Jason Gerbsch Approximately 180 words
jg33@geneseo.edu
INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing
Philospher Bruno Latour in his book We Have Never Been Modern brings up the key idea of networks, how everything in our world, both human and nonhuman, are connected in one way or another. The ivy clinging to the walls of Sturges Hall, provide an excellent example of the existence of these connections. However, walk up to any student on campus and tell them this idea. More than likely they’ll be confused and question why in the world is this important. To answer this question, the importance of this idea is how it opens the mind to how big and connected the world actually is. You may think the ivy is just that, ivy, an inanimate growth on the side of a building that just exists. The real beauty of the ivy is how connected to us it actually is, despite appearing so uninvolved. Its connections to us range from the physical, being in direct contact such as groundkeeper, to the aesthetic, where we as humans may enjoy marveling at such life.
Nice job explaining the “so what” of your essay. I agree that many students would fall in the category of “who really cares about the Ivy” so it’s good that you’ve taken the time to address this section of your audience. However, what would you say back to someone who understands your points, but just flat out disagrees?
I really like your interpretation of the skeptics and what the students would think of the ivy.