EFFECTIVE RHETORIC
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/16/local/me-dam16
This article by Nancy Vogel of the L.A. Times was well written from the fact that it incorporated strong facts and even stronger emotion on discussing the decision of the Auburn Dam. Expressive quotes such as “They’ll build Auburn Dam, right after Sacramento is flooded to 7 feet and people have died” from Joe Sullivan, president of the Sacramento County Taxpayers League and “Reclamation has failed to meet these deadlines and subsequently failed to diligently pursue a request for an extension of time,” stated by the State Water Resources Board shows the reader the emotion that surrounds the Auburn Dam. Nancy Vogel also incorporated the facts that the federal government was supposed to finish the dam by 1975 and put all the water to “beneficial use” by 2000, that he proposed plug on the gold-sprinkled American River northeast of Sacramento has been declared dead many times since Congress authorized it in 1965, and the nation’s taxpayers have sunk $325 million into the project, with little to show beyond stacks of reports and a scarred canyon where construction was halted in 1975. These facts show that Nancy performed a thorough investigation into the Auburn Dam and produced a well-written article about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MegttFTBFU
The Laos Dam video found on youtube.com was a great piece of rhetoric in the sense that it was filled with facts, gave various point of views, and a range of interviews with different sources. The use of maps in showing locations of Laos in Southeast Asia allows the viewer to see the exact setting and sight of the dam. I particularly found it interesting that the country of Laos is more interested in creating revenue from hydroelectricity and allowing portions of its native people to find other ways of surviving while only offering them $200. Emotionally, I find this very indicative of how society is changing these days.
INEFFECTIVE RHETORIC
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7046-hydroelectric-powers-dirty-secret-revealed.html
The article “Hydroelectric power's dirty secret revealed “by Duncan Graham-Rowe should throw up a red flag to the reader by beginning with “Contrary to popular belief, hydroelectric power can seriously damage the climate.” First off, Mr. Rowe does not write for the NY Times or has not collected a Nobel Peace Award and therefore needs to establish credibility before leading off with such a bold statement. While I will give credit to Mr. Rowe for raising a good issue, he only validates his article with the the one source of Philip Fearnside. This is not sufficient when arguing an important topic such as the disadvantages of hydro dams when they are believed by many to be a good alternative in conserving energy and resources. Most of the facts that were related to his argument involved only the dams in Brazil. As we all know, Brazil has a much different climate than other parts of the world which can factor into false readings of emmisions into the environment. Mr. Rowe might be onto something but he needs to present better facts, more credible sources, and more in depth research to the reader if he wants to be convincing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEdM6Ys6spA
If not for the title, I think the viewer would first be in confusion as to what was actually leaking. Once the Tetan Dam was finally mentioned, the narrator never tells of the dam’s location and why in fact it started leaking, which eventually led to the dam breaking. Besides the fact of the narrator’s emotionless monotone voice, half the video was dedicated to the two fishermen that were swept away by the rushing water. While I feel sympathy for the people who lost their lives, the video could have gave the viewer a much more in depth look into what really happened that day to the Teton Dam.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Cradle to Cradle
The reading of William McDonough and Michael Braungart’s “Cradle to Cradle” was interesting in the fact that it took a proactive position in discussing the problems with our environment. As a reader, I found this to be more of an interest to me rather than discussing whether or not global warming exists and how bad it has become.
On page 76 of “Cradle to Cradle,” it states “Our concept of eco-effectiveness means working on the right things—instead of making the wrong things less bad. Once you are doing the right things, then doing them right with the help of efficiency among other tools makes perfect sense.” They call for the need to think of revolutionary ideas for industries. They call for businesses, factories, and buildings to become integrated with the environment. This is exemplified when the talk of the Cherry Tree. As they say, “the cherry tree enriches the ecosystem, sequestering carbon, producing oxygen, cleaning air and water, and creating stabilizing soil. The tree is not an isolated entity cut off from the systems around it: it is inextricably and productively engaged with them.” This is iterated by them talking of buildings that could possess such characteristics as being surrounded by lines of trees, having native grasses growing on their roofs for run-off protection and protecting it from thermal shock and ultraviolet degradation, a multitude of windows that allows one to see outside from multiple views, opening widows that allow for the movement of fresh air, a nighttime cooling strategy that cuts the need for air-conditioning through the day, and storm water and waste water channels that are connected to sections of wetlands that will naturally clean them and additionally lightening the load of rivers which cuts down on the effects of flooding. These are all good solutions in integrating our society into the environment for obvious reasons…reasons that are not necessary for the authors to go into great detail about.
McDonough and Braungart gain credibility by talking about “biophilia” (people who love the outdoors) and how workers retention rates have increased and that people are starting to leave higher paying jobs for a better working environment. Their intelligence is also credited by discussing the conflicting views of former president Bill Clinton’s staff and environmental organization from 1993 to 1999. Near the end of the excerpt, they end with an optimistic and promising view. A view that emotionally satisfies the reader and gives a hope that this battle to protect the environment is not over by any means. It is a hope in which we can definitely find alternative solutions too…hence cradle to cradle.
When typing “Cradle to Cradle” into the Google’s search engine, one can find that in fact Cradle to Cradle is a revolutionary design in aiding industries to go green. Their basis is to design products into patterns that are found in nature and eliminating waste so that these systems can create values that are inherently healthy and safe. This means using environmentally safe and healthy materials
On page 76 of “Cradle to Cradle,” it states “Our concept of eco-effectiveness means working on the right things—instead of making the wrong things less bad. Once you are doing the right things, then doing them right with the help of efficiency among other tools makes perfect sense.” They call for the need to think of revolutionary ideas for industries. They call for businesses, factories, and buildings to become integrated with the environment. This is exemplified when the talk of the Cherry Tree. As they say, “the cherry tree enriches the ecosystem, sequestering carbon, producing oxygen, cleaning air and water, and creating stabilizing soil. The tree is not an isolated entity cut off from the systems around it: it is inextricably and productively engaged with them.” This is iterated by them talking of buildings that could possess such characteristics as being surrounded by lines of trees, having native grasses growing on their roofs for run-off protection and protecting it from thermal shock and ultraviolet degradation, a multitude of windows that allows one to see outside from multiple views, opening widows that allow for the movement of fresh air, a nighttime cooling strategy that cuts the need for air-conditioning through the day, and storm water and waste water channels that are connected to sections of wetlands that will naturally clean them and additionally lightening the load of rivers which cuts down on the effects of flooding. These are all good solutions in integrating our society into the environment for obvious reasons…reasons that are not necessary for the authors to go into great detail about.
McDonough and Braungart gain credibility by talking about “biophilia” (people who love the outdoors) and how workers retention rates have increased and that people are starting to leave higher paying jobs for a better working environment. Their intelligence is also credited by discussing the conflicting views of former president Bill Clinton’s staff and environmental organization from 1993 to 1999. Near the end of the excerpt, they end with an optimistic and promising view. A view that emotionally satisfies the reader and gives a hope that this battle to protect the environment is not over by any means. It is a hope in which we can definitely find alternative solutions too…hence cradle to cradle.
When typing “Cradle to Cradle” into the Google’s search engine, one can find that in fact Cradle to Cradle is a revolutionary design in aiding industries to go green. Their basis is to design products into patterns that are found in nature and eliminating waste so that these systems can create values that are inherently healthy and safe. This means using environmentally safe and healthy materials
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Monbiot Rhetoric
George Joshua Richard Monbiot, age 45, is a journalist and author as well as an environmental and political activist from the United Kingdom. His book “Heat- How to stop the Planet from Burning” won the Italian Book prize Premio Mazzotti. Furthermore he received the UN Global 500 Award for Outstanding Environmentalist.
From the introduction and sections of chapter one of the book Heat, Monbiot begins by calling out environmentalist as hypocrites which I as a reader found amusing. However, he goes on to detail how more developed countries are the reasons to blame for the high emissions of carbon dioxide. This was exemplified through chapter one as he tells a story of Dr. Faustus and how he makes a deal with the devil to receive 24 years of special powers. Conversely, after the powers vanish in 24 years Dr. Faustus has to give his soul to the devil. The devil keeps his word and comes for Dr. Faustus. We as humans are much like Dr. Faustus in which we care for the present and disregard the future. We have taken earth for granted so to speak and in the near future risk the chance of losing our privilege to live on it to coincide with the story.
George Monbiot presents the reader with the rhetoric of pathos, ethos, and logos. The emotion of pathos is evident when Monbiot talks of the disappearing rain forest in South America, rising oceans, and increased temperatures that allow diseases to spread more readily. The emotions of fear are brought to the forefront by the author. This could be used by Monbiot as persuasion to act sooner rather than later. In order to present his information to the reader, he builds his foundation through the rhetoric of ethos or credibility. On page XXIII of the introduction, Monbiot states what he believes are trustworthy sources and gives background to the reader of his studies before writing this book. Lastly, he uses logos or information in his writings. I applaud him in his use of logos because he tells a story rather than giving the reader a stat sheet to dissect. His best use of logos comes on pages 18 and 19 where he presents the reader with visible graphs of carbon emissions over the years.
From the introduction and sections of chapter one of the book Heat, Monbiot begins by calling out environmentalist as hypocrites which I as a reader found amusing. However, he goes on to detail how more developed countries are the reasons to blame for the high emissions of carbon dioxide. This was exemplified through chapter one as he tells a story of Dr. Faustus and how he makes a deal with the devil to receive 24 years of special powers. Conversely, after the powers vanish in 24 years Dr. Faustus has to give his soul to the devil. The devil keeps his word and comes for Dr. Faustus. We as humans are much like Dr. Faustus in which we care for the present and disregard the future. We have taken earth for granted so to speak and in the near future risk the chance of losing our privilege to live on it to coincide with the story.
George Monbiot presents the reader with the rhetoric of pathos, ethos, and logos. The emotion of pathos is evident when Monbiot talks of the disappearing rain forest in South America, rising oceans, and increased temperatures that allow diseases to spread more readily. The emotions of fear are brought to the forefront by the author. This could be used by Monbiot as persuasion to act sooner rather than later. In order to present his information to the reader, he builds his foundation through the rhetoric of ethos or credibility. On page XXIII of the introduction, Monbiot states what he believes are trustworthy sources and gives background to the reader of his studies before writing this book. Lastly, he uses logos or information in his writings. I applaud him in his use of logos because he tells a story rather than giving the reader a stat sheet to dissect. His best use of logos comes on pages 18 and 19 where he presents the reader with visible graphs of carbon emissions over the years.
Is Hunting the Answer? Revised
Activist? Hardly. Passionate? Maybe. Aware? True. Care? Most certainly. Willing to change if ever a solution? Yes. This is my mind-set when it comes to my relationship with the environment.
My love for earth’s environment began when I was very young. My family is made up of hunters and my grandmother on my father’s side is part Cherokee. From this alone, I had but no chance to learn about the woods, the animals, and all that nature has to offer. And after learning about nature and being in her presence, I grew to respect her. I want her to be there for me to cherish, for my kids to cherish, and their kids to cherish.
Being a hunter, it is very hard to shed that “redneck hillbilly”, “want to kill anything that moves” stereotype. First of all, being in the woods, be it a tree stand, perhaps a turkey blind, or maybe just a walk, you have time to reflect and come to terms with the things in life you are most appreciative for. For being such a young child at the time I learned to hunt and living in an area where the typical stereotype of a hunter might be true, I learned that I love just to be in the presence of nature. Some of the best times I have ever had in the woods are the times my field tags came back to the house blank and my knives clean. I learned to love the simple blowing of the wind through the trees, the squirrels playfully chasing one another from tree to tree, the sounds of acorns falling to the forest floor in the fall, and the majestic bucks fighting and marking their territory for the rut to come.
As one can probably tell, the greatest aspect of the environment for me is the wildlife. Over the years, I have developed the deepest passion for the wild turkey and have become a very good hunter/caller. A trait that has given me a great advantage come every spring. Now, if you would please pause for a second and think. I believe that everybody at some point in their younger years wished they could have talked to animals. The thing with turkeys is that this wish is exceedingly possible. Isn’t this worth preserving? The only problem is that you have to speak their language instead of your own. For the reasons I have explained, I am a proud member of the National Wild Turkey Federation and support all the conservation efforts they put forth. I support avid sportsmen all over the world and in addition try to take the youth and less fortunate to the woods so that they too can share my passion for wildlife.
As one can tell, hunting and wildlife are two things I am passionate about. Because of this passion, I am willing to do my part to save this branch of the environment. I have learned through my own eyes and over the years that legal hunting is indeed one of the best conservation efforts for preserving wildlife. Hunting produces revenue through the purchase of licenses and tags which are able to provide for good habitat and law enforcement. Law enforcement is very crucial in stopping poachers and the illegal killing of animals. This is most apparent in Africa where the elephant is dreadfully endangered. Though the numbers of elephants have drastically fallen in the past decade, countries have developed their own hunting season. They do this by putting a lottery system into effect. This means that only a handful of people will have the ability to recieve an elephant tag. Additionally, every part of the elephant must be used. This is aided by the surrounding tribes. Their hope is to stop the illegal poaching for ivory tusks and furthermore raise money for wildlife parks that will keep the elephant safe for generations to come. These types of people, organizations, and countries I support very much and wish their efforts the best.
For the very short time I have been a part of this environmental English class, it has made me more aware of the world we live in. I guess in a way I am ashamed of humans and the destruction we have caused to earth. Over the past generations we have selfishly thought only of ourselves and have disregarded the effects it could have further down the road. It hurts for me to say that I don’t have the solution for stopping the destruction of our environment. But I do know that my passion of hunting and wildlife go hand in hand. I know hunting is not a complete answer to all our problems but it is a step in the right direction. I believe if more people could be persuaded to hunt or if more people supported upstanding sportsmen, then we would at least be taking a step in persevering one aspect of our environment.
My love for earth’s environment began when I was very young. My family is made up of hunters and my grandmother on my father’s side is part Cherokee. From this alone, I had but no chance to learn about the woods, the animals, and all that nature has to offer. And after learning about nature and being in her presence, I grew to respect her. I want her to be there for me to cherish, for my kids to cherish, and their kids to cherish.
Being a hunter, it is very hard to shed that “redneck hillbilly”, “want to kill anything that moves” stereotype. First of all, being in the woods, be it a tree stand, perhaps a turkey blind, or maybe just a walk, you have time to reflect and come to terms with the things in life you are most appreciative for. For being such a young child at the time I learned to hunt and living in an area where the typical stereotype of a hunter might be true, I learned that I love just to be in the presence of nature. Some of the best times I have ever had in the woods are the times my field tags came back to the house blank and my knives clean. I learned to love the simple blowing of the wind through the trees, the squirrels playfully chasing one another from tree to tree, the sounds of acorns falling to the forest floor in the fall, and the majestic bucks fighting and marking their territory for the rut to come.
As one can probably tell, the greatest aspect of the environment for me is the wildlife. Over the years, I have developed the deepest passion for the wild turkey and have become a very good hunter/caller. A trait that has given me a great advantage come every spring. Now, if you would please pause for a second and think. I believe that everybody at some point in their younger years wished they could have talked to animals. The thing with turkeys is that this wish is exceedingly possible. Isn’t this worth preserving? The only problem is that you have to speak their language instead of your own. For the reasons I have explained, I am a proud member of the National Wild Turkey Federation and support all the conservation efforts they put forth. I support avid sportsmen all over the world and in addition try to take the youth and less fortunate to the woods so that they too can share my passion for wildlife.
As one can tell, hunting and wildlife are two things I am passionate about. Because of this passion, I am willing to do my part to save this branch of the environment. I have learned through my own eyes and over the years that legal hunting is indeed one of the best conservation efforts for preserving wildlife. Hunting produces revenue through the purchase of licenses and tags which are able to provide for good habitat and law enforcement. Law enforcement is very crucial in stopping poachers and the illegal killing of animals. This is most apparent in Africa where the elephant is dreadfully endangered. Though the numbers of elephants have drastically fallen in the past decade, countries have developed their own hunting season. They do this by putting a lottery system into effect. This means that only a handful of people will have the ability to recieve an elephant tag. Additionally, every part of the elephant must be used. This is aided by the surrounding tribes. Their hope is to stop the illegal poaching for ivory tusks and furthermore raise money for wildlife parks that will keep the elephant safe for generations to come. These types of people, organizations, and countries I support very much and wish their efforts the best.
For the very short time I have been a part of this environmental English class, it has made me more aware of the world we live in. I guess in a way I am ashamed of humans and the destruction we have caused to earth. Over the past generations we have selfishly thought only of ourselves and have disregarded the effects it could have further down the road. It hurts for me to say that I don’t have the solution for stopping the destruction of our environment. But I do know that my passion of hunting and wildlife go hand in hand. I know hunting is not a complete answer to all our problems but it is a step in the right direction. I believe if more people could be persuaded to hunt or if more people supported upstanding sportsmen, then we would at least be taking a step in persevering one aspect of our environment.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Is Hunting the Answer?
Activist? Hardly. Passionate? Maybe. Aware? True. Care? Most certainly. Willing to change if ever a solution? Yes. These are my feelings when it comes to my relationship with the environment and how our society affects it.
My love for earth’s environment began when I was very young. My family is made up of hunters and my grandmother on my father’s side of the family is part Cherokee. From this alone, I had but no chance to learn about the woods, the animals, and all that nature has to offer. And after learning about nature and being in her presence, I grew to respect her. I want her to be there for me to cherish, for my kids to cherish, and their kids to cherish.
Being a hunter, it is very hard to shed that “redneck hillbilly”, “want to kill anything that moves” stereotype. First of all, being in the woods, be it a tree stand, perhaps a turkey blind, or maybe just a walk, you have time to reflect and come to terms with the things in life your most appreciative for. For being such a young child at the time I learned to hunt and living in an area where the typical stereotype of a hunter might be true, I learned that I love just to be in the presence of nature. Some of the best times I have ever had in the woods are the times my field tags came back to the house without a single pen mark and my knives clean. I learned to love the simple blowing of the wind through the trees, the squirrels playfully chasing one another from tree to tree, the sounds of acorns falling to the forest floor in the fall, and the majestic bucks fighting and marking their territory for the rut to come.
With that being said, my passion for the wild turkey is the greatest. Over the years I have become a very good turkey hunter/caller which gives me a great advantage come every spring. Now, if you stop for a second, I believe that everybody at some point when they were younger wished they could have talked to animals. The thing with turkeys is that this wish is very possible. The only problem is that you have to speak their language instead of your own. Turkeys have one of the most extensive vocabularies of any animal in nature and with good practice and the aid of handmade calls, one can communicate with them to a high degree. For the reasons I have explained, I am a proud member of the National Wild Turkey Federation and support all the conservation efforts they put forth. I support avid sportsmen and in addition try to take the youth and less fortunate to the woods so that they too can share my passion for wildlife.
As one can tell, hunting is a sport I am very passionate about. I have learned through my own eyes and over the years that legal hunting is indeed one of the best conservation efforts. Hunting produces revenue which is then able to provide good habitat for wildlife and the law enforcement to stop poachers and the illegal killing of animals. This is most apparent in Africa where the elephant is very much endangered. Though the numbers of elephants have drastically fallen in the past decade, countries have started to put in place a hunting season. Their hope is to stop the illegal poaching of ivory tusks and additionally hope to raise money for wildlife parks that will keep the elephant safe for generations to come. These types of people, organizations, and countries I support very much and wish their efforts the best.
For the very short time I have been a part of this environmental English class, it has made me more aware of the world we live in. I guess in a way I am ashamed of humans and the destruction we have caused to earth. Over the past generations we have selfishly thought only of ourselves and have disregarded the effects it could have further down the road. We have dug our self so deep that creating a healthier world is now overwhelming to everyone. It is definitely past the part of one single person being able to save the world and it is now sadly past the point where groups of people can change the world; it is down to the different countries and what we as a collective group are willing to do. And for all the haters, doubters, and people who are inconsiderately satisfied, I know I’m being a hypocrite. I too drive to school every day burning fossil fuels, probably have bought products of companies that are major contributors to global warming, and on top of all that voted for George W. Bush. But if there is one thing I know…I know I care and respect the environment we live in and if everyone cared at least as much as I did, then we would be steps ahead of where we are right now and on a quicker path to saving our earth.
My love for earth’s environment began when I was very young. My family is made up of hunters and my grandmother on my father’s side of the family is part Cherokee. From this alone, I had but no chance to learn about the woods, the animals, and all that nature has to offer. And after learning about nature and being in her presence, I grew to respect her. I want her to be there for me to cherish, for my kids to cherish, and their kids to cherish.
Being a hunter, it is very hard to shed that “redneck hillbilly”, “want to kill anything that moves” stereotype. First of all, being in the woods, be it a tree stand, perhaps a turkey blind, or maybe just a walk, you have time to reflect and come to terms with the things in life your most appreciative for. For being such a young child at the time I learned to hunt and living in an area where the typical stereotype of a hunter might be true, I learned that I love just to be in the presence of nature. Some of the best times I have ever had in the woods are the times my field tags came back to the house without a single pen mark and my knives clean. I learned to love the simple blowing of the wind through the trees, the squirrels playfully chasing one another from tree to tree, the sounds of acorns falling to the forest floor in the fall, and the majestic bucks fighting and marking their territory for the rut to come.
With that being said, my passion for the wild turkey is the greatest. Over the years I have become a very good turkey hunter/caller which gives me a great advantage come every spring. Now, if you stop for a second, I believe that everybody at some point when they were younger wished they could have talked to animals. The thing with turkeys is that this wish is very possible. The only problem is that you have to speak their language instead of your own. Turkeys have one of the most extensive vocabularies of any animal in nature and with good practice and the aid of handmade calls, one can communicate with them to a high degree. For the reasons I have explained, I am a proud member of the National Wild Turkey Federation and support all the conservation efforts they put forth. I support avid sportsmen and in addition try to take the youth and less fortunate to the woods so that they too can share my passion for wildlife.
As one can tell, hunting is a sport I am very passionate about. I have learned through my own eyes and over the years that legal hunting is indeed one of the best conservation efforts. Hunting produces revenue which is then able to provide good habitat for wildlife and the law enforcement to stop poachers and the illegal killing of animals. This is most apparent in Africa where the elephant is very much endangered. Though the numbers of elephants have drastically fallen in the past decade, countries have started to put in place a hunting season. Their hope is to stop the illegal poaching of ivory tusks and additionally hope to raise money for wildlife parks that will keep the elephant safe for generations to come. These types of people, organizations, and countries I support very much and wish their efforts the best.
For the very short time I have been a part of this environmental English class, it has made me more aware of the world we live in. I guess in a way I am ashamed of humans and the destruction we have caused to earth. Over the past generations we have selfishly thought only of ourselves and have disregarded the effects it could have further down the road. We have dug our self so deep that creating a healthier world is now overwhelming to everyone. It is definitely past the part of one single person being able to save the world and it is now sadly past the point where groups of people can change the world; it is down to the different countries and what we as a collective group are willing to do. And for all the haters, doubters, and people who are inconsiderately satisfied, I know I’m being a hypocrite. I too drive to school every day burning fossil fuels, probably have bought products of companies that are major contributors to global warming, and on top of all that voted for George W. Bush. But if there is one thing I know…I know I care and respect the environment we live in and if everyone cared at least as much as I did, then we would be steps ahead of where we are right now and on a quicker path to saving our earth.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Terry Tempest Williams/ Elizabeth Bishop
In the story of "Yellowstone: The Erotics of Place" Terry Tempest Williams provides the reader with a very vivid opening that sets the tone for the entire story. The description of darkening skies, raging rivers, surging geysers, and stampeding hooves immediately takes the reader to the beauty of Yellowstone. Williams then takes the reader into the "echo system" which is a very clever way of describing the relationship Williams feels people need to share with the ecosystem. In addition, the repitition of "Pansexual. Of Pan" was a different way of describing the wildlife, forest, and landscape. Williams personifies the ecosystem as "erotic" which is a unique angle when describing nature but at the same time shows the compassion that "we" need to have for the ecosystem.
In "Redemption" the author keeps things short and sweet. The first paragraph leaves you "opened" and wondering how someone can walk toward a wild coyote. But as the second paragraph starts, the story turns completely around by stating the condition of the dead coyote. The author quickly kills the anticipation and anxiousness and leaves the reader to only wonder.
The author in the story "Undressing the Bear" again leaves one "opened" and guessing. The man stationed in Italy during World War 11 comes home to Wyoming for the hunting season and is successful in killing a black bear. As the story ends, the man is left shaking. Is he shaking with excitement because of the long hiatus from hunting or is it more deeper then that? Is it because he is tired of killing and the death of the bear only brings back horrifying memories that he left over seas? The author does a wonderful job of engaging the reader in only so few sentences.
In Elizabth Bishop's poem "The Fish" she describes the amazing catch she has just reeled in with great detail like "his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper" and "he was speckled with barnacles, fine rosettes of lime, and infested with tiny whit sea lice." I particulaly like the fact that Bishop notices the history of the fish when admiring the jaw. It was interesting that the fish was still there...that everyone before her had let the fish go. I found it to be gratifying that she does not have the need to take a picture or scream for bragging purposes. She simply embraces the moment and lets the fish go. She found all her satisfaction by just catching a glimpse of nature's beauty.
In "Redemption" the author keeps things short and sweet. The first paragraph leaves you "opened" and wondering how someone can walk toward a wild coyote. But as the second paragraph starts, the story turns completely around by stating the condition of the dead coyote. The author quickly kills the anticipation and anxiousness and leaves the reader to only wonder.
The author in the story "Undressing the Bear" again leaves one "opened" and guessing. The man stationed in Italy during World War 11 comes home to Wyoming for the hunting season and is successful in killing a black bear. As the story ends, the man is left shaking. Is he shaking with excitement because of the long hiatus from hunting or is it more deeper then that? Is it because he is tired of killing and the death of the bear only brings back horrifying memories that he left over seas? The author does a wonderful job of engaging the reader in only so few sentences.
In Elizabth Bishop's poem "The Fish" she describes the amazing catch she has just reeled in with great detail like "his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper" and "he was speckled with barnacles, fine rosettes of lime, and infested with tiny whit sea lice." I particulaly like the fact that Bishop notices the history of the fish when admiring the jaw. It was interesting that the fish was still there...that everyone before her had let the fish go. I found it to be gratifying that she does not have the need to take a picture or scream for bragging purposes. She simply embraces the moment and lets the fish go. She found all her satisfaction by just catching a glimpse of nature's beauty.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Everybody needs a place to escape from the high-paced frantic lives that we all lead. A place where one can relax, reflect, and come to terms with what may be on the mind. That place for me is located in Lewisville, Ohio back deep in the woods…far from the city, far from traffic, and far from people. I first encountered this place when I was very young with my father. My place lies far back on a ridge that is elevated higher than the surrounding hills and is absolutely covered with perfectly placed pine trees. No one tree is to close or too far from one another. On top of the ridge is a right-of-way that is wide enough for the largest of vehicles and the ground is literally covered with pine needles. I was there scouting wild turkey which meant we had to be in the pines well before day break. I remember the morning being pitch black, the air cool, and the wind howling through the branches of the trees. But then the woods started to wake up. The sun started to peak over the horizon, the wind died down, the air began to warm, and the wildlife started to awake. At that time I started to appreciate the moment of time I was in. An inner peace came over me and I felt one with the woods. Deer started to appear over the hill and thundering gobbles echoed all through the pines as the turkeys started to awake. It was beautiful just too even watch the sun peak through the trees and the fog lift from the bottoms below. I had never been so at peace in my life as I was at that point and because of that feeling I return to this special place every spring.
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