas of protection so that not all wildernesses is tamed and regulated by men. However, back to the 18th and 19thcentury, most American immigrants were living in an “evil” environment which works against human will. The pioneers had a hard time learning to survive in an uncivilized way and, referring to it as “enemy”, they said that the wilderness poisoned their mind and way of life. Naturally, according to the tradition, they saw it in a religious way by referring the land and Indians as the work of devil. Inhabitants prayed for” a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs.”(14) And when praying doesn’t work, many found explanation by accusing the witches. It is understandable when one imagines cleaning up weeds on the farm and they grew back again in two days.====

==== The appreciation of nature started in cities where the actual nature is scarce and less disturbing. Many found “it increasingly possible to praise, even to worship, what they had formerly detested.”(44) When observing from a further and safe distance, people thought the wilderness as intriguing and mysterious as God and nature was even closer to us than god. Emerson showed that nature, as an alternative of civilization and comfort, can bring us joy and knowledge. It is amazing to see on one side, the regular romantic view of nature as sublime and inspiring and on the other side; the view of beautiful nature as the definition of American culture, as the success of the pioneers, as the natural lab for botanist, and as the source of wisdom. People euphonized the nature according to their experience and opinion. Interestingly, most separatists looked for wonder in wilderness for the new nation. They found that nature was unique to America that the Europeans had destroyed centuries ago. Even the strength of animals, which used to be thought as evil and dangerous, was recognized as a symbol of American potential. This blend of romanticism and nationalism helped America to grow into a country that had its own identity and therefore was independent from Europe.====


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==== __When normal people treat nature as unexplainable god’s work with devils trying to work against human efforts, the founding fathers of US emphasize more on the economic, cultural, and moral values of nature.__ ====

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**//Emerson //**
Like the contemporary people at his time, Emerson refers to the Genesis creation story that nature is one of god’s creations- the plantation of god. However, he points out that not only we should act according to the words thousands of years ago, we also can look to nature for the proof of god. The word of bible is abstract and far away from our real experience but in contrast, the wilderness is just outside of our house. “If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of god which had been shown.” Emerson encourages us to acquire knowledge from nature and admire the wonder of god’s creation. Our mind should be open to the nature’s influence. Emerson then goes on to talk about how egotism vanishes when one emerges oneself into nature. Undeniably nature is part of man, but nature is higher than man. It can inspire us and teach us about right and wrong. On the other hand, because nature is part of man, that nature reflects oneself. Nature always wears the color of the spirit (influence of Native American culture) and the emotion of individual will change his view of nature. Not only nature reflects us, it also gives us the meaning of life. When one say that he is a farmer, or a fisherman, or a hunter, he is relying on nature and nature give us food to work and to produce commodity. Emerson’s point of view is closer to our modern view of nature, partly because at his time people are safer than the pioneers centuries ago, that the wilderness has already been tamed a little if not totally. __Emerson’s worship of wilderness therefore is based on his time period and life in urban environment.__

**The role of nature plays in Huck Finn**
==== Regional difference is an interesting issue in Huck Finn. Huck is born in a town where almost every person has a nice nature, except Huck’s dad. Miss Watson tries to educate Huck, who becomes the first person in his family to learn to read. He learns some social rules, such as no stealing and some other morals, which affect him later in the book when he helps to catch the robbers and he puts some part of things he steals back. Huck’s town is a peaceful place where everyone obeys the social order and tries not to go over the line. The new judge of the town, trying to convince Huck’s dad to give up drinking, acts like a preacher teaching people how to behave in society. Even Tom Sawyer knows to put five cents when he takes the candles from Jim’s desk.==== ====After Huck runs away with Jim, he first meets an old woman, Mrs. Judith Loftus, at St. Petersburg. She was just like the Widow Douglas type of woman, who is nice and friendly, willing to help Huck even she knows that Huck is lying all the time. Then he meets the Child of Calamity and the Corpse maker, who are different from the people from Huck’s own town. They are showy and more attractive to Huck because they are not representing any social rule or standard. When he stays with the Grangerfords, Huck again experiences a different kind of culture due to change in place. Although he only went down the river couples of miles, the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons here are not living peacefully, but they’re fighting for reasons that they cannot even remember. Shooting from bushes, they cared nothing about social rules as long as they kill the other group. At the end of chapter 19 he met two men who called themselves the duke and the dauphin. These two men, coming from other parts of the country, show no respect for any kind of social rules and instead they use the social customs to cheat others and benefit themselves.==== ====The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn talks about many other issues other than nature, but the greatest influence of nature in this novel is that the nature acts as a barrier that separates different people apart. When Huck travels down the river, he meets all kinds of people that he will have no chance to meet if he stays in his town. The further he adventures away from the town, the more cultural gap there will be between Huck and the people he meets.====

In 40 years after the civil war, America went through a huge change that is called the second industrial revolution. For the first time, this country has more people living in cities than in rural areas. Instead of family-style workshops, people start to work in factories where cheaper products are made more efficiently than ever. Railroads, skyscrapers, and all other high-tech products begin affecting people’s life and relation with nature. People don’t need to know how things work to be able to use them. Simpler lifestyle, however, still can have devastating influence on people’s life in cities. These new technology make the whole city look unfamiliar to the newcomers and urban wilderness is created.
 * //Cities!//**

**Urban Wilderness**

 **Chicago EXPO** Chicago city, at the time of 1893, was a center of the railroad system that connects the country together. A city having a population of 75% immigrants, Chicago revealed the new concept of urban wilderness to the world. In Columbian Expo, a new city was built on originally swamp and mud in two years and ready to invite millions of people all over the world to attend this magnificent event. Problems started even at the start of the construction of the white city, including gang warfare, strikes, and diseases. Those problems were unknown to upper class people before since they hadn’t experience the poor living and working conditions of the workers and they made up their mind to ignore them, classifying troubles to be inevitable and unfortunate incidents. The white city tried to include all latest inventions, technology, and signs of power; meanwhile it also showed the negative and “wild” side of urban life. The city accepted so many people at a time that few can even know what was going on during the opening ceremony. The chaos lasted throughout the fair and trouble including stealing and fire were common. Ultimately, the fair, instead of showing civilization greater than Roman, Greece, and Europe, became the money machine for big businesses and politicians. White city was indeed a city jungle, where opulence was seen everywhere and the real arts like symphony music were ignored most of the time. People spent money on bears and dance shows. The host of the affair clearly cares only for making money, sincethe building in white city did not have fire proof and meant not to last long. Food was expensive and one company usually was granted monopoly  over one aspect of the fair. The death of Mayer  at the end of the fair symbolized the urban wilderness, which was always full of danger. Even the Mayer became the victim of corruption and power, not to mention the normal people coming to the Columbian Expo. However, the only place unaffected by the urban wilderness is the Japanese exhibition, in which Japan showed its rich culture and beauty. As a result, it was a popular place on the fair where people can take a little break. Chicago Expo was a show that revealed the lack of humanity, order, and dignity in urban life.__ While some people benefitted from the urban wilderness, the majority of Americans began to see that these problems were affecting people's lives, especially the poor's. __




 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;">Maggie a girl of the streets **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;">Maggie’s story is a tragedy and it reflected the social values, mainly wealth and power. A girl who grows up in the poor tenement houses, Maggie experiences prejudice, violence, and poverty. In her mind, she must find a heroic figure that can introduce her to the better world. As Pete, a flamboyant and cocky figure, shows her how the better society looks like. Surprised by the richness and the superficial luxuries, Maggie finds herself in love with Pete. What she does not know is that she is not actually in love with Pete, but deceived and allured by the society. Unable to see the lies and the betrayal under the extravagant appearance of upper society, Maggie soon finds herself totally dependent on Pete. Her wish to get away from the poor and chaotic neighborhood is so strong that she decided to run away from her family. After Maggie runs away with Pete, we can see the dark side of society, including gorgeously dressed upper class, obese businessman, and seducing women. In the end, Maggie finds herself abandoned by both her family and the upper society. Her destiny was doomed in the urban wilderness where she cannot live by herself with no one accepting her. Urban wilderness allures people with its seemingly magnificent life. Most people are blinded by the lifestyle, the skyscrapers, the beer, and the machines that they cannot notice how most people suffered in the urban jungle made out of concrete and steel. Hell is also frequently mentioned in the book, indicating that the urban wilderness is indeed hell for Maggie. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;">Despite the fact that city life destroyed Maggie’s life, majority of Americans still chose to live in cities since cities provide more convenience, opportunity, and social environment. When the world stepped in to 1920s, the cities affected the whole country and changed the image of “American Dream” established hundreds of years ago. __


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;"> How does TGG fit into the theme of American land & Literature? **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Geography was a crucial element in //The Great Gatsby//. The story is set in the east coast, but the narrator Nick and Gatsby both came from the mid-west. They clearly do not fit into the society in East and West egg. Unlike most people, Nick and Gatsby do not drink, which make them somehow hard to communicate with the majority of the people who drink. They are also not widely known by most of the people. Every week, a huge crowd comes to Gatsby’s party without even knowing what Gatsby looks like. Comparing the number of people who come to his parties with the number of people who come to his funeral, it is clear that although Gatsby do have lots of money, it did not bring him good reputation. To Nick and Gatsby, the east coast is like wilderness to them, dangerous and lacking moral. Only the ones who is stronger and have more power could survive in the urban wilderness. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Interestingly, both at the beginning and at the end of the book, Nick mentions the blue light on the other side of the river. This scene is the motivation both for Gatsby and for the earlier American pioneers. However, the first explorers hope to explore and cultivate this vast nature. The magnificent wilderness attracted the settlers to America. However, this kind of American dream had changed over 150 years. When Gatsby stares at the blue light in Daisy’s house, he dreams about money and power, but this dream is covered with lies. Gatsby failed to see the reality that neither Daisy nor the dream is worthy for him. Nature and wilderness is the base for American Dream, and when the wilderness has been conquered and turned into cities, the American Dream also loses its original spirit.




 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;">Finally we arrived at where we are now. //**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;">How does //Koyaanisqatsi// (life out of balance) fit? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;"> //Koyaanisqatsi//, life out of balance, shows the disastrous consequence that modern life brings to human. The movie started with some magnificent scene in nature, representing the old way of life and the beauty of wilderness. Then it pictured the city life. Speeding up the flow of time, it created a contrasting feeling of beauty in nature and disgust and ugliness in cities. Meat industry represented human utilizing lives in nature. The varied life forms all turned into the same size, taste, and colored meat. Street views also take an important part in the movie. People showed their tiredness and aimlessly wandered on the streets. Others seem busy as they hurried on the elevator and into the train stations. This contrasting view between order and disorder illustrates the imbalanced and polarized human society. After developing for hundreds of years, the city gets rid of its wilderness and replaced it with buildings. However, this result brings only destruction. With windows broken and dust flying everywhere, it is clear that this is not the result people wanted after they destroyed wilderness. Even in better parts of the city, people works nonstop disregarding the natural clock. Lights in buildings come on and off for the whole night while the moon rise and fall. Lack of balance between work and rest, between wilderness and civilization, and between orderliness and disorder characterize the whole movie. At the end, the explosion of the Challenger, which represents the fruit of human civilization, warns us that life out of balance will lead only to destruction.

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**//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;">Conclusion //**


====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;"> We came a long way through history to get to this point where we must regulate our behavior to coexist and live harmonically with nature. There was a period in American history where people had to “conquer” the land in order to survive. Nature is seen as mystery and evilness by Cotton Mather at the infant age of the nation. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 11pt;">Accelerated by technological breakthrough, America became cultivated and people’s view change with the nature around them. Unlike the story of creation and of Alvar Nuez Cabeza de Vaca, people no longer struggle to survive in wilderness. People knew more about nature, so they started to actively use it to build the new nation, such as the founding fathers of America, and some even seek in nature for inspiration, like Emerson. As time went through, cities transformed the original landscape of America. Soon, there are no more frontiers in America. Cities are even built on swamps, like the Chicago EXPO. Problems arise from a lack of nature around people. Nature as a place where people could escape from social pressure and failure is becoming increasingly scarce. Tragedy and a new kind of “urban wilderness” haunted people as they seek their new American dream. Science and social studies starts to show signs of danger and people began to protect nature, to leave the last sacred wilderness untouched by human influence. Dominy and Brower devoted their life to work and fight for their ideal nature. People start to challenge themselves as they tried to find a place without human influence, to experience the life of pioneers as they climb mountains through the hardest way, or live in Alaska for months. Through education, mass media, and scientific discoveries, now people are at least aware of the loss of nature and how much they could do to either destroy or save the earth. People acted in different extent to save nature and I hope that, just like in the past when we cultivated land by science and work, now we can also save and live sustainably with nature. Nature defined and influenced the American culture and life, and it’s our turn to change the environment and our future.====