Matt Klein approximately 350 words
INTD 105-19: Science Writing
William Cronon and the Geneseo Arboretum
By Matt Klein
In The Trouble with Wilderness, William Cronon refutes the modern concept of environmentalism and illustrates the true (but overlooked) interconnection between humanity and nature. If Cronon were to explain the Geneseo Arboretum in terms of his argument, he would describe the separation of the Arboretum from the rest of the campus. The Arboretum is celebrated as a natural sanctuary, a quiet place to go to retreat from college life. In the language of Cronon, the Arboretum is a frontier, a place to “escape the confining strictures of civilized life”. Cronon, however, would not believe the Arboretum to be necessary in this regard. Since the Geneseo campus is covered in nature, one should not have to go to the Arboretum to find it. Furthermore, Cronon would rebut the idea that the Arboretum shows the wild in its natural state. He would be sure to point out the many ways the Geneseo community has influenced the park. In this line of argument, Cronon is not incorrect; it is true that nature can be found everywhere and that the Arboretum is far from a pristine wilderness. However, speaking from the perspective of a Geneseo student, I do not believe these factors matter when it comes to how myself and others perceive the Arboretum.
Though the frontier of the nineteenth century has passed, the qualities of the frontier live in the parts of nature we attempt to preserve. It is true that in “preserving” nature we influence it and make it unnatural, but that does not mean that it cannot offer an escape from the even more unnatural world we leave behind when we enter. The ivy-covered buildings and beloved trees of the Geneseo campus, though also part of nature, are unable to offer this relief due to their proximity with the daily hive of human activity. Thus it is the separation of the Arboretum that provides the peaceful and calming experience that visitors are searching for. It is not that the nature at the heart of Geneseo lacks the autonomy and Otherness Cronon describes; it is simply easier to observe the autonomy an Otherness when distanced from familiar life.
Dear Matt, I’m really interested in this idea of the Arboretum as frontier, and I’d really like to see you develop this in your essay, both by defining what Cronon means by frontier, and by thinking of how the A. is a frontier in the campus context (perhaps by looking at its location more closely, as we discussed). I think this is a really promising approach, and I agree with your assessment that Cronon would consider this frontier a manufactured, artificial boundary (I’d like to see you think about this, too, and I’d like to know your opinion about this idea). I’m not sure that your final points about the importance of this space are as strong as they could be right now, and I think it’s an issue of evidence. See what analyzing map data can tell you about this Arboretum frontier, and consider the ways the A. is and is not a frontier. See where that gets you. The point about needing to feel distanced from civilization to experience peace and calm feels like too much of an “is too, is not” argument to be really effective as a way of integrating Cronon’s ideas into your essay. But the frontier stuff has tons of potential.