Aubrie Cross
INTD: Science Writing
ac46@geneseo.edu
“The Trouble with Wilderness”
In the essay “The Trouble with Wilderness” by William Cronon, he talks about the drastic change on peoples view points of the wilderness over time. Cronon explains how it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that people began to admire nature. He also states in the beginning of his passage, “For many Americans wilderness stands as the last remaining place where civilization, that all too human disease, has not fully infected the Earth.” In this quote he refers to the fact that our viewpoint of the wilderness is as if it has been untouched and that it is all natural. However, later on he says “Wilderness hides it unnaturalness behind a mask that is all the more beguiling because it seems so natural. Here he begins to contradict his idea and explain how its only a facade. This piece of writing relates back to the Greek Tree because it shows directly how humans have un-purified the wilderness.
This was a really well written analysis of Cronans piece. I thought you had a good brief description of what his views were and then I liked how you tied it back to your mini essay topic.