Derek DuClair

[connected2nature]

Blog Post 8

The things that go bump in the night have always been a special interest of mine. Taking this class has really opened my eyes to the many layers hidden within the genre of horror and supernatural myths. I found it very interesting how many of the concepts we talked about in class were familiar, but until now, I could not identify them. Concepts such as uncanny or monsters representing specific fears and anxieties. I think that on some level we are subconsciously aware of these representations in our culture and identify with the cathartic process that helps us deal with them. Horror helps people “slay their own monsters”. This class has helped me analyze these things beyond what they appear to be at face value and provided a different lens to see through.

               Until now I never really thought about the reason for my early interest in horror and the supernatural. I have many personal experiences seeing and interacting with ghosts both supportive and malevolent. I do not question what I have experienced. I have however, begun to look at how those experiences moved my life forward to where I am now. They were in a sense, the catalyst to helping me cope through my own horror movie and allowed me to come through with my sanity intact. I find it extremely fascinating that as humans we create such fantastic and unbelievable “illusions” in our mind as a way of protecting ourselves. The invention of the silver screen just brought these images to life. I found this class to be very rewarding and I am glad that it was offered at Johnson & Wales.

[connected2nature]

Essay #2: Zombified America

Zombies…the modern laborious drone or a monster with a rich cultural background? Or both?

Our interpretation of zombies today shed’s light on a plethora of collective anxieties that we will touch on later. But first, where does the concept of the zombie come from? The zombie’s origins date back to tribal African beliefs that were brought to Haiti during the slave trade. The zombie starts out as this cultural “boogieman” or just something to scare children in African Mythologies. Along the way it changed from a broad spectrum of spirits, fairies, or just terrible children being referred to as “zombies”, to an undead creature with an endless hunger.

The exact origins of the zombie are tough to pinpoint, but the term itself has a definition that still resonates today.  One passage in Race, Oppression, and the Zombie sticks out to me in this regard. “It has been suggested that the term derives from West African words to “fetish” (zumbi) or “spirit/god” (nzambi); certainly, both of these might more easily be associated with the zombie astral, which can be bought and kept as charms for luck and health. “(Moreman, pg.5) I believe that these definitions played an important role in the future of the zombie phenomenon. The zombie myth centers around either a person whose spirit or agency is taken from them or later into a mindless fetishism of taking life in an endless hunger. Let’s first look at the former version of the Vodou zombie.

Haitian culture was founded upon the enslavement of different African tribes. People were brought together in the most brutal of human circumstances and they compiled their beliefs together forming modern Vodou which believed in a “zombie master” or dark priest known as a Bokor. This Bokor would be the one controlling one or many zombies to perform certain tasks. It is interesting that this Haitian folklore is centered around an ideology of control over a person mind, body, and soul. “…a soulless body that has been raised from the grave to do drone labor in the fields.” (Brown, 2005, p. 9638) The comparison between zombies and slaves is too close to ignore. It seems that the zombie lore might have been used as a cultural outlet for enduring the hardships of slavery and providing a space to reflect upon and process those personal horrors.

There is a major shift in the zombie mythos as it is adopted by American cinema. The transition to the fetishistic and endless hunger zombie is a clear progression of the cultural use of the zombie. Starting with a general fear of previously “controlled” zombies no longer being under control. A direct representation of the collective slave holder’s fear when former slaves had freedom and were encroaching upon “white America”. This fear of a loss of control, compounded with that of a state of zero free will, exemplifies the beginning of a shift in power during the 1930’s. The birth of this creature in American horror was appropriate given its heritage, but we also later see how valuable this blank creature could be. “Zombies have been regarded both as creatures of horror and creatures of despair, objects to be alternately feared and pitied. The very nature of the creature, a voiceless being lacking a will and intellect of its own, made the zombie a blank slate upon which concerns, hopes, and fears of white Americans could be written.” (Kordas, pg. 15-16). This blank slate has been used in American horror since the zombies’ debut.

The creation of the Romero zombie in Night of the Living Dead is the next major shift in cultural fears. The mindless cannibalistic zombie swarm seems to represent a loss of individuality that comes with obsessive consumption. This is also the first major appearance of the zombie as a walking corpse. It seems to me that the narrative critiquing consumerism shows just how strong the need can be. It literally brings back the dead!

Our popular culture has been captivated by the zombie phenomenon. In many ways it allows us to project our fears and anxieties on to a creature in a way that no other monster can. We are given the ability identify a fear of anonymity, mindless consumerism, racial privilege, lack of control, or even general chaos to name a few. One aspect to zombie horror that is not seen in any other type is a sense of hope and empowerment in the living characters. The characters are depicted as everyday people who can to band together to face whatever anxieties they have and come out as strong survivors. I think our love of the new version of American zombies stems from the fact that there isn’t any special lore, tools, or complicated world to uncover. Just a willingness to face your fear and take actions toward continuing to live for a better future.

Moreman, C. M., & Rushton, C. J. (2011). Race, oppression and the zombie: Essays on cross-cultural appropriations of the Caribbean tradition. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &.

Kordas, A. (n.d.). New South, New Immigrants, New Women, New Zombies: The Historical Development of the Zombie in American Popular Culture.

[connected2nature]

Blog Post #5: Man or Beast?

In The Wolf Man (1941), we see a clear example of the Jungian shadow self within the Talbot heir. Larry Talbot is depicted as being a suave “ladies’ man” character. Our first introduction to him is a scene where he is peeping through a telescope on a local woman. He then proceeds to try and win her affections. Larry is the epitome of a sexually repressed predator who seeks only to satisfy his “thirst”. It is only fitting that he later becomes a wolfman that literally has no control over his actions and brutally kills people in the village. I think it is also interesting to note that the original wolfman at the beginning of the story is an outcast gypsy. I believe the transfer of this bestial alter ego is a representation of the “old ways” or more naturalistic/animalistic ways of life being passed on to our refined and proper personalities. The gypsies were not fully embraced by society and were made to camping in the woods outside the village while they visited. They are the reminder of our past, a more free way of living that is apart from the structures of society. Larry Talbot represents the prodigal son who returns to his family’s wealthy estate. Yet, he is unable to conform and gives in to his base desires that grant him the freedom and anonymity his subconscious craves. Even to the very end of the movie Larry fights these instincts at every turn. He is afraid of confronting his truest self. The reality of humanity is often harder to face than the idealized version that we tell ourselves.

[connected2nature]

Blog post #3: Vampire Culture

While watching the Queen of the Damned I can’t help but see the stark difference between vampires of the 18th century and this modern portrayal. The vampires of old were shown as bestial sickly peasantry whose sinful natures turned them into savage undead men who prey upon women. I believe this corresponds to the burgeoning of intellectual high society whose “Godly” religion and renaissance reasoning separated them from the masses in occupied Eastern Europe. Therefore, the church and elite used diseases such as pellagra to twist folklore beliefs for their own purposes. 

In our modern interpretation of the vampire myth things are much different, especially in Anne Rice’s case. Todays vampire is no longer an animalistic slave to the bourgeoise. They are strong, powerful, and glamourous creatures that operate independently of society. Something that is and was the dream of the lower classes. The irony in Queen of the Damned is that Lestat, one of the main characters, used to be a French nobleman before becoming a vampire. These themes are seen throughout other modern vampire iterations, but Anne Rice adds more layers that really sets her apart. Her main story line involves a repressed and hidden history of all vampires coming from a godlike creature who is a powerful African-American woman. I find it interesting that a white man supposedly from the 4th century is involved in keeping Akasha asleep and subdued. I believe that this not only unearths our history of racial and sexist oppression, but also connects to the beginning of religious suppression of pagans and other tribal religions. If that weren’t enough there is another. This movie was released in the early 2000’s which just happens to coincide with the new historically significant discovery about humanities origins in Africa. Something that our western centric ideologies have had issues digesting.  This story uses the gothic style at its best to illuminate so many contemporary issues. Anne Rice expertly reinvents the vampire myth to achieve just that.

[connected2nature]

Essay 1: Option 2- Reforming America Through Horror

How low will we go to make ourselves feel better when we have nothing? To me, this seems to be a theme of 1930’s horror. Specifically, the advent of “Freakshows”. Mocking and degrading people who are different or “abnormal” to lessen the sting of the Great Depression. In Tod Browning’s Freaks, the main cast is made up of unique individuals who are a part of a circus sideshow in 1932. This story presents a compelling narrative of how much people feared the unknown. The deformed or strange people of this sideshow attract an almost cult following during this time. People are uncertain of many things and I think that freakshow horror specifically deals with uncertainty behind our economic futures, the progress of modern science, and fluidity of gender roles and sex during this period.

For a lot of folks, the Great Depression was something that just happened one day, and they did not understand why. To have their livelihood and savings ripped away without an explanation generated massive amounts of anxiety and hysteria. Those anxieties desperately needed an outlet and within a year “monsters” and “freaks” hit the silver screen along with circus sideshows presenting grotesque things. Somehow seeing the “unexplainable” forms of strange human beings helped relieve the pent-up anxieties of an uncertain future. It’s almost as if life can continue in such a form, then maybe the reality of this depression isn’t so bad. 

There are many layers to our relationship with science and technology. In the 1930’s it is no different. Medical science during this period was exploding with improved procedures and the implementation of medications. This led to a greater number of World War I soldiers surviving their injuries and returning home looking very different from when they left.

It also increased birth survival rates that really gives those born with abnormalities a chance to live. As a society we are conditioned to judge ability based on appearances. Any deviation from what we perceive as “normal” is treated harshly and can lead to ostracizing an individual or group. In Freaks this is apparent even within the circus community as the more “able-bodied” performers assume a hierarchy of importance above the sideshow cast. In the “1931: American Abyss” David Skal writes of the first meeting between director Browning and Olga Baclanova; “…Browning took her to meet the rest of the cast, asking her not to faint…Then he shows me a girl that’s like an orangutan; then a man with a head and no legs, no nothing just a head and body like an egg…He shows me little by little and I could not look, I wanted to faint. I wanted to cry.” (Skal, pg 151-152) This is prior to filming any part of the movie. Olga is struck so suddenly by the uncanniness to these humans that she does not know how to feel or react.

One of the many subplots throughout Freaks alludes to if not blatantly points out the confused nature of sex in the 1930’s. Gender roles leading up to and during the Great Depression were in a state of flux. Phroso the clown is an excellent representation of how emasculated men felt during this time period. His statement to Venus in the movie “You should have caught me before my operation.” (Skal, pg 148) I think this one scene tells it all from the male perspective. Men were at that time seen as providers and yet no one can find work. As a result, they feel as ill-equipped to fulfill their proscribed role as Phroso the clown. On the other hand, women are as equally conflicted because they were called upon during WWI to work and provide while the men were at war. Now that the men have returned, how is it possible to go back to the way things were? I see the Siamese twins as representing this conflicted thought process of wanting to be independent, strong, and confident while also still wanting to be the demure housewife who is more traditionally accepted. There are at least 6 convoluted relationships going on in Freaks that defy the traditional romantic relationship model. I believe the use of deformed characters in Horror allows us to see a physical representation of how people felt about their roles as individuals and couples in 1930’s America. It is much easier to process people being physically unable to couple and procreate than it is to understand the psychological issues that prevent it.

The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror, by David J. Skal. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993.

[connected2nature]

Blog Post #2: American Horror

The Amityville Horror is an iconic haunted house/horror film in American pop culture. What does it say about our society that we are almost obsessed with this idea of the haunted house? In general, we want our homes to provide safety and comfort. They represent an image of our status in this country and for the many that vision is not tainted. A haunted house on the other hand provides a story of warning and responsibility to Americans. The Amityville Horror is a story of a newly married couple with children from the mother’s previous relationship. To me Kathy and George Lutz are portrayed in a way that shows how unprepared they really are to be married and buy a house together. Their frustrations at not achieving the strict gender roles of a feminine homemaker and a masculine provider are apparent. This anxiety and frustration is personified in the constant tension among the family. The story behind the murders in the house is blamed on “voices” and evil, but I see a connection to how many soldiers act when dealing with PTSD. Their actions are often erratic with unexplained violent outbursts, insomnia, and withdrawn behavior. George exhibits all of these in Amityville Horror. Kathy portrays the struggle that many women have trying to understand their partner while trying to raise and protect their children. She knows something is wrong and tries to do something about it, but she has no autonomy to do so. There is this irony behind Kathy trying to live up to this standard of “house wife” which is the very thing that takes away her freedom.

[connected2nature]

Blog Post 1: Fascinating Horror

In Steven King’s Why We Crave Horror Movies, he says that “If we are all insane, then sanity becomes a matter of degree.” I very much agree with him. We all naturally possess a capacity for anger, violence, and even hatred. As we grow up, we learn to channel these “unwanted” emotions into productive action, but they never really go away. Our idea of civilized society shuns these emotions with their respective behaviors, and they show themselves in our stories, our movies. Horror is a genre that delves into the twisted imagination of humanity. The gruesome “what if” scenarios that plague our collective conscious can be played out on the silver screen while we are all safe in the theatre. One modern example of this is the movie Get Out (2017) that presents a stark depiction of modern racism in supposed “polite society”. This movie also addresses our fears of a loss of control and acceptance to name a few others. I thoroughly enjoy horror movies and hope that they will continue to be a pressure release of our insanity in the future.

[connected2nature]

Prodigal Summer through Dr. Battista’s lens

Barbara Kingsolver takes her reader through a naturalistic adventure that challenges mainstream ideas on our environment. She expertly weaves the lives of 3 women who live in/around a small town in rural Appalachia. These women are examples of how we can connect to our environment and live in concert with nature.

 In her analysis of Prodigal Summer Dr. Battista states “Prodigal Summer is an ecofeminist revision of Western, male-centered understanding toward women and nature. It is no accident that the protagonists are all female and must struggle for an alternative form of agency against an overwhelmingly patriarchal society.”(65) This theme is found throughout Deanna’s, Lusa’s, and nanny Rawley’s stories. All three women struggle through their own versions of a male dominated culture while trying to advocate their eco-centric views. 

Deanna’s struggle with Eddie represents a wildlife conservation side of eco-centrism. Her job on Zebulon mountain is to help establish coyotes as a new predator population. Eddie’s presence puts her work in danger, but she eventually convinces him to concede and leave Zebulon alone. A small win for conservation. 

Lusa is a woman apart from the community of Egg Fork in Zebulon valley. Everyone judges her for going against the grain, but she commits to a life of subsistence farming. She is direct opposition to the large-scale agribusiness of tobacco farming. In the end her relatives and others in Egg Fork applaud her hard work and ingenuity. Lusa’s story provides a voice for rejuvenating local sustainable farming in rural communities. 

The final aspect to Kingsolver’s message is in nanny Rawley’s story. Ms. Rawley is a strong advocate in the community against pesticides and unnecessarily harming the environment. She is directly opposed by her neighbor Mr. Walker. Until she slowly wins him over to reassess his own stance. 

After reading through Dr. Battista’s Ecofeminist Exploration of Prodigal Summer, I kept getting a sense of this book being an eco-centric call to arms. The female protagonists all win a victory in their own story. Proving the virtues of living with a “rooted sense” of our place on Earth. A final quote that sums the book up for me is when Lusa is thinking about her future in Zebulon Valley. “Lusa had never stopped to consider her new position, landholder. Not just a mortgage holder, not just burdened, but also blessed with a piece of the world’s trust.” I see this as a shift in perspective that I believe Kingsolver wants us all to experience.

[connected2nature]

How easily the media can lie to you...

Journalism has always been a profession that provided answers to the public. People often did not even know what their questions were until the news gave them the answers, but it’s ok if the information gets out there. In an Ideal world the news is an unbiased resource for acquiring information regarding events both past and present. What happens when those who provide information to the public have an agenda or some motive other than free press? This was a major question that came up, when I read through “How Grammatical Choice Shapes Media Representation of Climate (Un)Certainty,” Bailey et al. 

As opposed to stating facts and relaying information, Bailey et al points out “Journalists, for instance, highlight contention in order to create drama (McComas & Shanahan, 1999; Stocking & Holstein, 1993), providing the necessary news “hook” to justify continued coverage of climate change and win public attention for media stories (Boykoff, 2011)”. If you have watched any news station you know this to be true for any story, but especially when talking about climate change. It seems that in an effort to “appear” to be unbiased they are in fact not accurately relaying information. It is nice to see that this group of researchers is trying to bring these mistakes to light and educate people about the importance of language.

I chose an article that I thought was a great example of how a news outlet can greatly influence the message being portrayed. This article points out how the Wall Street Journal has communicated one singular message in order to undermine the data being presented by climate scientists. They hint at other studies denying climate change or relay misinformation about climate science to allow their readers to become skeptical. Small seeds of doubt can go a long way in altering public opinion.  

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/sep/06/conservative-media-bias-is-inflating-american-climate-denial-and-polarization 

[connected2nature]

Connecting to Nature is “Feminine”

I am posting this blog almost a week later than it was due. Interestingly, the reason for it being late is somewhat related the reading. A man filling a feminine gender role...gasp! 

In Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Prodigal Summer, she tells three separate stories that personify the idea of gender dualism. A viewpoint that shows both male and female beliefs, ideologies, and interactions with nature as opposing one another. In Nature as Female by Carolyn Merchant, she explains how we have come to Identify a feminine “Mother Earth” that is wild, bountiful, and nurturing. This idea was later distorted, “But while the pastoral tradition symbolized nature as a benevolent female, it contained the implication that nature when plowed and cultivated could be used as a commodity and manipulated as a resource.” (Merchant, 14). This changing notion of how to interact with a feminized earth during the industrial revolution is seen in the characters of Prodigal Summer. I believe gender dualism is most obvious in the story Predators. Deanna and Eddie both act in ways that are the epitome of historical gender roles regarding nature. The characters are often compare to their animal counterparts. Eddie is this nomadic hunter that finds his way to Deanna during the spring and summer. He is prideful and territorial in relation to predators that he perceives as threats. While Deanna, acts as a protective mother to Zebulon mountain and it’s many animal inhabitants. She relates to the female coyotes and their pups at the end of chapter 13. “A long low whine pulled at her heart. An irresistible appeal. An adult was in that thicket. The mother or one of the beta females calling the children out…She wondered if there was anyone alive that she could tell about this little pack of dogs. This tightly knotted pack of survival and nurture, not to dissect their history and nature, but what she craved to explain was how much they felt like family.” Deanna’s reaction this scene speaks to how her character is connected to nature and the ecosystem around her. It is explained not just through her scientific observation, but through an understanding of love, an emotion always portrayed as feminine.

[connected2nature]

Prodigal Summer: Part 1

Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer starts with three stories set around Zebulon Mountain in the Appalachian range. The first story Predators follows Deanna a park ranger who has spent more time with the animals on Zebulon mountain than other humans. She connects her observations of the natural world with her interactions with Eddie Bondo who she meets in the woods during the spring. Kingsolver mentions other inhabitants of the park performing the “dance of courtship” during this mating season almost foreshadowing what must happen between these two. She describes the woods in spring “…It had burst out with mushrooms... Their bulbous heads pushed out through the leaf mold announcing the eroticism of a thickened woods at the height of spring.” I believe Kingsolver uses Deanna and Eddie to show both sides of humanity among nature. The curious, protective, and motherlike figure in Deanna and the dominant, controlling, and manipulative side of man in Eddie. In Moth Love, Kingsolver focuses on Cole and Lusa who are a married couple that own a farm in the valley below Zebulon mountain. Lusa is new to Zebulon county and is considered an outsider because she is educated and wants to save insects, animals, and weeds. Kingsolver reveals a way that Lusa and Cole can communicate regardless of their differences. “Lusa sat still and marveled. This is how moths speak to each other. They tell their love across the fields by scent. There is no mouth. The wrong words are impossible.” This story shows a deeper wisdom that can be found by understanding and protecting nature rather than squashing or disregarding it. The third story Old Chestnuts, follows Garnett and Nannie who represent the two sides of ecological debate. Garnett with his “sometimes horsepower can do what horseflesh cannot” mentality and Nannie who protests the use of pesticides and creates “No Spray Zones”. These stories present opposite views of nature in this rural county. The “male” outlook that looks to utilize and benefit from the land and wildlife around him. Then the “female” viewpoint that seeks to understand and build a relationship with the birds, moths, predators, weeds, trees, and even the mountain itself.

[connected2nature]

Socioeconomic perspective of Love Canal by Lois Marie Gibbs

It is hard to determine what is more frustrating in this story; the lack of care or responsibility shown by the Hooker Chemical Corporation or the endless amounts of bureaucratic red tape that Gibbs had to go through just to be heard. In Love Canal, Lois Marie Gibbs writes about her experience living in Niagara Falls, New York in the 1970’s. Her neighborhood was being affected by a buried toxic dump site that was directly beneath the local school’s playground. As is true today in many working class and lower-class neighborhood’s, people didn’t really say anything about it or give it much thought. Gibb’s didn’t even think it was important until after she started connecting her son’s growing list of medical problems to articles she read about the chemicals in the dump site. Throughout this story, we see that the serious medical problems caused by chemicals left in the ground are trivialized by officials and blatantly disregarded. How different would this story be if that same neighborhood was inhabited by those with money and power? Would a private school have been built on such a site? I think we can all assume that the voice of this neighborhood would not have been ignored so thoroughly in those cases. Lois Gibbs certainly paved the way to create a system to help those who are wronged in these kinds of circumstances. It is unfortunate that almost 4 decades later we still see examples of this blatant disregard for the effects of environmental pollution and irresponsible handling of toxic waste. This mentality that we can just cover it up and not take responsibility for our actions is very dangerous. It is one thing to make a mistake because of a lack of information or understanding of the consequences. It is wholly irresponsible when those consequences do happen, and no one owns up to it or even repeats the same actions! We could obviously sit around and throw blame at corporations or our government, but at the end of the day regardless of whose fault it is the mess needs to be cleaned up, action needs to be taken to correct these mistakes. I commend Lois Marie Gibbs for her perseverance and call to action in this story. It is a great example of what we need to be doing when we see our environment being threatened. Taking even small steps toward doing our part to save this wonderful ecosystem is a big move in the right direction.

[theisaacnewton101]

Blog Post #4 - Religion is Bad

White Jr. makes a compelling argument that one of the largest influences on our current anthropocentric worldview came from the spread of Christianity. She notes that religions prior to Christianity (we’ll go with Greek mythology for lack of understanding with others) included spirit within nature as well. For example, satyrs and dryads were forest spirits, and it was necessary to appease them before making use of their materials. The spirit of the environment caused human to have a greater respect for the environment so man only took what they need so as not to anger the spirits. The Christian mythos, on the other hand, placed man at the top of the hierarchy. God created the world, the animals, and nature, and placed a man into the world. The man was told that everything was made for him, and to name it. This ideology made everything under man and removed the spirit from the environment. This made it easier for man to take with excess as there were no spirits to anger; these materials were placed on the planet for him. After this ideology spread very far around the world, becoming one of the dominant religions, the message that man was the top of the world became deeply rooted in Western society.

With this background in mind, let’s see how this relates to Abbey’s predicament. Since man is in power over the environment, and the world was made for him, tourists, of course, feel like they have the right to go around the world and view the sights that were made for them. Due to their disregard for nature (and sloth too, I suppose), man created roads directly to the monuments they wanted to see. No, they deserved to see them. So there were absolutely no qualms about plowing over the wilderness for roads. It’s also to note that people do not like wilderness (it’s scary), so they simply build roads through it, which makes it tamed and not scary anymore. Abbey still has a high regard for nature, but unfortunately for him, man wishes to conquer.

[connected2nature]

Analysis of Lynn White Jr. and Edward Abbey

In 1967, Lynn White Jr. wrote an article titled “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis”. In this article White Jr. explains that the Christian Ideology “…that man should hold dominion over nature, and that man, formed in God’s image, is different from and superior to all else.” is the underlying cause behind the destruction of our ecosystem. This is an anthropocentric worldview that allows for the “justified” monopolization of the Earth’s natural resources to meet our own needs. Unfortunately, we shifted to this anthropocentric faith from pagan animistic religions that respected and identified a spirit in all things. This ideology provided a more ecocentric outlook to our consumption of resources that is not found in Christianity. White Jr. identifies numerous examples of Christianity’s influence over the progression of science, technology, and culture that still resonate within our modern world. Most of which explain our lack of respect and stewardship for our environment. There are of course some exceptions; St. Francis of Assisi advocated the virtues of humility among mankind and acceptance of all parts of nature as brother and sister. In our “post-Christian age” more people are seeing this need to live in concert with nature, but we are currently the minority. Lynn White Jr’s article provides historical context for the next piece by Edward Abbey who wrote the Polemic: “Industrial Tourism and the National Parks”. Edward Abbey writes about a summer as a park ranger is southern Utah in 1968. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece, because I have spent many months in the backcountry of Zion, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, and Grand-Escalante National Parks. I too hold the Tourism industry and so called “Glamorous Camping” tourists in contempt. They generally do not appreciate or take care of the parks that they come to visit. The infrastructure that they “require” destroys the land that is supposed to be protected. I love his idea for improving the state of our National Parks and specifically his statement “A venturesome minority will always be eager to set off on their own, and no obstacles should be placed in their path; let them take risks, for Godsake, let them get lost, sunburnt, stranded, drowned, eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches-that is the right and privilege of any free American.” While this is an anthropocentric view of being nature because we have a right to. It also sheds light on the hubris that we have in reference to Nature. Everyone I know who has ever spent time in the wilderness, has a deep respect and reverence for the ecosystems that provide balance to our world. I think Edward Abbey is trying to convey this kind of message to encourage people to learn and experience the real world and not humanities artificial one.  

[connected2nature]

Of course, sometimes it’s quite difficult to know if you’re hallucinating. You might hallucinate a silver pen on your desk right now and never suspect it’s not real—because its presence is plausible. It’s easy to spot a hallucination only when it’s bizarre. For all we know, we hallucinate all the time.”

David Eagleman

[curiouslygay]

Blog Post #3 [Ecocriticism]

In Cheryll Glotfelty’s “Literary Studies in an Age of Environmental Crisis”, she defines ecocriticism as, “the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment.” We can use this form of critique and analyze our current environmental standing by asking ourselves questions which go further than a caucus observation; mainly dealing with the deterioration of the earth and how it only effects humanity.  

Ecocriticism allows us, as humans, to break free from this anthropocentric mentality and focus on what is truly problematic with our environment. Gearing us up to ask the hard questions: not, “Why are landfills bad?” but, “How will landfills impact the surrounding ecosystem once the toxins buried beneath begin to saturate the ground around it?” Society past, present, and the near future will continue to avoid topics like this, simply because they do not want to think about their negative actions towards the environment. They cannot see the one piece of trash they throw on the ground as problematic, because after all it is only a singular piece of trash. When in reality, said singular piece of trash will trigger this poisonous mentality in every single person who passes it on the ground. Thus effectively creating a culture where littering is acceptable. 

In regards to the film, The Anthropocene: The Age of Mankind, having and maintaining an ecocritical perspective could drastically alter some of the points discussed throughout the documentary. One point to focus on would be the commercialization of climate change in Greenland. As portrayed on film, Prime Minister Hammond declared the economic utilization of climate change as beneficial; claiming their people had been indigenous to the land for a long time so they could control the effects of climate change. It is precisely this mentality which pushes humanity further to the brink of total destruction of the planet.

At this point, most think it easier to continue down this path of ignorance, blindfolded as if walking through the mountains, and indulge in the numerous earthly pleasures surrounding us. However, those who embrace the tension by maintaining an ecocritical perspective will ultimately pave the rough, rugged path through the mountains of realization and lead the way to a brighter future. 

[drbattista-blog]

#ecocriticism

[mfries7-blog]

ILS 2215 Blog Post #3: Ecocriticism

Since the beginning of mankind, the way in which we view the natural environment has been largely problematic. We continue to place ourselves in a hierarchical standing above the ecos that sustain us, perceiving the land as an entity that is meant to be conquered and tamed to foster our excessively consumptive habits. This is especially evidenced in the short documentary “The Anthropocene: The Age of Mankind”, where the impacts of utilizing our natural resources with reckless abandon and complacent mindsets are blatantly illustrated. As Cheryll Glotfelty argues in her renowned theoretical text Literary Studies in an Age of Environmental Crisis, “the environmental crisis has been exacerbated by our fragmented, compartmentalized, and overly specialized way of knowing the world.” The problem cannot begin to be addressed until our way of thinking changes. The anthropocentric viewpoints that have defined environmental study have continued to play into the hierarchical differentiation that centralizes the human, disallowing an unbiased analysis of our current environmental standing.

It is ecocriticism that works to decentralize the human element, placing both the human and non-human that dwell in the same ecosphere on the same level. “Ecocriticism takes as its subject the interconnections between nature and culture… As a critical stance, it has one foot in literature and the other on land; as a theoretical discourse, it negotiates between the human and nonhuman” (Glotfelty, 123). This theoretical lens gives agency to both human and environment by expanding the definition of “the world” to encompass not only society, but the entire ecosphere (Glotfelty, 123). Ecocriticism has become an essential tool in analyzing the natural environment, both in current context and in its portrayal in literary works, to redefine the parameters that are used in addressing the problematic discourse.

[drbattista-blog]

#ecocriticism

[connected2nature]

Is it not an anthropocentric idea to label humans separate from “non-humans” within the same ecosphere? I know that it is taken from Glotfelty’s work, but I believe it is interesting to point out.