In Bruno Latours piece, We have never been Modern, he discuses the dichotomy between human culture and nature. In his paper he says “Modernity comes in as many versions as there are thinkers or journalists, yet all its definitions point, in one way or another, to the passage of time.” What Latour is saying here is that over time the idea of being “modern” has changed as well as it has multiple meanings but they’re all relatively the same. Later on he says that in order to really be “modern” then we have to realize the distinction between his two dichotomies which were the work of purification and the work of translation. However, Latour then says that if we look at both simultaneously then we stop being wholly modern. After he says that the reason for this is because ‘these two sets of practices have already been at work in historical practices which is coming to an end.’ I can see some of Latours ideas in my mini essay when it comes to the relationship between human culture and nature, however, I don’t fully see his ideas connecting to The Greek Tree.
In the essay “The Trouble with Wilderness” by William Cronon, he talks about the drastic change on peoples view points of the wilderness over time. Cronon explains how it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that people began to admire nature. He also states in the beginning of his passage, “For many Americans wilderness stands as the last remaining place where civilization, that all too human disease, has not fully infected the Earth.” In this quote he refers to the fact that our viewpoint of the wilderness is as if it has been untouched and that it is all natural. However, later on he says “Wilderness hides it unnaturalness behind a mask that is all the more beguiling because it seems so natural. Here he begins to contradict his idea and explain how its only a facade. This piece of writing relates back to the Greek Tree because it shows directly how humans have un-purified the wilderness.
In the article “A Cyborg Manifesto” by Donna Haraway, a lot of different aspects were mentioned and then connected in some way or another. The points she analyzed were between feminism, socialism, and materialism. She broke them down into her main focus for the article and discussed the division between humans and animals along with organisms and machines. As you read more into the article, she begins to talk about how over time these divisions have become less noticeable. This is where she incorporates the “cyborg” which she explains it as an “organism, a hybrid of machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction.” In other words, the cyborg is a metaphor to represent the progression between each boundary she talked about.
This article directly correlates with the mini essay we wrote because it emphasizes the boundaries between human and nature.
Every tree on Earth no matter the color, shape, or size, began with with a single seed. One tree on campus that caught my eye was the Greek Life tree. This tree in particular is known for being a competitive symbol between sororities and fraternities. The goal is to paint the tree at the highest point to reveal the group that stands above the rest. Before this was a tradition, the tree was just a simple plant that grew up from its roots and had only served its own purpose. Over time as this tradition began to take over, the tree changed from being a pure piece of nature into a humans work of art. From afar the tree appears to look as if it was just vandalized by a group of college kids. However, as you get closer to it you begin to see the artistic layers that have built up over the years. While looking at the tree I began to wonder as to how this obscure tradition began. Did a sorority or fraternity start this? Was it a joke to begin with? How long has this been a tradition? What has caused this to still be a tradition? Although I don’t know the answers to all these questions, I do know that this has become a landmark to Geneseo’s campus. The tree itself shows the boundary between natural and artificial worlds. Roots meet the soles of students, tree bark meets paint, mother nature meets humanity.
Every tree on Earth no matter the color, shape, or size, began with with a single seed. One tree on campus that caught my eye was the Greek Life tree. This tree in particular is known for being a competitive symbol between sororities and fraternities. The goal is to paint the tree at the highest point to reveal the group that stands above the rest. Before this was a tradition, the tree was just a simple plant that grew up from its roots and had only served its own purpose. Over time as this tradition began to take over, the tree changed from being a pure piece of nature into a humans work of art. From afar the tree appears to look as if it was just vandalized by a group of college kids. However, as you get closer to it you begin to see the artistic layers that have built up over the years. While looking at the tree I began to wonder as to how this obscure tradition began. Did a sorority or fraternity start this? Was it a joke to begin with? How long has this been a tradition? What has caused this to still be a tradition? Although I don’t know the answers to all these questions, I do know that this has become a landmark to Geneseo’s campus. The tree itself shows the boundary between natural and artificial worlds. Roots meet the soles of students, tree bark meets paint, mother nature meets humanity.
