Potential Skepticism About the Role of the Arboretum
By Matt Klein
In my essay, I argue that Geneseo Arboretum can be considered both sublime and a frontier, but with definitions slightly different from Cronon’s. In the context of my essay, how much of a frontier a wilderness is defined by its separation and distance from human society, and the sublime describes how well the wilderness invokes feelings of wonder and awe. Skeptics could disagree with both of my classifications of the Arboretum. I argue that the Arboretum is a remote part of campus, but since it is a part of the campus one could assert that it is much closer to home than what we usually perceive as wilderness. As for the sublime, the Arboretum is not much different from the woods around us; one could claim that it lacks the sublimity of more impressive landscapes such as large mountains and valleys.
The significance of my essay is in proving the importance of the Arboretum. Cronon believes that the importance we give nature is false because it is actually all around us. I argue that the Arboretum, despite being part of a wild that surrounds us, can still provide an escape from society that Cronon overlooks.
From the “Skeptics May Object” and “So What? Who Cares?” text, what I would say the skeptics would say about my essay about the vines is that to take my argument and tell what others would “say against me”. Possibly by starting with a summary of a naysayer could make my argument more credible, also this could give me more to say in the end. By explaining why you should care about an issue and answering the so what can make a contrast to what you are arguing for. Answering all the questions can make it so people will more likely not dismiss your idea. Things skeptics would say abou the vines are, why do the vines on the building have any significance at all, what makes them important to the “wilderness”.
When looking at the parking curb behind Milne library, I saw a paradox between the curbs purpose as a barrier and the green that surrounds it that shows the divide between humanity and nature is a fallacy. The ability of students to move around the barrier and enjoy the college greens it protects demolishes this divide by allowing individuals to enjoy the less sublime aspects of nature. Here, many environmentalists would argue that even though this barrier protects an area of nature, the pollution of the rainforest and the ocean is much more important and have more of an effect on us as a society then this area of grass. I agree that the pollution in the oceans is important, but allowing students to enjoy these areas of grass and trees teaches them to better appreciate the world around them and when they leave SUNY Geneseo, they will have more respect for nature that will allow nature and humanity to coexist.
In Cronons essay “The Trouble with Wilderness,” he argues that we need to realize the true meaning behind the term wilderness and that we need to open our eyes to realize that everything in nature is important to keep protected. In my essay I argued the point that we need to take in consideration all different kinds of scenery and nature that is right in front of us. Some may argue and say that we see the nature in front of us everyday and therefore, it has less of a meaning to us. Some would say that theres something more spectacular when looking over the Grand Canyon or Niagra Falls. I agree, however, if we don’t try to protect the nature around us then in the end while we’re trying to save these national sites we will have damaged the beauty of the nature in our own backyards.
Juniper Tremper
Scientific Writing 105-19
Geneseo, NY
~140 words
Critiquing the Details of Trees and Gender Labels
by Juniper Tremper
While these points support the comparison between the boundary between genders against the boundary between humans and nature, it’s true that a crucial element is overlooked. When the trees were planted, they reintroduced nature to humans. This should have been enough to breach the gap created by paving over the grass that once grew. In this respect, the approach to negating the effects of gender labels is entirely dissimilar from the humans vs. nature label, because the concept of gender itself is counterproductive, whereas the planting of trees is only unproductive once they are chopped down.
However, because the overall comparison relates to the process resulting in the tree stumps as opposed to only the initial process of planting the trees, the use of Haraway’s gender discussion to shed insight on the tree stumps is still valid.
In my essay, I argue that the rock outside Onondaga hall brings wildness to college campuses in a way that brings the humans that encounter it into nature in a positive way. Some may claim that the rock isn’t wild at all, given its spot on an artificial college campus, and, therefore, does no more to bring nature to passersby than the buildings all around it. However, they are simply looking at it the wrong way. Were the rock merely a section of a much larger rock wall, or a part of a stunning view looking down into a canyon, the wildness present would be indisputable. The wildness doesn’t come from the scene as a whole; each of the constituent parts contributes to the total feeling. When the rock is removed from those situations, it still retains the wildness, and brings it here to this campus.
In William Cronon’s article “A Trouble with Wilderness,” Cronon states that there is nothing truly natural about today’s wilderness and human’s have tricked themselves into believing nature is uncontaminated by human influence. Although Cronon makes a very strong case, many would argue that the world a vast place that would be impossible for us to have uncovered and discovered it all. Almost everyday on campus I discover a quiet nook of our campus where I can type a paper or read a book in solitude. Although it’s most likely someone has been to that place before, the setting is completely free of any sign human presence. Although Sturges Hall may seem very artificial the ivy that grows on the side of it needs sunlight, water, and oxygen just like any plant would. Since this ivy is physically no different from a plant we’d find in nature, it is still completely natural. The fact it is maintained by campus officials should play no role in how Cronon chooses to perceive it.
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.
It is important for human culture to understand its relationship with the non-human. In this situation, the dualism between human culture and wilderness. It is clearly established by Cronon that while the dualism is popular to believe, it is ultimately false. In my essay, I found it important to establish why the dualism existed in the first place. Then to give an understanding of coexistence and the impact humanity has on nature. One Critic or skeptic may contradict by saying that there is a fine line between nature and human creation. It is black and white, the difference between a tree and a skyscraper. Another may agree with Cronon’s paradox and say that humans cannot help but destroy nature. In response, it’s important to understand that a tree and a building are clearly different, but what happens when potted plants start appearing inside human structures? It is essential to realize that part of coexistence is the incorporation of non-human objects into our everyday life. Finally while humans may be the cause of the destruction of nature, humans are also capable of preservation. Human preservation an aspect that cannot be fulfilled by anything in nature. This is what causes us to coexist, when humans become involved in nature’s ecosystem. Human existence is essential to the earth as the wilderness.
In my essay, I give evidence that Geneseo’s Arboretum correlates with Cronon’s ideas that what we see as wilderness is not the isolated human free land we see it as, but a place that holds many ideals of human civilization. Of course, such a statement can be hard to swallow as it challenges what may be obvious conventional wisdom that the Arboretum is separate from humans. A critic may point out that the Arboretum is not the best example of Cronon’s “wilderness” concept as it does not hold the same status as national parks or other sublime landscapes, which is what Cronon was really going after. However, I content that this allows us to better understand Cronon’s point by considering something close by that we all can visit and explore to really delve into Cronon’s ideas. Ultimately, as the environment quickly has become mainstream in the 21st century, better understanding connections between our us and nature will prove vital to the sustainability of the Earth.
