Monsanto Rules!

The Monsanto add shows people from India on their farm. Then these robots come in and start working on the land, produce packaged corn seeds, plant them, and the corn grows perfectly. The robots take over the farm and do all of the labor. One of the robots hands a cob of corn to a little girl. At the end, the family and robots are standing together like a family with a huge pile of corn behind them. The add suggests that Monsanto is number one and has the best seeds for mass farming. Their seeds grow to be the perfect product everytime. Also, that the company is looking out for the people who are less fortunate in third world countries. Monsanto is the future of farming. The present has third world coutries such as India, with families working out on the field, farming the traditional and less efficient way. Monsanto shows the future with robots representing their seeds that are going to be what are planted for mass growing and perfection. everytime. Also the add might have included robots to literally tell us that robots are going to be created to do the farming for us and use their product. Third world countries, such as India, are going to be forced to use these seeds because that is what the people and companies are going to want. Monsanto wanted to display the message that they are there for the people who work those farms and to make their lives better and easier.

Monsanto can do it better! :)

So I have just watched this Monsanto ad and I am sort of feeling a bit confused about it. First of all, it just seems really out of place to have robots in a field doing farm work. It took me a second to get over this and actually pay attention to what they were doing. But from what I gathered the Monsanto ad placed robots above people and expressed the point that robots can do it better. That was my initial reaction though; I just watched it a second time and saw another way to interpret it. It seems like the robots are taking place of human labor, or perhaps that the future is now because robots are usually associated with the future. The ad also appears to stress that Monsanto can produce good quality crops in mass quantities (i.e. the huge piles of corn behind the people). Either way, the robots seemed to be taking over and providing for the people rather then having them do it themselves. I am not sure exactly what to think about this ad because on one hand the people look confused yet happy that the robots were there, but then again what is Monsanto trying to say about those specific people? It appears that they are suggesting that they can not provide well enough for themselves and therefore Monsanto must interfere. The present is not good enough and must be improved. When it comes down to it I think the ad is saying that Monsanto is the future of agriculture and look, these people are happy about it so it must be a good thing.

Blog Assignment for Wednesday, October 1

Answer 1 of the following set of questions:

A. Go to the Moodle site and follow the link under this week's section to the Monsanto advertisement. Watch the add and analyze it: What is suggested about Monsanto? About the present? About the future? About third world countries?

B. Would you eat the New Leaf? Why or why not?

C. Why does Pollan include so many dates in the chapter? Why are they italicized? What function do they serve in the chapter?

Genetic Engineering, Friend or Foe?

“Genetic engineering promises to replace expensive and toxic chemicals with expensive and but apparently benign genetic information: crops that can protect themselves from insects and diseases without the help of pesticides.” (Pollan, 191). Genetic engineering can be beneficial in that it can feed more people more quickly, wasting less crops. In a way, genetic engineering replicates nature in that it creates hybrids to withstand environmental hazards, increasing an organism’s chances of survival.
Genetic engineering dates back to the time of the Incas. “A more or less vertical habitat presents special challenges to both plants and their cultivators, because the microclimate changes dramatically with every change in altitude or orientation to the sun and wind.” (193) The Incans found a way of working around this obstacle by planting potatoes suited for different microclimates in patches. The difference between this modification and today’s genetic engineering is that the Incans worked with the land as best they could, instead of trying to develop a radically different form of organism to fit the land and preferred growing style. “To Western eyes, the resulting farms (of the Incas) look patchy and chaotic; the plots are discontinuous, offering none of that Apollonian satisfaction of an explicitly ordered landscape.”
Though growing crops in strait lines may be easier when it comes to treatment and harvest, I believe that trying to grow things in accordance with the land produces a more sustainable result. Some organic farmers grow crops together, such as flowers that need shade under fruit-bearing trees, a less “orderly” yet equally profiting method of growing useful plants. By carefully observing and trying to play along with nature’s ways, we can provide ourselves with a more sustainable future.

Are farms part of nature? Are they more or less "natural' than say a garden?

Nature consist of different species growing amongst each other. Those species adapt to the weather. They find ways to protect themselves against pathogens and herbivores. They used the herbivores as a way of reproduction. The herbivores carry the seeds to other places to grow. So yes, I think farms are a part of nature. The farmer goes different types of vegetables and fruits. He finds way to protect them against weather and he grows them in seasons that he knows they will do well. He uses pesticides to prevent damage by pests. The farmer is used to move them around so that they can reproduce.

A garden is the same as a farm. The gardener follows the same steps to prevent damage to their flowers. Both the farm and garden needs the help of people to continue to grow. Without, the garden will be overrun by weeds. So when it comes to "natural", neither is more natural than the other.

Question B

In terms of attempting to solve world hunger and food shortages, genetic altering food is a good thing. By developing strains of vegetables that are able to withstand the elements better and resist certain bacterium, a stable flow of food can be better established. Whether or not this is a good thing to put in our bodies is simply a personal choice. While genetically altered foods could nourish impoverished parts of the world, I can also understand where opponents to genetically altered food come from. Pollan stated that, "it allows a larger portion of human culture and intelligence to be incorporated into the plants themselves" (Pollan 198). Adding human influence into certain parts of nature is defeating the essential purpose of having nature in the first place. The beauty and simplicity of nature providing us with nourishment is quickly dirtied by our technology that we think is going to improve everything we touch. Again, this is also a matter of opinion, whether or not human influence should exist in all parts of nature, like plant life. I believe that using genetically altered food should only take place in last resort situations, like in extremely famished parts of our society. I think that it's important to remain reliant on the plain ways of nature, in order to maintain the closest connection with it. When we influence nature with human intelligence, we are taking away the uniqueness of nature bit by bit, and before we know it, it will be gone. It's a difficult question to debate, and I don't think that a concise answer as to whether or not genetically altered foods is a good thing exists. It's merely a matter of opinion and perspective.

Defending Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering is something that allows humans to manipulate the environment in order to benefit themselves. Although it has its fault, genetic engineering can also be looked at as a good thing. With the advancements of genetic engineering, humans can organize, simplify, and control the ever complex ways of nature. It allows humans to experiment with genes in order to create new species which may have not been otherwise created (this means more variety of sustenance). In the reading, Pollan states that genetic engineering allows farmers to produce a mass quantity of food. However, he also goes on to say how the production of such a large amount of produce is impossible with out the harmful “inputs” that go along with genetic engineering. Still, since genetic engineering has become such a huge and influential industry, it has begun steps toward redeeming itself. “Genetic engineering promises to replace expensive and toxic chemicals with expensive but apparently benign genetic information…” (191). This means that through genetic engineering, there comes a sort of revolution where produce such as the NewLeaf potato can protect itself from insects and diseases, which means more food that is supposedly safe to eat. Moreover, genetic engineering can be looked at as a way to test methods of reliable yet safe new sources of food and food production.

Farms

I was reading through other posts on the farm question and came across one that i found interesting. The person had said that a farm was less natural because you have to work on it and that a garden was more natural because it was done for pleasure. I disagree. I believe that farms are completely a part of nature.
Let's back up to a simple definition on nature (found at dictionary.com): surrounding humankind and existing independently of human activities.
Using this definition, neither farms or gardens fall under the category of 'nature' because neither one exists independently of our activities. I thought that the definition of nature itself adding a new, complicate dimension to the discussion. But for arguments sake, i am going to say that both farms and gardens are a part of nature.
Why should work hinder a farm's qualifications for being a part of nature? We must work in gardens as well to keep them flourishing.
I can understand where people are coming from with the stereotype that farms now a days are a complete disaster area. Cows receiving unnatural hormone injections, dozens of chickens being locked together in a single cage for their entire lives; these are the examples that society is flooded with from the media especially. If this was my only point of reference when i thought about farms, then i might agree that they can scarcely be considered anything natural.
However, for a week this summer i worked on a farm. The main purpose of the farm was to produce natural, raw milk. This means that the milk is not pasteurized and the cows are not being injected with crazy growth hormones. They would roam in large grass expanses and get plenty of exercise. And to talk about natural, raw milk is one of the HEALTHIEST and most natural things a human can consume. The stereotype with raw milk is that it is unsanitary and can make you sick, however that stereotype is outdated. The milk is completely fine if (just like most things we consume) it is being bottled in a clean and sanitary place. (which it was as i spend some time in the bottling room wearing gloves, hair nets, aprons, etc) On top of the natural milk being produced, the farm also had (can you guess it??) a garden! Rhubarb was one of the best things grown and it was used for all sorts of foods, pies, etc. These people really lived off the land, ate as naturally and simply as i knew and were definitely immersed in the natural world.
Humans manipulate both gardens and farms to get what they want from each. However, if people can educate themselves about what many farms are actually like in reality, versus the stereotypes the media like to portray(which is hard to do without something like a first hand experience) than i believe that society would have a better relationship with farms and therefore see how they are just as much a part of nature as gardens are. (Which, according to dictionary.com, neither should be considered a part of nature to begin with- but that's a different discussion!)

Is farms part of nature?

There will be different opinions on this question because some people have different views on what they think nature is. Some people feel that nature is just trees, plants, grass, or even insects and not the order in which God do things. Order as in a field of roses by a lake bed, or a sugar cane field right next to a colony of orange trees. I feel that anything that's tampered by man wont originally appear in nature. A garden groups different plants together that wont appear in nature and grow them side by side to use them for there own means. This tampers with the order so therefore gardens and farm aren't nature, that's just my opinion.

frams, factories and gardens

Farms today are no more apart of nature then the creations and hybrids that scientists make in labs. That does not mean that a farm can’t be natural though, it just means that most are not. I have worked on and off sense I was five on a biodynamic farm. Everything was reused and nothing was wasted. We and the plants had formed a symbiotic relationship. The potatoes that we grow never were touched by pesticides and we found good means of keeping insects at by bringing in other less important plats that the bugs could eat. But the potato farms in Idaho are so different I was fascinated to read about pollens views on potatoes and how they had truly adapted humans to their needs. “Fast food Nation” by Eric Schlosser, proved that potatoes are the most wildly used food resource in the United States. Idaho is the potage state and most of the farms are anything but natural. But these are large scale production. Local farmers live a very different life style then the large potato factories. They care for the plants and find ways to work with the world around them. These small scale farmers are gardeners and so those farms are no different then gardens. Farms work with the environment large scale production facility of potatoes genetically alters or not are factories not farms.

A few good things about genetic engineering

Genetic engineering has enabled humans to posses control over "nature's wildness" (Pollan 184). With genetic modifications, we have been able to create the exact type of plant specie we want. Brighter, more vivid flowers have been created, along with sweeter strawberries, larger produce and has also increased the overall survival of many plant species. Genetic modifications have lowered expenses, and have enabled faster production of agricultural business. Pollan created a potato that protected itself from the Colorodo potato beetle, called New Leaf (Pollan 191). In doing this, the use of pesticides and chemical toxins are not needed. These are definitely pros of genetic engineering, but where do we draw the line?

"For the first time the genome itself is being domesticated" (Pollan 197). This shows technological advancements, but at the same time I feel threatened by this as well. It brings me to the questions of how far can humans go? There isn't much known about the long term effects of genetically modified foods. This scares me. Sometimes the desire to control gets stretched farther than it needs to go. We always want and need to do more. What if we create something that destroys us all, killing life as we know it here on Earth. I guess with every issue there are pros and cons. I feel that when it comes to my food, that I am eating to nourish my body, I want to be sure it won't harm me in the long run, because technically I would slowly be killing myself. Most food companies are not required by law to label whether or not that product is genetically modified. I think that by saying it is, that would scare away the consumer, thus losing business for the company producing it.

We have only just begun to dabble into the experimentation of genetics, and I agree that there have been good things that come out of it, however until more is known regarding long term effects, genetically modified foods scare me. Sadly, it is hard to stay 100% away from these foods, because they are everywhere.

Does Nature mean Natural?

     In my opinion, farms ARE a part of nature, just not in the usual sense of the word.  Farms came into being when people decided to have convenient food stores:  foods that were easily accessible.  Farms were cultivated to be a certain kind in which you get the most value out of a food.  Therefore, this was a natural step of evolution.  So, in this sense, farms are a part of nature.  However, farms would not be a part of nature if we as humans were not in the food chain. 

      Even though farms are a PART of nature, I believe that farms aren’t actually NATURAL, and neither are gardens.   Both gardens and farms are parts of nature when they are done, but the concept is unnatural.  For example, most plants that are planted in either a garden or a crop field are usually not native to the area.  In essence, gardens and farms fulfill their purpose for us, giving us comfort and nurture.  Most humans feel obliged to “take care of nature” rather than just let it be.  For example, when weeds grow in a garden, we pull them and don’t allow them near flowers that aren’t even native to the area.  Weeds naturally “win” because they know how to survive without human interference.  However, I will concede that crops tend to be supplied with more chemicals than most gardens because mass-produced crops generally “need” pesticides in order to produce the desired amount of food.   

Response to Question B

Genetic engineering, as unnatural as it is, can be viewed as a good thing. Like Pollan says, "...novelties unknown in nature before our attempts to exert control: edible potatoes (the wild ones are too bitter and toxic to eat)..." [Pg. 185] Obviously if genetic engineering had never intervened, we would have never been able to eat the potato. The Inca’s did modify potatoes, in many different ways without the use of modern technology, in order to grow them in different climates and be able to eat them. “The Inca’s developed a different spud for every environment.” [Pollan Pg. 193] This shows that technological mechanisms are not necessary for the modification of agriculture. Because the potato was modified [first non-genetically, then genetically] Ireland was able to sustain themselves agriculturally and provide for their families during a time of famine and poverty. This can be viewed in a negative light as well because in the end, the abundance of potatoes in Ireland created their demise since the over-production produced a decline in wages as well as a growth in population.
If it were not for genetically modified foods, we would not have the potato to use at our disposal or even eat it at all, as well as other fruits as vegetables. Like the NewLeaf potato Pollan talks about, there are certain agricultural advantages like it’s resistance to the Colorado potato beetle. This stops the degradation of the potato plant by this notorious beetle. This helps farmers have a bigger production amount and in turn reap a bigger profit while being able to contribute more potatoes to the community. Overall, I think genetically modified food, although unnatural is beneficial to our society as a whole. As nice as it would be to never have to modify agriculture, it is a part of our lives and, at this point, is needed to feed the world.

Genetic Engineering in Plants

Genetic engineering is when organism’s genes are directly changed, usually through molecular cloning or transformation. There are many reasons why genetic engineering in plants is a good thing. The idea of genetic engineering allows the farmer or gardener to experiment and to try new hybrids, a mixture of genes through human manipulation. Pollan writes about the potato he planted called NewLeaf, which is a potato that had been genetically engineered to create its own insecticide. The great thing about the insecticide that this potato would produce, is that it is lethal to the Colorado potato beetle, which in the past would eat and destroy a plant overnight. Not only would NewLeaf be able to fight back against the Colorado potato beetle, but it also would not need all the expensive and harmful chemicals, such as pesticides, because the potato could now protect itself. It is also believed that “current agricultural technology is unsustainable,” this is because most industrial farmers cannot grow the abundance of food without using many toxic chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, machinery, and fuel. All of these chemicals do not come without cost to individual’s health, pollution to the environment, and the safety of the food. With genetic engineering these toxic chemicals would be obsolete, our health and the farmer’s health would be greatly increased, there would be much less pollution to the environment, and the food that grows in these industrial farms would be much safer for consumption. There are many benefits of genetic engineering, better food quality, less harm from insects to crops, and a better healthier environment all together.

GMOs

Genetically modified organisms have entered the world and have become a way for corporations to control the food chain.  In the U.S., Congress never asked the people if they wanted genetically engineered food. Even still, it is not required for companies to label whether the food contains GMOs. There is a more recent controversy over whether genetically engineered animals can be put on the market as well. Genetically modified foods are another way that corporations control the market by placing subsidies on already low paid farmers and patenting nature.

These patents do not have many restrictions. Percy Schmeiser, a Canadian farmer, was sued by Monsanto because a Monsanto truck carrying genetically engineered canola seeds blew off of the truck and onto his fields of canola. Monsanto went onto his private property, took samples, and told him he infringed on their patent. This isn't the only case where Monsanto has sued farmers for infringing their patent. But how can Monsanto have the right to tell Percy he infringed on their patent when the wind blew the seeds onto his field? How can they restrict mother nature? It is nature for the wind to carry the pollen and seeds of plants.

Genetically engineered crops have not been proven to produce more yields than conventional or organic crops. Farmers in India buy seeds from these corporations, but many commit suicide because the GE seeds they bought produced poor yields putting them in debt. The "Feed the World" guilt trip is a scam by the corporations. This technology has been practiced for over a decade and still world hunger has not decreased, if anything it has increased.

The only reason the United States does not require labeling is because the corporations and the FDA know that consumers will not buy their products. Also because the corporations lobby for what is favorable for them. 

I don't understand why genetically engineered food has entered the market. We don't need genetically engineered food or animals. Local, conventional/organic farmers need to be supported.

Farms versus Gardens

I do not believe that farms are apart of nature. I feel as though gardens are definitely more “natural” than a farm however it’s weird to generalize like this because in a way farms and gardens can be seen as doing the same things with similar outcomes. On page 185, Pollan talks about how farms work to “…get us what we want from nature” and I feel that gardens do this as well, but in my mind I feel that farms and gardens are very different in how they are treated.  Before reading this chapter, I read the blog questions and felt this very way about gardens versus farms; this feeling was reaffirmed when I read on page 185, “Agriculture is, by its very nature, brutally reductive, simplifying nature’s incomprehensible complexity to something humanly maneagable…” I feel that exact sentence is where you can draw the differences from a garden to farming/agriculture. A garden is something that is done for personal pleasure. We grow a garden, without being brutal or simplifying nature. People who grow a garden do it because they enjoy it. Although similar to agriculture we choose what we want to grow, I feel that nature has more variety in a garden than it does in a farm. People are working for a living on a farm as opposed to choosing to start a garden. I think the pleasure versus work aspect is what really separates a garden from a farm. 

Mother Nature vs. GE

Why can’t I splice a gene here or inject a gene there. With genetic engineering, a shortage in our food supply would be impossible, right? There are many beneficial reasons for agricultural genetic engineering, but there is still much to learn before we become reliant on this process.
Genetic engineering can resolve many problems that farmers struggle through every season. We are able to develop crops that are immune to pretty much any environmental aliment that it could possibly encounter. Due to this, we can make every crop invincible to anything preventing it from thriving. How could this possibly purpose any danger towards the human race? It sounds like this could be the cure to world hunger. However, you must consider what would happen if every plant was completely dominant in its environment. In “The Botany of Desire,” Pollan expresses his uncertainty about genetic engineering. He states, “…the reliability or safety of one genetically modified plant doesn’t necessarily guarantee the reliability of safety of the next” (Pollan, 209). If one crop had close to no competition, how would this affect other natural species in the same environment?
I think that we would see other plant species conquered and becoming extinct, disrupting the entire food web. The natural cycle of life would be destroyed and put into our hands to control. Also, evolution would be put in a state of complete chaos. Nothing would be natural and biodiversity would be humanly engineered. I believe that we are in no ways ready to take on such a role of playing god.

New and Improved

Genetic engineering has and will continue to provide new ways to control some of the harmful effects the environment can have on plants humans depend on. The tedious work of genetically engineering plants in the laboratory has shown to allow a more simplified gardening process out in the field. Genetically altered plants have shown the ability to withstand the harmful effects of bugs and diseases without the need for farmers to apply herbicides and pesticides to their crops. “Genetic engineering promises to replace expensive and toxic chemicals with expensive but apparently benign genetic information: crops that, like my NewLeafs, can protect themselves from insects and diseases without the help of pesticides” (Pollan 191). Although genetic engineering in plants is expensive, the benefits of avoiding the toxic chemicals, which would otherwise be required to protect the crops, far outweigh the cost. Because the potato can now protect itself with a gene that is not harmful to the potato eater, we do not have to apply insecticides and worry of their detrimental effects both to the eater as well as the potential runoff into nearby streams which may later prove dangerous to our water supply and other animals.
Pollan discusses how the Inca would plant a wide variety of potatoes within one garden. Although this variety may have been due to the Incas love to experiment, they were able to observe the conditions in which certain potatoes grow and thrive. “The Andean potato farm represented an intricate ordering of nature that… can withstand virtually anything nature is apt to throw at it” (Pollan 193). In this sense, it is the variety of the Incan farm that promised the people, no matter what the weather or environment, would yield edible results. In the variety of potatoes, the Incan people were able to avoid any threat of famine. Genetic engineering is the modern solution to overcoming the uncertainties nature may bring. Instead of planting a variety of plants and hoping that at least some will survive, we can genetically alter plants and allow the strongest to grow. We can now be much more confident that they will grow, for we are protecting them against some of the uncertainties of nature. The more we learn about and practice genetic engineering, the more effective and beneficial the process will become.

The Pros of Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering has made a colossal impact on the way we live.  If not for genetic engineering mass production of crops such as corn, wheat, soybean and rice would be an increasingly difficult task.  Genetic engineering allows farmers to grow crops quicker and in more mass by adding certain DNA strands which give crops immunity from certain pests.  One could look at this as our very own version of Darwin’s Survival of the Fittest, with a bit of human implication.  Genetically engineered crops are not good for only mass-producing products such as corn or wheat; we can also use genetic engineering to make crops healthier.  According to Pollan, potatoes were not originally edible.  The wild potato was too toxic for human consumption.  However, by planting the seed of an offspring he was able to discover an edible potato.  Another example of where genetic engineering has made a crop healthier is in Asia.  Asia has been farming rice for over a century; a common problem has been that because this crop is one of the few that Asians can farm they are unable to get other key vitamins in order to sustain their health such as vitamin A.  Vitamin A deficiency is common throughout the undeveloped parts of Asia.  With genetic engineering scientists were able to add vitamin A to a rice crop.  By genetically engineering crops farmers are able to grow mass quantities of crops without having to worry about pests destroying valuable crops.  Farmers can also genetically engineer crops to be capable of growing in environments and soil which organic crops would not be able to survive.

The Old Farm Ways

In the world today, I would say that gardens are more part of nature than farms. Gardens are commonly used for enjoyment. The flowers, fruit and vegetables are planted, and then left to grow with very little control from the owner. Farms are used to grow crops and rear animals under the control of a manager. Many farms, especially today, are being manipulated. The difference Pollan saw in the genetically altered potato farm and the organic farm is just one example. If you look at the food industry you can tell a difference between chemically enhanced meat and free-range meat. The fact that a farm has an owner to invade on the plants and animals life proves that it is no longer just nature but humanly controlled. "Agriculture is, by its very nature, brutally reductive, simplifying nature's incomprehensible complexity to something humanly manageable; it begin, after all, with the simple act of banishing all but a tiny handful of chosen species"(Pollan 185).  The key word in this quote is “humanly manageable.” Humans, not all, have taken the nature out of farms and turned it into a man made experiment. The origin of farms was a way for humans to create a society and not live like savages (i.e. animals dietary ways.) It has now turned away from natures hand and become a science experiment. If farms were to go back to being about the plants and not the money, I believe that farms could join nature once again.

Response to question A

The potato has had a remarkable affect on the Irish and the British. The Irish accepted the potato almost immediately. The British were not as eager to accept the potato. The Irish liked how the potato did not need to be tended to as often. They also appreciated the nutritional value of the plant. Michael Pollen states, “The Irish discovered that a few acres of marginal land could produce enough potatoes to feed a large family and its livestock. The Irish also found they could grow these potatoes with a bare minimum of labor and tool, in something called a ‘lazy bed,’” (Pollen, 200). This made the Irish happy and they did not discriminate the potato. Instead they embraced it, and mixed it with milk. They found the positives in eating potatoes, such as nutrition. Pollen then states, “In addition to energy in the form of carbohydrates, potatoes supplies considerable amounts of protein and vitamins B and C (the spud would eventually put an end to scurvy in Europe); all that was missing was vitamin A, and that a bit of milk could make up,” (Pollen, 200). This shows that the Irish were willing to use the potato; in fact it helped the poor find a balanced meal, and stopped some starvation. This increase in the use of potatoes, however, caused much labor, but reduced the economic value.
The British looked at the Irish and thought they were lowering themselves by accepting the potato. They found no value in the potato at first because it was not mentioned in the Bible, and they had bread to make up for the potato’s value. When they came to terms with the potato, however, they ended up helping famine as well. They tried to advertise the potato, in attempts to spread the use of it. A simple food, such as the potato, caused much controversy in England during the 16th century.

Are farms part of nature? Are they more or less "natural" than say a garden?

I think that farms and gardens are equally natural. The main difference between a farm and a garden is that a farm's purpose is to produce food, while gardens are created more for self satisfaction and recreational purposes. They both are impacted greatly by humans. We choose what to grow and do whatever we can to make sure it stays alive by spraying pesticides and planting specific rows of seeds. Even though we do a lot to alter the natural resources we use in a farm or a garden, it is still partly considered natural. Gardens and farms thrive best out in nature and need sunlight and water to grow succesfully. In the book, Pollan states, "Planting these in intelligible rows not only flatters our sense of order; it makes good sense too: weeding and harvesting become that much simpler. And though nature herself never plants in rows-or parterres or allees-she doesn't necessarily berudge us when we do"(Pollan 185). When we garden or farm, we might do things that are not natural, but at the same time, mother nature has not provided us a big enough consequence to stop doing either. People are able to eat all the the food we eat today because of the chemicals that they use on farms to make fruits and vegetables edible. It is too bad that we have to use chemicals and have to have complete control over our farms and gardens for them to work, but it is something needed to be done.

Blog by aaron kleefield

Are farms part of nature? Are they more or less "natural" than say a garden?

I believe as we further our study of our relationship to nature it is clear that we play a large role in developing nature and nature has a strong impact on us as well. I believe farms are in a sense apart of nature being that they are made up of plants, and produce substance for us to consume. I feel that they are more a product of our effort to maintain and preserve nature. It is the "theme of uncertainty that unifies most of the questions now being raised about agriculture biotechnology by environmentalists and scientists. By planting millions of acres of genetically altered plants, we're introducing something novel into the environment and the food chain...(Pollan 210)" This quote anwers the question in that we are constantly evolutionizing technology and making nature more apart of our lives and also not letting nature take its course more naturally.

Red Barns and Green Fields

Question C) Are farms a part of nature?  Are they more or less "nature" then say a garden?  This question is hard to answer because on one hand you have the visual of a North American farm with it's rows of plants that are plowed and hoed in a way that we control it.  There is no variety in the plants, monoculture to the extreme.  Pollan writes, "Agriculture is, by its very nature, brutally reductive, simplifying nature's incomprehensible complexity to something humanly manageable; it begin, after all, with the simple act of banishing all but a tiny handful of chosen species"(Pollan 185).  The garden and the farm are highly interchangeable and one could say that a garden is just an earlier form of a small scale farm with its rows of just a few plants, but the major difference is the variety in plants seen in a garden.  A garden is usually filled with variety necessary to keep the garden up to par with its natural predators.  Pollan goes and visits some Potato farms in Idaho that use the genetically modified potato plant and see that the soil has this layer of pesticides and it is all unusually lush but has no other life in the ground other than the potato plant.  Pollan then goes and visits an organic potato farmer that don't use  genetically altered potato's but instead uses rotational techniques and diversity in the land to keep natural predators at bay and to keep the land fresh and healthy.    

So an Irishman and an Englishman walked into a restaurant... and they began arguing over a potato....

When describing the impact of the potato in Europe, Pollan emphasizes the conflict it created between the Irish and the English when the potato was introduced to both of them. The potato was a “grey” factor for both-A good thing- a sort of salvation for the hungry and poor, while it created an impulsive and tragic frenzy The English, who saw themselves as a “civilized’ group, the ones in controlled, the ones who were right. They saw and managed their food the same way: ordered, controlled, “industrial” in a way. They saw themselves and their way they controlled their food as safe from nature unpredictability; to the point of being almost self-reliant. They were used to be the ones in control, to be in order. . For the Irish, who struggled with lack of food and lack of land and resources, the potato gave them “control over their lives”- while making them dependent on nature.
The issue with the potato became struggle that also dealt with the stability of an economy. It was more of an issue of control and order than of food choices. Bread was the food that, up till the potato showed up, kept the workers working for it, “the population in check” to keep it accessible to everyone. The potato changed that for the Irish, because it was easy and non-expensive to grow and a two step away, either boiled or baked, to eat. The English relied on the plants or food that demanded work and almost a sort of mechanic production like the wheat- the planting, cutting, turning into flour and then used to make bread; and that it brought profit. The potato was “a you grow it, and you eat it” food at the time, and the English couldn’t make a profit out of it. So the potato became a threat to the English hold on the Irish, as Pollan describes the negative English reception to the potato as a “Evil” or “damned root” the food that drove people “down and away from civilization”.
Both the English and their Irish “root” for their choice food: the English with the bread (the wheat), The Irish with the potato. They also became the two extremes on the scale- the English too tight, too conservative and efficient with the bread and its preparation process; the Irish with the lack of resources, the neediness, the conformity, the “seize the moment” opportunity that the potato provided, because they were that hungry and that desperate to some measure of stability and reliance independent of the English; but they embraced the potato too much without thinking ahead, without making second plans that would allowed them to keep on relying on the potato.
So in a way the potato was a catalyst for the two groups to change their ways: For the english to be more flexible and accept an opportunity that could benefits them and those they were “in charge” off; and for the Irish to develop a method to be able to keep on taking advantage of a food that became in europe, distinctly their.

Presenting the Potato: Accept or Reject?

I think the potato depicts the attitude and status of Britain and Ireland in the 16th century. Britain rejected the potato like most of Europe because as Pollan describes on page 199, “Europeans hadn’t eaten tubers before; the potato was a member of the nightshade family (along with the equally disreputable tomato); potatoes were thought to cause leprosy and immortality; potatoes were mentioned nowhere in the Bible; potatoes came from America where they were a staple for an uncivilized and conquered race.” I can just imagine British royalty scrunching their noses and looking away from this dirty brown vegetable with disgust and disapproval. On the contrary, Ireland was delighted at this glorious vegetable that was cheap and plentiful. The potato was to be their outlet from poverty and famine, thus they welcomed it with high hopes and high spirits. The attitude of the British during the 16th century was therefore more regal and financially sound. Especially in the beginning when the future was looking very good for most of Europe, they could afford better things and did not need to waste time with the lowly potato. In addition, food is very much a symbol of status and because the potato was associated with unfavorable things it would do no good for the British status to include it in their diet; in a culture rich with delicacies there was no room for that vegetable. But the Irish land loved the potato and so did its people. Their attitude was not picky, like the British, because they were in no financial position to be so and thus embraced the potato with open arms. In addition their status was not level with the British either because Ireland was not rich but poor. So therefore by accepting the potato, the Irish demonstrate their economic status by exhibiting their desperation for food; because who would take in something most of Europe just rejected?

Blog Assignment for Monday, September 29

Respond to one of the following set of questions (e.g. answer either A, B, or C):

A. What does the potato "say" about the British and Irish in the 16th century? Or what do we learn about a culture from its food choices?

B. In what ways is genetic engineering a good thing?

C. Are farms part of nature? Are they more or less "natural" than say a garden?

Flowers! (answer to discussion question)

Last year on the job delivering pizza, I could always tell how friendly people were likely to be based on their yards. A perfect, mowed-two-hours-ago-by-landscapers elicited little more than an automatic smile. At a ramshackle, browning, unkempt property I was lucky to even get a small tip. At a garden however, it was all smiles and sunny personalities, a good tip and maybe even an offer of a glass of water.
Flowers are one of the few common things found in nature that are intended to be looked at. Their beauty is essential to their survival. The bright colors and strong fragrance snare the senses of animals, may they be insects, hummingbirds, bats or humans needed by the plant for pollination. I think that flowers posses a special, unique kind of beauty. Of course, there are many beautiful things in the world, but few of them are alive. It’s like how you could never truly capture the true beauty of a flower in a painting, just as you couldn’t capture the true feelings evoked by a beautiful woman in a photograph. There is a stirring in us that can only arise in the presence of something alive and beautiful.
I believe that people who grow flowers are especially keen to that stirring. In my opinion, one of the things that reveals beauty in character is someone’s ability to appreciate and elicit beautiful things. As long as there is appreciation for beauty in humans, there is hope. Hope for the preservation of nature, for peace and for positive human interaction with the world and each other. I remember walking past an apartment complex in a woebegone neighborhood in a city in New Jersey, when all of the sudden my eye flew to something…window boxes! Two of them side by side, overflowing with begonias, petunias and vinca vines. It made the whole atmosphere change. Hope was breathed into an otherwise desolate landscape.
In nature, most things that are immobile are plain in color, trying to blend in with the rest of the landscape of browns and greens. Not flowers. Flowers are there, out in the open, unashamed and unafraid to stand out. I think that people should follow the flowers’ bold example.

Dicussion Question by Leonora, Aprille and Lauren

Subconsciously, how do flowers affect us in different settings i.e. nature vs. urban areas? How does a flowers’ beauty differ from colorful, non-living things?

Response to Jen and Michelle

Polland says that tulips are in a way mortal because they "don't reliably come back every year" (79) and they "fall out of favor" (79). Like all living things, they must have an end. Death is inevitable. Pollan practically describes the continuation of flowers in a similar way that humans need to procreate to keep their genes going. In order for the generation of your family to keep going, you need to keep having children. Some plants will survive depending on their abilities and, in a human perspective, immunities.

I think it's harder today for people to plant seeds and harvest things because of the hybridization and genetic engineering that goes on anymore. I don't understand why there has been hybridization. It makes me think "did people not think the flowers were beautiful already." What kind of importance will it bring to people to be able to control something that should be driven by nature? It feeds into our anthropocentric world, that we have to conquer everything. It's like we need to be able to make a  flower into any hue we want just for the sake of wanting it. It's sad that if anything goes extinct anymore, it's mostly likely our fault. 

Response to Hallie, Callie, and Dale's question

I think that some authors choose to write about the gruesome parts of nature rather than the merely pristine parts to further explore the depth of beauty that nature has to offer. Observing the aesthetically pleasing elements of nature doesn't take a lot of effort. It only requires being able to physically see the beauty of the scene. On the other side of the spectrum, the gruesome parts of nature require more thought and a sincere appreciation for what is happening. While the image of a shark devouring a seal may seem gruesome on the surface, the beauty can be found in understanding the "circle of life" in nature. The delicate balance between predator and prey relationships is so intricate, that it becomes beautiful in its own way. Because it's harder for many people to get a grasp on the beauty of the not so pretty pictures in nature, authors describe these graphic images to give the readers some exposure to the realities of nature. Exposure to what really happens in nature is the only way to get a complete understanding of the beauty of all aspects of the interconnected web of nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that, "each moment of the year has its own beauty", and that includes the gruesome and picturesque scenes found in nature. In a way, finding beauty in all parts of nature is similar to finding happiness in life. Life is full of laughter, love, and friendship, while death, pain, and tragedy are equally prominent. It may be difficult, but in order to lead a healthy life, accepting the dark parts of life is necessary. Similarly, in order to fully appreciate nature and live in harmony with it, it's imperative to accept the dark along with the bright parts of it.

comment to the question about the correlation between income and beauty

It is a bold generalization to claim that one’s income has an affect on their outlook of beauty; as it seems that belief of what is beauty is a personal opinion that is either random or can be influenced depending on the person and the “object of desire”. On the other hand, Michael Pollan has made this correlation (between income and beauty). Pollan inferred that most people view flowers as beautiful based on where they come from and therefore their financial situation. In the book, “The Botany of Desire”, there is a chapter on tulips in which Pollan discusses the value of beauty. Pollan refers to anthropologist Jack Goody’s theory that flowers are universally seen as beautiful except in Africa. He goes on to say that African’s are more concerned with survival, where as flowers are more of a luxury (page 66-67). This idea is based on the fact that it is rare for Africans to domesticate flowers, as well as the fact that “flower imagery seldom shows up in African art or religion” (page 66). Furthermore, it can be speculated that due to the fact that Africa is an extremely poor continent, the people do not have time to appreciate a universally accepted beauty such as the flower. Therefore, based on this idea, it can be said that a person with a lower income is denied certain visions of beauty, where as those with a higher incomes are granted with a wider range of accepted beauty due to the fact that they have more opportunities to experience luxuries.
Despite this plausible theory, I do not fully agree with Pollan’s claim. In my opinion, different levels of income produce different familiarities and therefore different ideas of beauty. In this case, that which is recognizable is beautiful, and is separate from a financial basis; though income may cause beauty to be found in far more simple or inconspicuous places. For example, if one has lots of money, one can afford a diamond necklace, which one may feel is the most beautiful thing in the world. However, if one has less of an income, it may produce one to be more creative, and have to make their own jewelry. Perhaps to them, the self made necklace is much more beautiful. Still, this is all relative and only a theory, as the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

In response to, "How has the tullip impacted mankind?"

The tulip is a flower that people see often in gardens and in landscape. It is a pretty, yet simple, flower. Many people tend to not think about the tulip intensely. Michael Pollan states, “It isn’t automatically obvious that the tulip belongs in this august company of flowers, probably because, in its modern incarnation, the tulip is such a simple, one-one dimensional flower, and its rich history of being so much more than that has largely been lost,” (Pollan, 84). Michael Pollan brings awareness of the power the tulip possess to the reader's attention. He also gives the rich history of the tulip. Tulips have affected humankind economically, through landscaping, bringing enjoyment, and through their artwork. He explains that tulips use their beauty to attract people to them. These people then plant them in their gardens, allowing the tulips to travel around the world. He tells the story of how the Dutch prized the tulip highly; people were willing to pay amounts exceeding the price of homes. This impact caused many humans to be deprived of money. Michael Pollan states, “The second noteworthy point of the story is that it puts a theft at the source of Holland’s long, illustrious, and ignominious relationship with the tulip,” (Pollan, 84). This has affected the economy due to the fact people were paying outrageous amounts for possibility of receiving a tulip. He then states that when he was younger he would plant tulips for his parents. This is an example of how the tulip has affected people’s landscapes. Then he says that people would draw tulips, or flowers in general. For those that do not have the money for leisurely artwork, the tulip brings enjoyment to people through their beauty. These are a few ways the tulip has impacted humankind.

Response to: Alicia, Jenny, and Monika are wondering...

In the book, The Botany of Desire, Pollan talks about the way tulips and flowers in general have impacted mankind. A tulip is a simple flower that is usually one simple mass of color and has been thought of as beautiful throughout time. There is really no point of growing tulips unless you just like them as a plant that makes your garden prettier. Tulips are not something of value that you grow like vegetables and fruits. In Christian and Jewish beliefs, flowers have been thought of as "...a challenge to monotheism, has a bright ember of pagan nature worship that needed to be smothered"(66). When Geneisis was written, it included no flowers in the garden of Eden. In Africa you hardly ever see flowers in their religion or social rituals. Economically most people can't afford flowers because they have to buy food. Also, the landscapes and dry weather in Africa makes it hard for beautiful, showey flowers to grow. In Holland during 1634-1637, tulips almost brought the nation to ruin. Everyone needed tulips and were willing to pay high prices for them. Some people started to quit their day-to-day work to get into the tulip trade. If you didn't have a tulip, you were thought of as having bad taste. Tulips and flowers in general will most likely continue to be thought of as beautfiful and become more and less popular throughout years to come.

response to question

The question I chose to respond to was what are the thematical differences that we see between The pilgrim at Tinker Creek and The botany of desire and how do any of these relate to your place in the enviornment that you chose. As we have seen throughout Dillards piece, it is clear she focuses on themes of Spirtuality and pain or death. I feel that we see alot of beauty from her writing just from the observationists perspective and through a nature lovers eyes. In The botany of Desire the autor chooses to take a different path and much of his writing focuses on nature from a historical and statistical point of view focusing on much of the facts and details he sees. There is definately a similarity in there observations and both provide a spirtual theme conveyed in their writing. I feel Pollan focuses on existentialism and takes his meaning nature to a more profound level and seeks the true meaning of how us humans play a role in nature rather than Dillards search for natures role in our life. Thems like beauty and desire that we see in both, will hold true indefinately in my writing about the north shore of oahu and the 7 mile stretch of beach that has captivated me for years.

Amy, Aaron, Alexis, and Becky

How does Dillard's view of Nature relate to the perception of our own individual places in nature?

Reading Question by Jen and Michelle

What do you think Pollan Meant when he said "Tulips, in other words, are mortal"(Pollan, 79) ? and how does it apply to humanities view of the tulip?

Alicia, Jenny, and Monika are wondering....

How has the tulip impacted mankind throughout history?

Lily, Mary B. and Nella's Discussion Question

How does income reflect on people's perception of beauty?

Discussion Question by Jamie, Maria and Ashley

How does Michael Pollan's quote "...getting us to move and think for them" (xx in the introduction) relate to Dillard's experience in nature?

Discussion Question by Hallie, Callie, and Dale

Why do some authors choose to focus on the beauty of nature while others decide to write about the more gruesome parts of nature?

There is something truly remarkable about the world around us, the beauty and greatness that holds every link of life in its balance. Still I often wonder why I care so much, in the end does it really matter? If we all die then who will care that everything was destroyed. These questions lurked in my mind, as I lay on a rock overlooking a mountain valley of Colorado. The view was breath taking and overlooked the landscape of the classic west. For 70 hours I wondered this landscape without food and only a little water. I was able to watch the sun rise and on the horizon and set behind the mountains. There was no concept of time and no hint of humans influences, the world around me was wild. For the 60 hours that I lived alone with myself and nature I began truly understand how powerful it is. I was not the only important living being on those rocky cliffs, in fact nothing would have change if I had died out there, but the elk, lizards, mountain lions and plants all had a purpose. They all were an important part of the world, living in the mountains just trying to live. I sent the whole time I was in the wilderness awake, unable to sleep, and all I could think about was, how could it not matter that the world was being destroyed, it is not fair for us as people who How is it fair to destroy the landscape for our own good?

Looking more like Mordor than planet earth - Canadian tar sands mines larger than Greater Manchester dominate the landscape next to the Athabasca River, with no proven way to reclaim the boreal forest.
© Rezac / WWF-UK

I was laying for three days at the front line of today’s political debate, oil. The Colorado Rocky Mountains holds in its rocks over 2 Trillion barrels of oil, the largest untapped oil supply in the world. Many want to destroy the landscape so that we can fuel our self’s for another decade. The scraping of shale and mining of tar is high destructive. The mining of tar in Canada is beginning to be considered the most destructive project currently going on in the world. The resources needed to continue this mining will cause a great deal of stress on the environment as well as on factors of climate change. Oil will run out and either we can destroy the planet in the process or we can find new ways to care for our planet.

It sickened me to think of the destruction that people were ready to inflicted on the environment.

The Cycles of Life

As in the book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, my personal experience with nature while growing up influenced my understanding about the world and everything that inhabits it.  I learned that nature is both simultaneously cruel and fair, taking no “sides” and paying no mind to individuals in its influences.  Nature can just as easily benefit one person as it can the next.  Where I grew up, on a peninsula surrounded by lakes and trees in Michigan, the different niches provided a diverse view of life.  This environment illustrated the busy, chaotic happenings of modern day life, while also giving a quiet, natural landscape without interference from the world.  I identified with the author’s opinions about nature and how it can shape one’s outlook on the ecosystem and it’s interconnectedness with life.

The area in which I lived in allowed me to glimpse what only the few northern states are permitted to experience, life cycles.  Unlike the this tropical state which we are currently in, weather does not permit trees to change color then appear to pass away, only to wake again next spring. Neither does it contain the chance for all matters of natural life to hibernate, migrate or die in ice covered plains. Only in area that has seasonal cycles can one understand it’s concept towards existing.  

Long Walks Through the Old North East

This place is new to me yet I feel so comfortable in its presence. I walk through the streets of St. Petersburg’s old North East and develop a relationship with a boy. Together, we discover truths about the good times and struggles of each other’s past. As we walk down the cobblestone streets he takes his hand in mine and the sun strokes my shoulders while a cool bay breeze hugs my body; and despite all the stress going on elsewhere, these comforts of nature instantly reassures me that everything is as it should be in this moment. We are just meeting each other as adults but discovering life like kids. Every color is more pronounced here, every smell more intimate, every tree seemingly filled with numerous possibilities for our future. Fallen fruit decorates the ground and provides a sweet treat for our journey. Plants grow wild, ignoring the paved sidewalk and wander into pathway so that we have to push past leaves to keep going down this road. We climb up oaks trees and share secrets and silences. Stretched out on a limb I look up and see sunlight shine through the negative space of the green leaves above. I have found a paradise here, and for now nothing else matters.

Stone Harbor

Stone Harbor is on the very end of the Garden State Parkway. When giving people directions, it's simply 'go to the very end of the highway and you're there.' I believe the part of the parkway we get on is somewhere in the 2-300's and then we drive down to exit ten. My family has been going there for as long as i can remember. It is filled with mini golf, the fudge store, hermit crabs, springer's homemade ice cream (which has the longest lines known to man on any given summer night) and of course the beach. As a child, the waves seemed HUMONGOUS. However, as we have all gotten progessivly older (and apprantly wiser) we have found that the waves weren't as large as originally thought. "We" involves quite a few people- 12 to be exact. That number is complied of my family: my parents, my younger brother and sister and i. The other seven come from our closest family friends. There's the parents, two sets of twins and a child in the middle (all girls). We used to rent a house all together but as we got older and bigger, each family got their own home. Boogie boarding was THE thing to do growing up. Skim boarding also became popular for my brother and the middle child in the other family. Actually, each family lines up perfectly. There is myself and my best friends, twins sarah and katie. Then there is my brother, sam and the middle child in the Biggart's family, Meg. Then my sister lines up perfectly (in age as we all do) with the younger set of twins, Susan and Amy. This set up has worked nicely as each age group has a playmate.

The Radiation of Magic

There is a type of intense passion that falls from a forest. If I could collect all of the shavings of childhood memories throughout the world that spiced a human's imagination with wildness, I believe that most of them would have derived from some type of forest. Whether it be a wooded area, a jungle underneath mother's bed, or a net of metal chairs at the landfill, our small minds could draw magical formulas from beneath the truth of societal reality. Now I am grown, mentally and physically, more than when I was considered a child. Although the imaginations stirred in the forests of my childhood encased me to who I believe I am today, finding magic and learning where to find it I feel is even more vital to my being as I grow older. I have found that place, and whenever I am present there, I am exhaled into an alternate brain world. This place is known to others as the Palm Hammocks, but to me it is the lattice of my dreams sewn together by its unruly eucalyptus branches and twine, and my head is echoes with the whispers of the palm hands and the breathing of silent stars.

Intro to an Essay in Place- Bariloche Corner

The region of Bariloche has always been a favorite vacation spot for my family and I and had created many wonderful childhood memories. It holds me close to my Argentinean roots without the noise, smoke and political/economical conflicts of the big cities like Buenos Aires; in fact, it helps me appreciate Nature in an almost spiritual level, thanks to the fact that people in Bariloche effort in affecting their Natural surrounding as little as possible (for example, the fact that you can’t build a house if it means taking a significant portion of land and trees off). In Addition to that it has become a refuge to me, both emotionally and physically- I can relax and forget about the outside world, be myself and try new things that I would not try on daily bases- like trekking, canoeing. But what I like most about Bariloche is that no matter what season we visit it in there is always something to do, some natural gift or sight to be amazed at or some opportunity to enjoy in the outside. The Fresh, cool and clean mountain air, the awe of seeing the surrounding of your house covered in snow, standing on top of the Snowy Mountain and see the lake and entire valleys covered in snow, an afternoon on a canoe, the horseback riding though the forest at night, with the full moon shining above you and the cool, night breeze on your face. However, since last year I noticed for maybe the first time how the outside world could,and is, affecting Bariloche. The Two biggest changing/affecting elements are Global warming and Tourism (both national and International).

Essay on Place

Sometimes I have a dream that I am running through the woods barefoot, but it is almost as if I am floating. Somewhere in the wilderness is where I belong. I wake up with exhilaration, knowing it was just a dream but feeling so happy and so alive. Although this place was mostly in my mind, the closest I got to the real thing was when I visited Kipu falls in Kauai. Kauai is one of the smaller islands of Hawaii, and one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been. It was almost like a fantasy dream, a short hike through the beautiful woods, the trees part and there is a large rock wall with crystal clear water down below. I was astonished to see such a beautiful place. I know this is a place that I probably will not return to, but this place made me realize that pure, natural beauty really does exist. Is it true that a certain place may change a person’s life even if he or she may never return?

My Place

My place - although not a place prominent in my childhood, is a place that has the power to change, alter and expand your views, thoughts and beliefs on any subject.  The history that has occurred throughout my place is so vast that you cannot help but wonder the people who were there before you or what is lurking nearby. My place stretches from Maine to Georgia, and although I have only hiked about 50 miles of the trail in North Carolina, I can truly say that the Appalachian Trail is my place. It’s a place where working hard truly pays off when you reach the top; a place where pushing your body’s limit is unbelievably worth it when you see nothing but trees for miles– that’s my place. I first felt a connection with the Appalachian Trail when I was in middle school and a part of a group called Comprehensive Outdoor Education Program (C.O.E.P.). We took a 10 day trip to North Carolina and for 5 of those days, we hiked, backpacked and camped all along the trail. Passing fellow hikers (literally of ALL ages), being completely engulfed by nature day and night, and worrying about what to eat for dinner that will not draw unwanted animals is what my place is all about. The wildlife, the people, and also the stories that come along with my place are what make it important. 

Essay on Place

The influence that the environment has on our development as individuals is a great contributing factor to the type of people that we become. What we grow up appreciating in our environments allows us to appreciate all different types of beauty in nature. We can use our past experiences with nature to relate to new situations and surroundings. By doing so, we don’t have to limit our success to only one specific environment that we thrive best in. I spent the majority of my childhood in a small town in Northern Illinois. With the time I spent in Hawthorn Woods, IL, I learned to love every aspect of my hometown. No tree, lake, or hill went unnoticed in my eyes, and I was always eager to discover new aspects of beauty around the town. What makes my hometown stand out the most is its unique location. It’s about 30 minutes away from downtown Chicago, but still far enough away to keep the small, Midwest town feeling. I was blessed enough to be exposed to an urban environment while still living in an environment that wasn’t completely developed. I feel that this double exposure lets me appreciate man-made creations along with the raw beauty of nature equally. I owe being able to appreciate both of these aspects of nature to my hometown of Hawthorn Woods, IL.

Introduction to Essay on Place

Why Missouri is a great place to grow up? When I think back to my childhood, I see a time of laughter, learning, and growing. Missouri shaped me into the person I am today. This person is someone who is kind-hearted, friendly, smart, and funny. I grew up in Fort Leonard Wood. Fort Leonard Wood isn't just a military base. It is much more. It's a place to grow, experience, and learn. It's a place composed of different ethnic backgrounds, a place where rules are given and followed. Someone looking in might think this place isn't as great as it seems. But even though, we were given a curfew where we had to be in before the street lights came on, some of the greatest memories of my life comes from playing in the woods and riding our bikes to Turner park. It's a great place to experience all four seasons.

Daddy, Me, the Woods...Just Us

I can still smell the campfire. I can see the smoke in its silky, opaque grayness dissolving into the landscape. I can feel the early morning sunshine kissing my cheeks, the presence of Big Tree standing quietly; we are old friends. I still know the cold, cold water, clear as air running over my pale fingers. I can hear the wind telling secrets to the trees, whispering to me in a language known only by my soul. I can feel my father’s hand in mine, strong and sure, full of mutual understanding in the middle of the woods.
Frost Valley is many things. It is a place, memory, being. A knowing. A heart…my heart. I will always remember the time when our hearts beat as one. When I remember this wonderful place, I am reminded of how much I love my father. My father is not the outdoorsy type, but he took me there every spring, winter and fall because he wanted there to be someplace special for us to go, just the two of us. We went with a group of dads and daughters for two weekends every year and then again for New Year’s. Through his love for me, I think he discovered his own love and appreciation of nature in this special place. He would always pack too much, paint his face and hold a torch for the pow-wow, take nap under Big Tree in the late morning on Sunday, before the long drive home. He never slept well in the musty cabins; there was only a couple of springs sticking into your back if you were lucky.

Heritage Pavilion

The first place you separate yourself form your parents, the first place you learn and grow, and the first place you start to create your own person. Heritage Elementary was never just a school for me; it was the start of an emotional and spiritual environment that formed who I am today. It was not until after my elementary years that I appreciated the school in a sanctuary manner. I would visit to escape and release all concerns, to meditate into confirmation. I would go for any reason, but I would go often. I had a draw to my elementary school’s pavilion that formed an unspeakable bond. No matter who I was and how I changed, it changed with me. The scraps of the pavilion, the black top being covered, the nests being created and deserted, all influenced and adapted my life. As I decayed, the wood slowly decomposed to match my state of being. When I was happy I noticed the light, the flowers, the stars, the beauty that surrounded our life. I would sit for hours, not always alone and not always to think, but I always feeling at home. 

An Oceanic Expense

Sitting on the luxuriously soft, white sand, the waves lapping at my feet, with a thin layer of crystallized salt covering my body, basking in the warmth of the sun is where I would love to be right now. From the time I was little, Magen's Bay in St. Thomas, USVI has been somewhat of a second or third home to me. When I was a baby, my mother would take me down to the beach to meet up with a group of other mothers and their young children to play. As I grew older, I attended summer church and soccer camps down at the beach and had many birthday parties there. As I continue to grow older still, I love just sitting on the sand with my friends, or alone, maybe with my skimboard next to me, on the shoreline of this flat and glorious beach. Magen's is one place I can go that I know I will be able to de-stress at any time; I can just sit and reflect on my life or anything that is going one. I can be completely occupied, or set my mind completely free. It has always been that there was a fee for admittance to the beach, with locals being free, but today they have realized they can raise the prices with the popularity of the beach. Today, although locals are still cheaper than tourists, the money still adds up and is a very discouraging factor. Either the prices should be lowered, or any fee to access the beach should be terminated. Magen's Bay was a big part of my childhood, and will continue to be a big part of my life, and I don't want to have to have money being the sole factor for my absence from it. This beach has been a part of my life since my beginning of time, and I hope that I can keep it as a big part of my life until my end.

Garden

Every summer I travel to Bend, Oregon to visit my Grandma at her horse ranch with my mom, cousin, aunt and uncle. Mostly each summer has been relatively similar to one another, same general activities and outings. But this summer, I decided to go a month earlier with the initiative to alter the generic course that my summers usually follow; this summer I decided to create an organic garden. Seeing as I had no real experience with gardening I was not sure if it would even happen or if I would enjoy it afterwards. I am happy to say I was quite right and quite wrong, my garden came to life and I loved every single moment of it. Since working in my garden and eating vegetables from it, I firmly believe that everyone should either have a garden or at least work in one at some point in their life to experience giving life to something and being able to produce your own food.

Crunching and Croaking

There was a distinct smell. It smelled decrepit, rotten, mildewy, dusty. All the things that make an old barn look, smell, and act like an old barn. Depending on the time and day, leather crunches and croaks from the lesson ring; nails echo and pound into a horse's hoof; hooves clunk and clack on the cement aisle ways; grain races into the plastic holding bins. They watch and listen for your every move. Some recognize faces, others recognize sounds. Some are fatter than others and of course, my favorites are those fatter, fluffier ones.

Nature and Nurture

As a kid, my mom always stressed the importance of being outside. “No more TV girls, bike down to Artemesia!” she used to say wrestling the remote from either my hands or my sisters. We would protest for a few minutes, but we’d always go downstairs, grab our bikes, and do exactly that – bike to Lake Artemesia. Although we often would complain before we went, we’d always come back with a great story about how we saw the coolest bird or found a secret hiding spot in the surrounding woods. Some of my best childhood memories come from our exploration of Lake Artemesia and looking back I am so thankful my mother encouraged us to take advantage of this beautiful park only a few minutes from our home.

Mary Bozzelli

Lets Go To The Beach

I know I am at a happy place when my body is covered in a thick layer of salt-water, my hair has gone wild, and I have spent my whole day outside at the beach. I surf the Texas waves, skimboard along the shore, and drift with the ocean’s movement. I like to go on my daily journey along the beach, searching for a shell or some kind of sea life that catches my eye. Birds come and go across my path, always looking for their next meal. I get my goggles and venture into the water submerging into the life under the sea, and try to become one with the school of fish that swim by. When I am out of the water, I am bonding with my family under our canopy, looking out at the horizon, forming memories that I will always have of the good times. The beach at Port Aransas, Texas has taught me things about myself, and has made me more aware of the wildlife that lives there, and the environment that supports it.

Intro paragraph to envirnmental place essay

Bonzai-Pipeline

As I lay there, legs half covered with sand, the water’s foamy ripples receded, and once again my pale skinned feet were revealed. The cool moist breeze whisked through my hair, filling it with salt and sand, typical things one could find at a beach in Hawaii. The sun, lying eastward, slowly began to show its scalp, and provided a silhouette for every water droplet that trickled down my arm. In the distance, seagulls boomeranged around the life-guard posts, shrieking like howling monkeys. Behind me, lay the famous sand dunes of Oahu, whose tall blades of sun-tarnished grass, swayed freely back and forth. Although the tranquility of the scene induced in me a sense of euphoria, my true passion was yet to be ignited. The adrenaline surge was building the more I scoped out the perfect surfing conditions just ahead of me.

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation is this 4,000 acre park that sits across the street from my home in New York.  Growing up, i spent almost all my time in that park with Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, running with my cross country team, and even my senior class in high school entitled "Wilderness".  The park has had a huge impact on my life from being a place that i explored to a piece of nature that i went in to when i wanted to be alone and had a lot on my mind.  I returned back to the park this summer for the first time since my high school days, when i hit the trails the first thing i noticed was the smell o the air, it was damp, it smelt like damp earth.  That smell was the smell of my childhood and my adolescence.  Nature is an endless story, even when you are apart from it for years or even decades it always picks up from right when you let off.

Introduction to Man's Best Creation

Beltzville State Park is located in Pennsylvania right outside of Jim Thorpe. The park includes a man made lake, roughly 949 acres of deep blue water. While this lake is home to many marine lives; it is also a place of entertainment for people. Beautiful mountains surround the lake. These mountains are home to bears, deer, rabbit, etc. The lake is perfect, being man made. Many of the most beautiful nature scenes are not man made, however Beltzville is gorgeous. Since age five I have been going there. My aunt has a home one-mile from the park. I have spent a lot of time hiking through the woods, and playing in the water. The park to me is more than beautiful, it is a place to escape and have fun.

Inroduction to Essay on Place

The distinct smell of hard wood and the squeaking sound of the rubber shoes scraping the gym floor seems to be all but foreign to me. This is where I lived and mapped out my future since I was able walk. Sometimes I found myself just sitting there with no one in site, a basketball in hand, staring at the ground letting the world run around me. This is my place of recluse, to separate from the world and get away from the brutality of the world.

Blog Assignment for Monday, September 15

Please write the introduction to you first paper assignment, an Essay on Place. Please make sure that you set the tone of your paper, as well as introduce your place, your relationship to that place, and your argument about that place.

Anchorage Response

This poem is very complex. The scene is set in an old California city that lay on the ocean. In the poem, the speaker is comparing several things. It seems as though the earth is being compared to the treatment of human races (specifically Native Americans). It also seems that in the beginning of the poem, the wind/ sky above is a metaphor for heaven as lava/ the substance below the earth’s surface is a metaphor for hell. Much of the poem does revolve around survival. In fact the last line of the poem is, “Because who would believe the fantastic and terrible story of all our survival those who were never meant to survive?” This specific quote as well as the preceding lines seem to praise the resilience of the earth and nature in general. (Nature including every aspect of environment/ life). Moreover, it seems as thought the speaker is trying to unite several aspects of this world into one tragic story of surpassing obstacles whether good or bad. In other words, the speaker is saying that nature is everything. Nature is survival. The speaker is viewing nature in spiritual, (heaven and hell), political (the treatment of Native Americans), and philosophical terms (nature being everything). This poem seems to contain both a positive and negative undertone. It is much more up front in its philosophical questioning than many of the other literary works. Many of the other works are far more abstract.

Anchorage

In the poem “Anchorage”, Lorde describes nature like a physical being, active in the world and shaping the environment, yet simultaneously separate from humans sometimes. When Lorde describes the town saying, “…underneath the concrete is the cooking earth and above that, air…” I feel like that expresses the separateness of nature from humans. We walk on the earth, but through a concrete medium and experience the clouds and sky from a distance as well, existing concurrently and affecting one another without necessarily crossing paths. Sometimes this medium is broken, but not without disturbing the stability of life that has that way of settling into its own routine rhythm. The tone of the poem seems to be philosophical in its nature because of the way the narrator is simply walking down a street with someone and describing the environment, which in turn evokes thoughts about life. An example of this is the old woman, lost in agonizing thought, that they pass by; the actual act of passing by is not just an unconscious action but one that was done because as Lorde writes, “What can we say that would make us understand better then we already do?” Thus there is no point in stopping, speaking to this woman and finding out what is wrong because they understand and anything else would just be an additional decoration on reality. This reminds me of what we spoke about in class regarding the universal language of emotion. They read this old woman and do not need to know more, because there is nothing else to know then what she already expresses being there as she is. I feel like most people have this communication with nature and often escape to it to get away from things. Perhaps then if people spoke less and simply experienced more together, we could be as happy as we are in nature with each other.

Hay for My Horses

The poem “Hay for My Horses” by Joy Harjo has a very interesting tone it tells of a man making the long haul with hay and how he had never thought that he would be hauling and stacking hay have over 40 years. The topic of hay it’s self is something I can relate to. Moving bales in the early morning and the smells bring back amazing memories from over the years. Hey is something you would never imagine yourself stacking or want to stack over the years as Harjo says at the end of the poem.

“I'm sixty-eight" he said,

"I first bucked hay when I was seventeen.

I thought, that day I started,

I sure would hate to do this all my life.

And dammit, that's just what I've gone and done."

But you cannot help but fall in with the anonymous of it slipping into every part of your close, because it is linked with a part of nature which is so powerful and wonderful, horses. There is something addicting about horses and with it comes a love for the tasks of manual labor. Harjo paints a picture of a life that is simple annoying and yet wonderful. I really liked his description of alfalfa in the air

The overall message I got from the poem is that you don’t always know were life will go or what may draw you in. It is a simple poem that would easily be over looked but it shows detail of a simple life and the nature of a man looking back on his life.

Ten Thousand Years

High above the creek on the mountain, the trail worker works diligently clearing a path for a trail.  During a lunch break the writer finds them self exploring the area they have cleared and possibly as a result of clearing the area they have unearthed pieces from a long ago history.  "Above Pate Valley" takes place in a mountain setting that has been through many different changes throughout its history from what i can gather from the poem.  The mountain valley has had native American inhabitants, was used possibly as a quarry or maybe a tunnel was dug from the evidence of pick axes and the scent of dynamite, and now, the mountain valley is now being transformed in to a recreation area by evidence of the trail building team.  I think that this poem is more of a look at the historical evidence of humans in nature rather than just the virgin beauty of nature by itself.  It is not doubt that humans have been apart of nature for thousands of years and in this poem it is evident by the writers observation and thinking of the history of the mountain valley.  The author speaks of nature in a tone that reflects not awe and beauty like that of Dillard but instead this individualistic journey that the author takes the reader on through this mountain area.  For example, "a land of fat summer deer, they came to camp.  On their own trails.  I followed my own trail here" (Snyder).  I feel as though that Dillard is almost trying to mimic nature in that she wants to be a part of it while Snyder has blazed his own path through nature and respects natures path but prefers to blaze his own path through the mountains also in real life with the building of a new trail in the mountains.    I like this poem, it defiantly makes me think about the Civilian Conservation Corps which was established in the 1930's as part of the New Deal program of FDR's administration.  This is the kind of poetry i could see in a CCC Camp's memorial or this poem really helped put words to their work.  What they did was basically put young men to work in the country building trails, parks, shelters, and ski slopes during the depression.  Initially it was to put the unemployed to work but it kept growing with the building of America's park system which is some of the best in the world.  This poem really made me think of that as well as the historical human side of nature which fascinates me.  

Analyzing The Chance to Love Everything

The chance to love everything implies having an open mind, a caring and appreciating attitude towards nature or even a love and acceptance for what we don’t know or understand.
The poem is a narrative, emotional and symbolic poem; The author, a woman most likely, seems to be talking about a first time camping experience in the countryside. She starts the poem with a tone of child-like joy and the phrase “All summer I made friends with the creatures nearby” (lines 1-2).

the style of the poem was poetic and narrative; It feels to me like a dream, a fairy tale or a bedtime story. At the beginning of the poem the author uses a tone that is child-like, observing, joyful and playful to describe her encounter with the little animals that are in her surroundings, the setting- a tent in the middle of the countryside- the wilderness; to later the tone being cautious and fearful, the imagination-driven fear of the unknown, to the sense of wondering and mystery, the reflective and almost romantic view that the author still hold for Nature by the end of the poem. the transition between nice, sweet and light to dark, dangerous and mysterious. the author shows a good transition between the emotional conflicts in the poem- her fear and uneasiness over the strange noise and the shadows outside her tent, her indecision over whether to get out of the tent and find out about what's out there in the dark, and her hold up desire to venture more into the dark of the night, into the wild to discover the mysteries of this natural world. I found endearing and funny that she didn't found a problem of having little animals looking for sugar and seeds and tumbling the breadbox.
the language and word choice the author uses are short detailed and descriptive “my gauzy house” (); many of the words are action description “They flowed through the fields….They paddled through the door…something was pressing inward…”(lines 3,5,14), describe sound “muttering and humming”(line 8), describe emotions “fear defeated me” (line 21), visual “the red eyes, the broad tongue”(line18-19), creates an atmosphere “…trembling, sure I had heard the click of claws, the smack of lips…”. (line16)
In some parts of the poem the author descriptions are poetic “…like the fading of the dearest, wildest hope… the dark heart of the story…” (lines 33-35).

To me the author of this poem is very similar to Dillard in the aspect that both of them have a fascination with their natural surrounding and the animals they find there, which in the poem is reflected by the way the poem's author seem to have a sort of idealized fairytale/horror movie vision of Nature, and both of them want to learn more and know more about Nature and they both venture out to do it.

Looking With the Right Kind of Eyes

Perhaps the World Ends Here, a poem by Joy Harjo is a poem that focuses on a kitchen table. The poem evokes a comforting, soft feeling, the kind that makes you remember your own kitchen table growing up. The table is exemplified as a silent observer, a giver of sustenance and a source of love and hominess. “The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table.” Harjo, like Dillard writes of the intricacy, wonder and beauty of something that is simple and ordinary, on the surface only performing a basic function. The reader is relieved thinking of the table as something simple when reminded of how many events take place at the table, the emotions felt, the times past, the memories shared. This idea appears often in Dillard’s text, as she delves into how intricate everything is in the world. “Even on the perfectly ordinary and clearly visible level, creation carries on with intricacy unfathomable.” (Dillard, 133) Dillard conducts her pilgrimage through nature by closely observing and absorbing her environment. By insects, she is spellbound; she spends years developing the skill of stalking muskrats, creatures not usually associated with the awe-inspiring.
Perhaps the World Ends Here begins with “The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.” The poem goes onto say how wars begin and end at the table, how happiness, sadness, birth and death are all experienced at the table. I think the poem implies that everything that is felt at the table is just as important as the function the table executes. What happens there is life. One must only open their eyes and see the right way.