Robert Romano
9/21/16
Cronon and The Wilderness
“Without our quite realizing it, wilderness tends to privilege some parts of nature at the expense of others.” If Cronon for some odd reason was to be on the Geneseo campus and pass by The Greek Tree I think that he could have wrote another piece just on this experience. Cronon would first appreciate the tree because it resembles the college’s observance of nature and the use of nature to socially connect with everyone on campus. Cronon would also criticize the tree because one of his main arguments is that humans should worship all of the ordinary nature around us and not just the unique, picturesque views that nature is perceived to be. Cronon makes it clear in his work, “Trouble with the Wilderness” that humans make the mistake of only looking for mighty canyons than humble marshes because we look for the divinity in wilderness and feel that the everyday wilderness has no divinity to it. Cronon would tell me that I should have admired all of the trees that I passed by on my way to admire The Greek Tree.
You did a really good job connecting to Cronons ideas and your object along with explaining what you think he would say.
Hi Robert, Thanks for these thoughts. I’m especially interested in this idea that the Greek Tree has been somehow singled out as special–as different from other trees. And I’m interested in your ideas about what Cronon might say about this. (By the way, never let a quote stand alone–always integrate it into your own words in a sentence, and always introduce it and follow it up–take a second look at the Graff and Birkenstein on “quote sandwiches.”) I’d like to see a lot more evidence about the tree that would prove that it’s different from other trees and how it is. The quote from Cronon about the tree in the garden could be useful for your purposes–what you’re saying is that this is not an ordinary tree, and so how does it fit into Cronon’s schema? Overall I’d like to see a lot more concrete evidence about your object and a lot more specific work with Cronon’s key terms and ideas. I like your final point about admiring all the trees, and I’m intrigued by how you will account for and name the Greek Tree’s difference from those other trees, as well as its similarity. Thanks for this!
Nice job picking out the things you think Cronon would say about your object, sounds like a good start to the longer essay.