Friday, May 7, 2010

Monkey Wrench Gang



This book made me think a lot of the methods used in bringing attention to the environment. The book made me think a lot and the in class presentations also got me thinking a lot of what everyday people to bring attention to their causes. Perhaps it was irony but when I got home I turned out and it was a rerun of the show whale wars in which everyday people use nonviolent ways to protect whales from illegal whaling. As I watched the men try to take on those massive ships on an inflatable single engine raft I understood the authors fascination and distaste for machines.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

A Sand Country Almanac

Aldo Leopold in my opinion was a man who deserved to be admired for his accomplishments. He went from one side of the spectrum to the other in one life time and for most people that is really hard to do. He grew up a hunter and an arrogant one at that. Still, even I his blood thirsty days, he was still a man of honor. Giving himself kill limits and only hunting certain animals at certain parts of the day. A trait I could seriously admire. In his story thinking like a mountain he describes the event that changed his life. After shooting a wolf and staring into her eyes as she died, it changed his entire outlook of everything. He then began fighting to preserve the very life he once so proudly hunted. He accomplished much in his life and even his death was a very dramatic symbol of what he stood for. He died from a heart attack while he fought to fight back a wild fire. The flames engulfed and consumed his body long before anyone even realized he was missing. When he was atlas found his arms were crossed and he lay perfectly straight, he’d died peacefully and with a clean conscious. He lived his life by what he believed he was brought here to do and died fighting for what he thought was right. He died feeling fulfilled and in peace, we should all be so fortunate.

My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir

I didn’t think much of Muir’s book, it seemed like he was a bit too judgmental about a whole list of things. I especially didn’t like his attitude about Native Americans. I think there is more to be envied about their lives than just clean air and water. You think someone who had such a big problem with society would have felt a bit more connected to the people who were so closely connected he claimed to love. I did like his description of the animals and their roles in the environment. The in class conversation also got me thinking, could the black ant really be the ruler of his realm? I think so; there is great power in numbers. A single ant would be nothing more than an annoyance, but an army could bring the biggest man to his knees.