Good Oak Rhetorical Analysis

When people are not aware of where their energy comes from, it threatens their values and ideals. Aldo Leopold discusses these dangers in his essay, Good Oak, suggesting solutions to prevent them and improve the environment in the process. Energy powers many of the things key to life. As pollution and environmental destruction become a more imminent threat, humans must control their use of energy, preferably making sure not to use more than is necessary to sustain them. People who do not fully control the sources of their energy may take it for granted and waste it, however if they make changes in their lifestyle, these dangers can be avoided.
If people do not know where their energy is coming from, they may encounter questions about its source. As Leopold says, “If one has cut, split, hauled, and piled his own good oak, and let his mind work the while, he will remember much about where the heat comes from.” If people prepare their own sources of energy, there is no question whether it was acquired in a way that matches their values (Leopold 7). With so many companies using unethical and environmentally destructive methods to prepare food and other needed goods, people can find it difficult to trust

My friends and I walk to and from school whenever possible and carpool when driving cannot be avoided. Leopold additionally speaks of the importance of having a garden. My mom and I planted one, allowing us to know where our vegetables come from. One thing I hope to change is how we heat our house in the winter. We have a furnace, but it works quite terribly, and costs our family a lot of money, when if we had a fireplace, we could just get our own supply of good oak to warm ourselves. Our society as a whole must work to preserve all the ‘Good Oaks’ in the environment for future