In Acts of God, Ted Steinberg uncovers, among other things, how natural disasters have come to be perceived as beyond human control. Steinberg contends that the book focuses on the environmental, cultural, and social history of natural disasters. The text also expands on the relationship between humans and natural disasters. Indeed, chapter one elaborates on the Mount Pelee attraction on Coney Island and the history of calamity in Charleston, South Carolina. In chapter one, there is a particular emphasis on the Charleston Earthquake of 1886. The text discusses the different perspectives that black and white individuals had about the 1886 earthquake and natural disasters in general. Steinberg asserts that white individuals perceived the quake as natural phenomena. In contrast, black individuals perceived the quake as an act of god.
The theme of this book is about a volcanic eruption that occurred May 18th, 1980 at 8:32am at Mount St. Helens. The explosion was equal to ten million tons of dynamite and shot up into the sky for more than 12 miles. These toxic gases that shot out of the volcano covered a great deal of the forest. As a result, most of the forest was burnt down almost instantly by the massive blast.Leading up to the eruption there were many warning signs, including: large cracks in the mountain and small earthquakes. However, the eruption on May 18th was a true surprise. Within minutes, the mountain went from calm and quiet to become one of the greatest powerful natural disaster ever recorded in the U.S-
As the world went into Anthropocene, the disscussion of the relationship between human and natural became more frequnt than in before. Human being and the inviroment are not isolation based on the theory of Anthropocene, ont he opposite, they art related and effect each other.
The essay “The Damnation of Canyon,” by Edward Abbey, channels the emotional impact that the damming of a canyon river can have on a person. By telling this story the author utilizes many different rhetorical strategies that include personification, visual imagery, and first-person narration, all to help convey his point on why the commercialization and industrialism of nature should be avoided and stopped. He not only points out the wrong in the situation, but Abbey also gives a solution to the problem to better the canyon for all people. He tells of how many of the environmental pollution, habitat loss, and commercialization could be fixed if people stopped trying to make the canyon better for some people, the rich, and just let it be enjoyed by those who want to see its natural beauty. The fastest solution to this problem is to get rid of the damn and let the river run its course.
In “The Obligation to Endure”, Rachel Carson talks about the interaction between humans and their environment. In the past century, the environment is what influenced humans and its surroundings but recently, it is man that has that effect on the environment. Carson states that in recent times, “man acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world” (422). This means that man’s ability to make changes to nature and its environment is great but at the same time, if not carefully done has hazardous consequences towards it. In the past quarter century, Carson explains that man unknowingly seems to harm the environment with chemicals and experiments which damages seems to be irreversible once unleashed. The radioactive isotope Strontium 90 is released when there is a nuclear explosion and the residue falls to the soil and contaminates it which in turn contaminates the water we
Richard Louv, a novelist, in Last Child in the Woods (2008) illustrates the separation between humans and nature. His purpose to the general audience involves exposing how the separation of man from nature is consequential. Louv adopts a sentimental tone throughout the rhetorical piece to elaborate on the growing separation in modern times. Louv utilizes pathos, ethos and logos to argue that the separation between man and nature is detrimental.
In After Nature: A Politics for the Anthropocene, Jedediah Purdy introduces a new geological era: “the Anthropocene” (Purdy 2). Said Anthropocene is what Purdy terms “the age of climate change” (2) due to the Industrial Revolution and the extreme use of land and energy by humans. In discussions of geological era titles, one controversial topic is definitely whether humans are a reason for climate change. On the other hand, some question whether climate change is even reality. My own view is that climate change exists and is the result of human industrialization; however, I believe that the Anthropocene should not be associated with the destruction of the environment, but hopefully the maintenance of a piece of what previously mentioned author, Lasn, would see as “kin” (Lasn 170). If children were shaped in their early years to respect nature and feel a need to give back, then climate change could be counteracted. Unfortunately, in my mother’s opinion, despite individual efforts “we’re killing the planet” (Ross). Purdy’s views align with my Mother and I’s in that we all recognize the values that the world seems to be leaning towards, but wish it were not happening as it is. I believe that the three of us see the world with what Purdy would call “a Romantic vision” (8) because there is a strong appreciation for the beauty of nature. However, that is an idealistic approach because of the way that society has conditioned citizens to truly see the world. The more realistic lense is what Purdy calls “the ecological view” (8) in which everything is interrelated and works together, whether it be in nature or a part of industrialized society. This is the vision that the Anthropocene is leaning towards because no one in my generation or generations younger than me is being taught to see nature as a right. Returning to Louv’s argument on whether taking a walk in nature is a right or a
The differences between light and dark, good and bad, are blurred in the Iroquois Creation Story. The narrator captured two different views in this story, blurring the line between what is considered right and wrong. The Iroquois Creation Story does not have just the black and white, but also the gray areas as well. It makes readers question what is really good and what is bad. The overall use of light elements gives the story a light feel, but also has a dark undertone when looked at closely. Overall, the story suggests that although human nature changes, it will always have ties to its heritage, even if the heritage is considered to be bad.
Naturalism emphasizes how instinct and the environment can affect human behavior. This form was influenced by Darwin and other naturalist whom believed that fate is determined by forces out of human control. An example of naturalism would be in The Open Boat. In The Open Boat, passengers try to reach a life saving station. However they are prevented from reaching their goal because of nature, specifically by ocean waves/currents and the storm. One of the passenger on the boat would state “If I am going to be drowned, why in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea was I allowed to come thus far?” Through their struggle, they would end of having to swim to shore because of the potential that the boat could swamp. As a result of swimming, one of the characters would die. In the beginning of story, a flashback is used that explains how the captain was also injured due to a boat that would sink. A second example of Naturalism could be seen in To Build a Fire by Jack London by Jack London. In the story, a man is traveling to Henderson Creek in Alaska. The man is traveling through the arctic cold of Alaska who and does not seem to care about the extreme temperatures. Along with the man is a husky and shortly afterward they approach misfortune by the arctic weather. After numerous attempts to build a fire, he would be unsuccessful. Because of nature itself and the want for survival he would then think about killing the husky to warm his hands inside the husky 's
The significance of nature in Anthem is , nature is a place of the unknown it represents something that is to be unspoken of Just like in the book the people portray anthem as the “uncharted forest “. When people go into the forest they don’t return , they disappear into the “claws of the wild beast” . Nature makes equality 7-2521 think of things that are not “ as we look upon the uncharted forest far in the night , we think of the unmentionable times “. Also the significance of nature is it gives power. In the book the power of the sky is represented for nature “ we know not what this power is nor whence it comes.But we know it is nature, We have watched and worked with it “.
The struggle of man versus nature long has dwelt on the consciousness of humanity. Is man an equal to his environment? Can the elements be conquered, or only endured? We constantly find ourselves facing these questions along with a myriad of others that cause us to think, where do we fit? These questions, crying for a response, are debated, studied, and portrayed in both Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” and “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. The settings in these stories, the Yukon in “To Build a Fire” and an island in the south Atlantic in “The Most Dangerous Game”, take a toll on the main characters in a very different fashion. Both of these short stories provide excellent demonstrations of this topic but the most obvious are the environment The Man is in, the, application of nature in Rainsford’s survival, Connells animal-like description of Rainsford, and the symbol of fire.
According to Castle, there is a strong correlation between natures and humankind, which gives an opportunity for a human to hybrid the nature. There is no humankind without nature, and human’s daily life is related to the natural environment; though how human handles the nature matters. The fiction shows how human culture hybrids the natural environment and its effect, “the mine there had started out chasing copper, it ended up in high-grade uranium” (Castle 454). The author tries to emphasize how strong is its effect; the main character “Sue” didn’t want to drink or can’t drink water that comes out from that canyon ground because that water is acidic, and she preferred to hand twenty pounds of water on her back
Environmental ethics refers to the relationship that humans share with the natural world (Buzzle, 2011), it involves people extending ethics to the natural environment through the exercise of self-discipline (Nash, 1989). Herein the essay will give examples of anthropocentrism and non-anthropocentrism as forms of environmental ethics, criticizing anthropocentrism in contrast with a defence of non- anthropocentrism precedents.
When mentioning the term ecology, enormous rainforests, wild rivers, wide fields, and all the greenery and natural surroundings are the first things that come to one’s mind. However, according to the definition of Oxford dictionary, ecology is “the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings”. This definition is of a huge importance for those who want to emerge into the studies of ecocriticism, and for those who want to deal with an ecocritical reading of a literary work. The notion that organisms, their relations to one another and to their physical surroundings is crucial when it comes to ecology explains the fact why, when starting with the analysis in this way, one must include not just natural ecology, but also social and spiritual. In literature, it is not just about human behaviour among each other, or their relationship with their natural surroundings, but also about
The reading assignments for this week has been very educative about the environment and making it a better place for living. In this written assignment, I will examine some of the ethical issues related to population growth and their effect to the environment. Also, I will propose solutions to these problems base on the reading material available for this Unit. But before I continue, I wish to introduce us to environmental ethics and its definition which I think it is very important for us to understand so as to know our role to play in this beautiful planet.