first paragraph of personal essay 3/28

I opened the door and stepped over the threshold of my new home, taking in the scenery before me. The smell of autumn was in the air with a gorgeous variety of leaves, which had just begun to fall, coloring everything I could see. Where do you go on your first run in a new city, a new home? “Let’s try heading north,” I thought as my feet started my exploration of Ames.

Finding Life Naturally - assignment 3/23

I found Buffalo for the Broken Heart very intriguing to read. Dan O’Brien did a fantastic job of telling the beginning of the story and to fill the reader in with all the important details. At first, his style of telling the story can be hard to follow. He seemed to jump around a lot, but as I read it came apparent that every piece of his story would fit together perfectly by the end of the chapter. It was very interesting to learn about the Great Plains’ history of the buffalo. I did not know buffalo had such an impact in shaping the prairies. Through natural selection and evolution, the buffalo in effect dictated the growth of the plains. Another aspect of O’Brien’s writing I liked was how he would say something that had a deeper meaning. An example of this was, “I liked where I’d found myself and didn’t want to fall back through the looking glass.” Statements like this evoke his readers to think beyond the face value of his writing.

Rebuiding a Loss of Nature - assignment 3/9

I really liked Medell Berry’s The Making of a Marginal Farm because I felt I could relate to the story and it was somewhat inspiring to read about what someone can accomplish with a lot of hard work. I lived on a farm and know that in farming, the most successful farmers are usually the ones who work the hardest. It is amazing that Berry and his wife were able to transform practically worthless land into decent farming land. It goes to show that hard work is often well rewarded. I think another point Berry was trying to make in his essay was how people need to take care of the land or it deteriorate to nothing. If we ruin the land, it will be nearly impossible to rebuild it back to its original quality like Berry did. It would be much easier to take the steps to preserve the land now.

Stomping Out Society - assignment 3/9

Gary Snyder’s, Smokey the Bear Sutra, has quite a different tone compared to the other excerpts in the book. His tone is very demanding and he does not leave room for anyone to argue against him. I did not care for this excerpt because I felt he was telling me what to believe and I could not relax and enjoy the reading. I especially did not like the line, “…the countless men oppressed by a civilization that claims to save but only destroys.” It seems like Snyder is implying that civilization is completely evil. I know that society has had some negative effects on nature, but I believe that in general society is a good thing. Snyder only comments on the bad things civilization has done and does not say anything about the good.

My First Summer in the Sierra - rhetorical analysis first paragraph

The idea of preserving land for the enjoyment of the public was a relatively new one of the late 1800’s. On October 1st, 1890, the glacier carved valley full of elegant waterfalls and wildlife known as Yosemite, was designated as the United States’ third National Park. Thousands of visitors have tried to capture Yosemite’s natural beauty, but no one has been able to describe it in words like John Muir. In 1911, John Muir published My First Summer in the Sierra, a journal kept by Muir as he explored parts of Yosemite and the Sierra Mountains located in California and Nevada. In his journal, Muir explicitly describes every detail of the scenery and his experiences. His writing allures his readers to climb the mountainside with him and to image the soft breeze as it sweeps through the valley. My First Summer in the Sierra intended to capture Muir’s readers with the beauty of nature and to make them realize the need to preserve it. By drawing attention to the beauty of nature, John Muir was able to help in the conservation movement.

Inevitable Contamination - assignment 3/4

Sandra Steingraber's, Having Faith, draws attention to an very few are willing to face; the effect of toxins used by humans. Many people have discussed the effects of chemicals on humans, but I have never thought of the fact that infants are affected the most. I found the facts Steingraber provided about the toxins in breast milk both very interesting and alarming. Indeed, something needs to be done about this problem. I agree with Steingraber that finding a solution to this is nearly impossible. Chemicals are vital for farmers to produce a good, profit-making crop. With so many chemicals being used by humans, it is improbable to try to eliminate them from our diet. Right now, the only choice we have is to try to reduce our emissions of these toxic chemicals into the environment.