Juniper Tremper
Scientific Writing 105-19
Geneseo, NY
~170 words

The Contradiction of Saving Natural Beauty
Juniper Tremper

Throughout his analysis of wilderness, William Cronon never denies the majesty of waterfalls and vast canyons. His point is not that the world is less beautiful than before, but rather, the idea of “wilderness” is littered with ironies and contradictions. Primarily, wilderness once offered connection with God, because in the untouched savage lands, “the boundaries between human and nonhuman” were less. Where we experience crippling awareness of our insignificance, we are most likely to connect to higher power. The contradiction comes with the tourists. Although the scenery is still grand, the tourist’s experience is “familiar enough to be instantly recognizeable,” unlike Cronon’s many literary references, whose revelations were distinctly unique. Furthermore, he points out, the only way to prevent all human destruction of nature is to rid the world of humans.

His observation is relateable to a tree planted only to be cut down, because we conclude that present conditions are not the right ones for proper appreciation. A tree planted amid cement is not a tree so much as a sculpture.