Alec Toufexis
INTD-105-19
Cronan claims that “the tree in the garden is in reality no less other, no less worthy of our wonder and respect, than the tree in an ancient forest…” While this is an accurate statement, I don’t believe Cronan would see this in practice with The Greek Tree. By focusing on respect from an environmental standpoint, Cronan overlooks the fact that the Geneseo community tends to The Greek Tree differently than they tend to the trees in their back yards or the trees in a nearby forest.
Although sororities and fraternities decorate the tree with an absurd amount of paint to assert Greek Life dominance, it doesn’t mean the tree isn’t respected or marveled at. I would predict that if there were plans to cut down the tree, the Geneseo community would be on edge. This indicates that there is a deep emotional connection between the campus and a seemingly “cultural invention”. In this way, Cronan’s idea of respect towards a non-sublime natural object is upheld. Also, those with “a clear heart and open mind” can view The Greek Tree as an object that is just as wild as “the tree in the ancient forest”.
Hi Alec, I love the sentence at the end of your first paragraph! What a great way of working your ideas against Cronon’s to let a new idea emerge! Nice work! I’m interested in the ideas you bring up in the second paragraph, but I’m not totally sure I understand what you’re getting at yet. Part of the issue is that I’m not sure Cronon would argue that people wouldn’t marvel at the Greek Tree (it’s not really an ordinary tree in a garden, is it?), so the phrasing of your first point there feels like it needs some work. If you’re thinking of the Greek Tree as a “cultural invention,” could you use evidence from the tree to explain how it is? And how do you see the tree relating to Cronon’s ideas about the way humans create nature in their own image? If you see wildness in this tree (and could you define wildness with Cronon’s help), what exactly is wild about it?