Logan Steffens about 200 words
lts6@geneseo.edu
Cronon believes that wilderness was made to fit human design and desires. He would say that humans had put the rock outside Suffolk hall there and its purpose is to fit the needs of those same people. In its own way the campus that we are on is wild. He states “we too easily imagine that what we behold is Nature when in fact we see the reflection of our own unexamined longings and desires”(Cronon, 84). He states here that nature is not really natural at all. We created it by our own design and use it as an escape from everyday life. For instance, for people that live in an urban environment going out to the country may be their way of experiencing nature. However, somebody that lives there may see the man made farms and think there is nothing about the country that is natural. That person would have to go to a much more secluded place to believe that they are truly in the wilderness. The rock outside of Suffolk hall is much more than just a rock it is a part of the connection that exists between humans and the environment that we live in.
I like the way that you are straight to the point about what Cronon believes and what he would say about your object. The direction of your essay is clear and your examples and quotes are relevant to your topic.
Thanks for this, Logan. Some good work going on in terms of the way you’re thinking of the campus as “wild,” and I’d like to see more development of that idea, esp. with the help of a more detailed discussion of Cronon’s ideas about “wildness” and of course how you see the campus as “wild” (you need to offer proof in the form of specific examples here). In terms of the way you’re discussing Cronon’s ideas about how humans create Nature out of their own desires and beliefs, I’d like to see you explore this idea further, and again with specific reference to your object. How does this idea apply or not apply to your object? That is still becoming clear to me. So I’d like to see you working with Cronon’s ideas in more detail and with your evidence from campus in more detail as you go into your essay draft. Nice work!