The Idea of A Garden

Pollan's Idea of A Garden parallels Sharon Whites Vanished Gardens as they talk about the garden itself and what this means. Pollan states, "even wilderness, in both its satanic and benevolent incarnations, is an historical, man-made idea. Every one of our various metaphors for nature-"wilderness," "ecosystem," "Gaia," "resource," wasteland"- is already a kind of garden (The Idea of A Garden 606). Metaphors and comparisons are also used in Vanished Gardens where the garden represents so much more to the narrator then just the physical definition of one such as, "Wilderness just under the surface. Breathing its clear breath right into my face" (Vanished Gardens 33). The usage of comparisons and metaphors play a huge role in both of these authors in them exemplifying how and what the "garden" means to them.

FINDING NATURE IN PHILADELPHIA: AN INTERVIEW WITH SHARON WHITE

The following interview with Sharon White is based on questions submitted by writing students at Temple University who were assigned Vanished Gardens: Finding Nature in Philadelphia. Thanks to all students who submitted interview questions. And thanks to Sharon White for her responses.

Sometimes when you read through Vanished Gardens, do you think of different memories to attribute to a certain section of the book? Or did you have a list of different stories to tell and picked the best one that fit into the story and kept the flow going and you are happy with the results?

I started writing the book to describe my new home and neighborhood in Philadelphia. We had just moved here from a house in a field near lots of woods in Massachusetts. I was feeling homesick. I had quit my job at another college and had time to take long walks in Philadelphia. I was very happy that I lived near Fairmount Park and the Schuylkill River. The book took shape as I spent more time discovering the neighborhood. My father had died a year before we moved to Philadelphia, and I was still dealing with his death. I think the history in the neighborhood and thoughts of my father combined to give me a story for the book. I discovered the stories I used as I researched the people who lived in my neighborhood. I was also writing about my son growing up and discovering his own way of living in the city. I tried different ways of structuring the book—often I had all the chapters printed out and arranged in different shapes—like a puzzle on the floor of my living room. So—I think I am happy with the way the book turned out.

What is the meaning of your chapter titles?

I was in a writing group with two friends, one was the poet Almitra David, and she read an early chapter in the book called Daffodil. I had tried several different titles and section headings before that. She said she felt that the book would be successful if I stayed close to the idea of flowers (and plants). I wasn’t sure until several years into the project that the book was about gardens. At that point I didn’t know my house was built on the Labyrinthine Garden. Her comment helped me to focus the book.

What is the biggest loss that people have suffered because of the loss of gardens?

I think that connection to living and dying and living again. The experience of eating a hot cherry tomato right from the garden. Being able to grow beautiful things that restore your place in the world. bell hooks writes about this in her essay, “Touching the Earth,” and Michael Pollan talks about this, too, in “The Idea of a Garden.”

You wrote about William Penn, John Bartram, his wife Ann, Lemon Hill, Wissahickon. Why did you choose to write about these particular people and places but not others?

I was trying to stay close to my house and the area around Fairmount. There were so many people I could have written about. The land my house sits on was part of William Penn’s estate and Lemon Hill was part of that original land. Everything I read led me to the Bartrams and their connection to the Penns and other famous gardeners. I had only known about William Bartram, so I was fascinated that he had this amazing family. I thought for a while that the book was going to be about Ann Bartram, but I couldn’t find enough information about her. It was like a treasure hunt—each piece of the story led me to the next. I started writing the book before there was information on the Internet, so all my research was in libraries. Later, as I revised the book, I found some information on the Internet about Penn’s family that I couldn’t find years before.

What were your before and after views on nature in Philadelphia or nature as a whole in the United States during this process of writing Vanished Gardens?

I moved to Philadelphia thinking that there was a border between different kinds of places—country, suburb, and city. After living here for a while, I realized the connection between all kinds of ecosystems and became passionate about defending the city as a place for nature. I gave up the romantic notion of wilderness only in certain places. William Cronon helped me to understand this concept after reading his book Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists and the Ecology of New England. I also discovered that, as Leonard Dubkin says in his essay “Some Experiences with Insects,” there’s a world right under our feet, all around us in the city that exists in an invisible way until we start noticing it—then, it’s incredibly rich. This morning my neighbor George called me to say that the birds were on my deck, and the pigeons were sitting on the roof of the old brewery down the street. He wanted to know if I’d started feeding the birds yet. I haven’t but the birds know that this is the time of year I usually put out seed for them, and they’re back already.

In class we have learned many definitions of nature. What is your specific definition of nature? How does it apply to nature in Philadelphia?

I think this is a hard question. I see everything as nature at this point—our bodies, my pot of pansies, my glass of orange juice. I suppose the problem is caring enough about all aspects of the pieces of the world to make living here healthy and fulfilling for everyone.

What is the relationship between the city of Philadelphia and the garden, and does understanding one of the two help you to understand the other?

This question connects to the one above in that once you start connecting people to the “garden” and the “wilderness” to the city you see the benefit in preserving or restoring even city ecosystems (and not just national parks and designated wilderness.)

In chapter 7, “Tulip Tree,” you mention feeling a bit disconnected with the woods until you see something that triggers a memory of your childhood. Do you believe that memories are what forge human connections with nature?

That’s a very good point—for me I suppose, yes. I have students who have no connection to nature—or at least tell me they don’t—but they like going outside to write and somehow that does “trigger” a connection they didn’t know they had. Many writers have been saying that children who only experience nature on television or through their computers will have no real connection with it. I know that the kids who come by my garden in Philadelphia love touching the flowers and watching the bees and butterflies that are drawn to this narrow strip of green.

When did you first realize that you had a great affinity towards nature and gardens? What was your initial exposure to them?

My mother had a beautiful garden with roses and iris and asters when I was very young. She also used to read to me under the one tiny tree we had in our yard. My great uncle had a large vegetable garden that I loved. I also spent lots of time exploring the woods near my house and playing in a brook a few streets away. When I was older I spent months in the mountains and worked on a farm in Norway. I always wanted to build a cabin and live in some remote woods, but I live in Philadelphia instead! I’ve always felt like I was happiest outside.

What inspired you to write about nature in Philadelphia when all I see is pollution and homeless people everywhere?

I realized that if I was going to be happy here I had to get to know that landscape—just looking more carefully helped me to understand that nature in Philadelphia was much more complex than I thought. I still see the trash ( I realized I had to pick it up!) but I see other wonderful things too—amazing birds—like the heron that lives in the thicket not far from here, woodchucks, woodpeckers on the tree outside the room where I write, etc. I think you just have to know where to look. Even on Temple’s campus there are hawks hunting. I would like to do more to help the homeless people I see, but I don’t see them as separate from the life of the city.

Where did you live prior to Philadelphia? How are the gardens there different from the ones here?

I’ve lived in Massachusetts, Vermont, Colorado, England, and Connecticut. The gardens are different in each place because of the climate and the spots where I gardened. I think I’m focused more on this garden in Philadelphia because it’s so public—many people comment on it and it’s so small. I grew more things to eat in my other gardens, but I did get a great crop of basil from pots on the deck this year.

Where did you get the information or ideas that inspired you to write your book? In the Elm chapter you talked about how elm trees were used to differentiate land. Do you think in today’s society plants in the city are being used for any other purpose than aesthetic beauty?

The list of sources at the end gives some idea of the books I looked at to write Vanished Gardens. A librarian at the PA Horticultural Society library, Jane Alling, pointed me in the right direction for many of the searches for information. I looked at letters from the 1700s, diaries, farm records, etc. I also read as many books as I could find about nature in the city. Ann Whiston Spirn’s books, The Granite Garden and The Language of Landscape, were really helpful as far as seeing the geography of the city.

Plants in Philadelphia are used for many other purposes. There actually is an urban garden called Greensgrow that has reclaimed vacant factory land and is not only selling vegetables and flowers and plants, but also making that part of the city greener. Trees help reduce global warming, and there is a plan to plant a million trees in Philadelphia in the next year. There are also green roofs that work in lowering the amount of electricity a building needs for cooling or heating.

What is the meaning/reason behind your chosen titles for the three sections of the book?

The first section is named after Thomas Penn’s property. The quotation is from Deborah Logan’s diaries describing the garden at Springettsbury. I talk about her life and garden in the last section of the book. Most of the chapters in the first section connect in some way to Springettsbury. My house is built on a section of Penn’s estate. I centered the second chapter on the Bartrams and the title is the name of that part of Philadelphia where the Bartrams farmed and gardened. The quote is taken from a letter that John Bartram wrote about pears from a tree a friend had sent him from England. The third section title is the place where Mary Gibson Henry, who was inspired by William Bartram’s travels, had her garden. This section is also about loss and the solace of the natural world. The quotation is taken from a description of a flower Mary Gibson Henry found in a swamp in the south, when she was hunting for plants to bring back to her garden. Isaac Norris’s farm discussed in this chapter was not far from Temple.

In Vanished Gardens, the different types of plants seem to be chosen and formatted to portray the book as a garden, sectioned by locales and possibly the plants that reside in those areas. Is there any specific connection to the idea of the book between the chosen plants other than the personal? Do the types of plants chosen have any particular relation to the underlying theme of the book? Was there a specific amount of variety predetermined that would impact the flow of the story and broke it up into a more interesting read? The range of plants is very broad and not necessarily related to each other, other than being in the same kingdom and possibly phylum. Was the garden as a physical thing considered before the idea of a garden?

I chose the plants to write about because they connected to what I was seeing or experiencing on my explorations around Philadelphia and also because of the plants that the gardeners I was reading about were interested in. So—yes—I thought about the physical nature of the plants before the idea of the garden. When I discovered that my house was built on a garden designed as a labyrinth it seems like a miraculous metaphor to me—that I had been circling around the idea of the garden for several years.

You use a variety of crop names as chapter headings in your book. How significant are these crops to the reader’s understanding of the landscape of Philadelphia, past and present?

I’m not sure that the specific plants I used are significant for the reader except that they are part of the ecosystem of Philadelphia, both cultivated and wild.

What was your inspiration for comparing Philadelphia with garden flowers, plants, and crops? In other words, why a garden, which is typically organized and beautiful, as opposed to a jungle or rainforest, which are controlled mainly by nature itself?

I started out with the idea that I would write a book about wildlife in Philadelphia. The book developed into the idea of a garden because I started to see the city that way—it made more sense somehow. Most people live in cities, so I suppose the idea of the garden made more sense to me than imposing the idea of wilderness on the city—although I wanted to imagine that there was wilderness under the surface.

How did you come up with the research for your book?

I started to research the old houses around my house using the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, The Historical Society, and other libraries. I looked at old maps to figure out what was here before my house was built. That early research led me to the gardeners I discuss. I had fun actually holding letters written by William Penn and his family and reading tiny books with information about cattle, or lists of flowers ordered from England. My book would probably be very different if I wrote it now because so much information is easy to find on the Internet.

How long did you work on writing the book?

I spent about five years off and on writing the book and then about a year revising it.

What were your main reasons for writing so much about the lives and history of the Penn and Bartram families?

Penn and the Bartrams were very important not only in Philadelphia but also internationally. Bartram had a business that imported plants from England and exported native plants from America—this was really fascinating for me. I wanted to write more about ordinary people’s gardens, but there was not very much information. Bartram was pretty wealthy, and Penn and his family were very wealthy. I hope to—at some point—write more about other gardens, and gardeners, in Philadelphia.

The Idea of a Garden

Pollan states, "The gardener tends not to be romantic about nature" (607). However, White claims "the garden yet remains to be described - a spot of elegance and floral beauty" (167). Both authors are reflecting about the different sides of nature, Pollan about disaster and White about peace. Both sides however show the beauty that nature and gardens can show.

The Idea of a Garden

Gardens that are no more are described by Sharon White throughout “Vanished Gardens.” But this does not upset Sharon for we still live with nature, and beauty all around. This idea of gardens is closest to Pollan’s seventh discussion “The garden doesn’t take it for granted that man’s impact on nature will always be negative. Perhaps he’s observed how his own garden has made this patch of land a better place, even by nature’s own standards. His garden has greatly increased the diversity and abundance of life in this place.” Everyone says nature is disappearing from our lives you just have to look deeper as Sharon proves in the morning glory. She sees “down the street from her the rubble and trash along the narrow alley by a house is covered by morning glories, bright blue flowers popping out over tires and plastic wrappers and pieces of wood.”(136) Sharon stated in one of her interviews that she felt nature is not disappearing, just changing. This goes directly with Pollan’s idea that the “environment in not, and has never been, a neutral, fixed backdrop; it is in fact alive, changing all the time.” “Vanishing Gardens” may even make a person cry for all this beauty and nature that was blossoming in the past is no more today. But this is not a sad book because we all believe in nature.

The Idea of a Garden

Pollan describes  how nature is always changing, and how the gardener should be ready to accept those changes. He states that "[The gardener] accepts contingency, his own and nature's...The gardener learns to play the hand he's been dealt"(606). A good gardener is one that can adapt to the changes of nature.
White describes with great detail the multiple things bamboo is used for in a tea house her son admires " He longs to touch the bamboo fence, the slim yellow pieces held fast by black twine, or the sliding paper windows, or the littlwe bowl wit water dripping slowly from a piece of bamboo, or the woven rush mats,...or the drainpipe made of a large stem of bamboo split in half" (53). The first author, Pollan explains the significance of adapting to nature. White gives an example of how adapting and using nature to the best of its ability can be beneficial.

The Idea Of Garden

Polan said a lot in his essay but he states "The gardener doesn't take it for granted that man's impact on nature will always be negative" . Sharon White also writes that "It won't be long for all this abundance to be whittled down into a place not called a wilderness at all". Both authors are trying to state the point that when nature is tampered with by people no matter the situation there will always be a negative outcome. We definitely need wood for majority of stuff in the world to make it a comfortable place to live but it is destroying trees and nature on the other hand

The Idea of a Garden

Pollan had a section of garden thathe couldn't grow anything in. He tried planting numerous species of plant but nothing would grow. So he stoped to see what naturally grows in the area of his garden and concluded that raspberries would do well. Pollan explains how nature is the true decider of what grows and what doesn't in the quote "The good gardener commonly borrows his methods, if not his goals, from nature herself... in the end she will let us know what does and does not work" (The Idea of a Garden, 609). Sharon White has to abide by these rules in her first garden. "My first garden was tropical. I planted it in my great aunt's back yard in Florida with dust and rocks" (Vanished Gardens, 3) Because her garden was in a tropical location it had to be a tropical garden. Nature dictates what can grow in what places.

Liam Bradley

The Idea of a Garden

In "The Idea of Gardens" and Vanished Gardens many of the ideas about gardens are apparent. In Michael Pollan's essay "The Idea of a Garden" he states "Perhaps he's observed (the gardener) how his own garden has made this patch of land a better place, even by nature's own standards. His gardening has greatly increased the diversity and abundance of life in this place" (pg 608). In one of her stories Sharon White can relate to this quote when she describes "the outline of John Bartram's botanic garden in a slope down to the river" (87). She continues, " a drawing of the garden that William Bartram made in 1758 and his father sent to Collinson shows the garden and the house from the river" (87). William and his father had planted this garden and around their house and after drawing the garden around the house there is a sense of "diversity and abundance" withing the drawing because of the garden that was planted.

The Idea of a Garden

Pollan writes, "This was part of the same storm that ripped open the bark of my ash tree," (596, The Idea of a Garden). Sharon White says, "My first garden was tropical. I planted it in my great aunt's backyard in Florida with dust and rocks and dry thick leaves as big as my hand," (3, Vanished Gardens). Both of these quotes talk about some event that reminds the writer of something meaningful to them. Pollan remembers his ash tree when he thinks of the tornado that hit his town, and White thinks her first garden when she thinks of her great aunt.

The Idea of a Garden

The garden of man, is mans attempt to continue, cultivate, and preserve certain natural fancies. A garden has always been considered a very natural endeavor of man, at least more so than most other interests. However, upon reading Pollan's essay "The Idea of a Garden", we see that perhaps we have a distorted and subjective perspective on what a garden should be, if it should be at all. White says of her garden, "I like to think its like walking past a woodland garden, the hot breeze pushing the striped lilies this way and that" (179). Here she is talking about how the garden is something preserves the idea of another place, or more, it represents that other place and time in itself. Here the garden is described as a place to preserve something that no longer is, for fear of losing what that was forever. Pollan describes it as "pitting the interests of man against nature", in a much more extreme, but still similar sense (597). In Pollans essay, he is describing this battle of interests over a plot of forest that some wish to preserve for future generations to enjoy its beauty, against those who would leave it to its natural course. In this way we see that gardens are not so much their own stemming or representation of nature, but more what nature was, or what man would like to take from it.

"The Idea of A Garden"

In his essay, Pollan states that a gardener "cultivates wildness, but he does so carefully and respectfully, in full recognition of its mystery " (607). His belief in humans respectfully utilizing nature's many resources is illustrated within White's observations of how Asian cultures connect with nature. She reflects upon how even their houses are designed "to remind us of our imperfection and our oneness with nature" (54). Bamboo, in her essay also serves to represent a bond between man and his environment. She asserts that bamboo is regarded as "a sign of fertile land" (55) and is revered in Asian culture. Her example of how one culture holds nature in high esteem helps Pollan's essay successfully suggest that if humans are to nurture their environment they must learn to respect it's essence.

The Idea of the Garden

Polan says that "The gardener doesn't take it for granted that a man's impact on nature will always be negative" (608). This is connected to White's essays in one way because she says " But a place where families clear the land for beans and corn, squash and pumpkins, vegetables from the south and the elaborate terraced gardenst there. And sometimes they kill birds taht are on their way north or south and fish baskets full off shad from the river on their way up to spawn." This suggests that when man attempts to tamper with nature wether it be good or bad it will always have a negative affect.

The Idea of a Garden

Pollan's last idea that, "if nature is one necessary source of instruction for a garden ethic, culture is the other," is shown through Sharon White's book (609). Most of her stories about each individual plant has a lot to do with what else goes on in that specific place, and therefore culture. Sharon White says, "Pieces of Greber's design still exist: the pool at Logan Circle, the tiered bushes in the Azalea Garden, the Italian Fountain spewing silver water north of the art museum," when she is speaking about water lilies (48). In this place there is a large population that fishes, and the have somewhat of a water theme to their culture. Not only does this aquatic nature give sense for the water lilies, but also that everyone there embraces the aquatic nature as part of, or custom to, their every day lives.

The Idea of the Garden

In Polan's essay he states "The gardener doesn't take it for granted that man's impact on nature will always be negative" (608). This is directly connected to when White writes "It won't be long for all this abudance to be whittled down into a place not called a wilderness at all" (32). Both writers are trying to show the point that when nature is tampered with by people, even if the intentions are good willed, there will be negative outcomes. An example is when people knock down trees to create more homes. Even though the outcome for the people is good, nature is being hurt in the process.

The Idea of a Garden

Pollan says, "This was part of the same storm that ripped open the bark of my ash tree" (596, The Idea of a Garden). Here is what White says, "My first garden was tropical. I planted it in my great aunt's backyard in Florida with dust and rocks and dry thick leaves as big as my hand" (3, Vanished Gardens). Both of these quotes are of some event triggering the authors memory of a plant, or multiple plants, that they used to have. The difference is that White is reminded of her great aunt when she thinks of her tropical garden, and Pollan is reminded of his ash tree when he remembers the tornado that hit his town.

The Idea of a Garden

"The gardener tends not to be romantic about nature" (609 Pollan).

"Sometimes we would go out to a dock on the river at night and kiss by the side of the silent water. I could smell the perfume of night flowers, the heavy roses as I kissed the lips of this American" (115 White).

These two quotes are related through contradiction. Pollan says that nature is no longer romantic to the gardener, but White makes a statement that uses nature to add to the romantic atmosphere. White not only used the environment to set the atmosphere, but also her sense of smell. I agree with White on this one, because I also think that nature is romantic to anyone that believes in natures beauty.

-Austin Richardson

The Idea of a Garden

"The 'environment' is not, and has never been, a neutral, fixed backdrop; it is in fact alive, changing all the time in response to innumerable contingencies, one of these being the presence within it of the gardner. And that presence is neither good nor bad." (Pollan 607)

White speaks of the people that used to live at the mouth of the river and the effect they had on the environment. The environment has been "cultivated and coaxed by the many people who lived here before the first Europeans came up the river and built their houses, and fenced their land, and planted their daffodils." (12)

Both writers speak of the effect that people can have on nature. Nature is a constant in the world. As generations pass, nature more or less stays the same. But each passing generation can have an effect on it. And each succeeding generation can see the effect of the past. Nature, always remaining, will bear the marks of every generation, but it continues on forever.

the Idea of a Garden

“The leaves of the sycamore had fallen, their large brown shapes disintegrating with pieces of paper and plastic cups” (White 20). This is relating to Pollan’s 5^th idea of a garden. “The gardener tends not to be romantic about nature” (607). This means that the gardener does not get upset when plants decay in the winter. A few sentences before the quote from White, there is a discussion about how the place being described is a beautiful place to be. Passionate gardeners do not fret at the death of nature, but appreciate the cycle of renewal that is continuing.

The idea of a Garden

"The gardener doesn't take it for granted that man's impact on nature will always be negative"(Pollan, 608). There always exists conflict between man and nature. In his quest to create a new environment which best satisfies his meaning of civilazation, man has adversely affected nature and as a result, natural environments such as forests, savannas, parks,rivers, gardens, and countless others no longer exist in places they once were, but rather, tall buildings and concrete pavements.It would also interest you to know that amimals species have also disappeared because of the nagative impact which man's involvement with nature as produced on natural places, and, for instance, "These places had lost most of their breathing space to factories and crowded rows of houses where there had once been small parks and backyard gardens"(White, 29). The point is, man's idea of urban nature has led to depletion of nature.Man has transformed the landscape to reflect his own design.
On the whole, man has tempered with the natural order of the environment to the disadvantage of nature itself.

The Idea of a Garden

"The gardener learns to play the hand he's been dealt." (Pollan, 40) is something that refers to the fact that a gardener cannot choose the environment in which the start a garden. Pollan repeatedly suggests that a gardener shouldn't worry if he is changing nature because in order for the human race to survive we have had to adapt and change our environment. Like Pollan suggests Sharon White follows his ideas and "Cultivate several gardens. Pots on the deck off [her] bedroom" (White, 9) despite it not being the best place to start a garden. She took her location and the surrounding environment and made it work for herself. White continues to talk about how she lives "on a corner that attracts trash but catches the morning light." (White, 9) which works perfectly for her garden.

Nature Literacy

As a whole, or average, the generation into which I have been born is absolutely losing its touch with nature. I consider myself a contrasting exception to this trend, however I am quite the minority. Through my observations of students personal interests and activities, I have concluded that ideas of what is considered "fun" are partly reflective of the environment. As my scope is limited to the Temple University populace, my deductions may be skewed relative to that of a more rural college. However, the population density of an urban campus far exceeds that of a rural campus, and therefore, the average trend may be preserved in my observations*. Most temple students do not in any way experience nature during their stay, and since their free time is limited to a certain radius within campus, their exposure to nature is also limited. The most nature is discussed, viewed, or pondered is under the flourescent hum of a dim lamp in one of the Universities lecture halls. As time goes on, the focus of a students knowledge is primarily within their major, and unless that major relates to nature, few students will have even a second thought about it. Although some students will show an increasing interest in nature, their in-depth interest in nature cannot make up for their numerical minority among the student population, therefore leading their valuable insight down the path of the dodo.

*(For example, as listed by www.collegeboard.com, Kutztown university is a rural campus with a population of about 10,000, where Temple University, an Urban school, has a population of about 27,000.)

THIRTEEN WAYS OF SEEING NATURE IN L.A.

As we've discussed in class, the genres of nature writing/eco-literature have been slow to include writings on urban nature. Against this grain, here's a link to an excellent article on urban nature (Jenny Price, "Thirteen Ways of Seeing Nature in L.A."):

www.believermag.com/issues/200604/?read=article_price

Nature Literacy

I think our generation is the most unique generation to exist in a very long time. Technology especially has a large influence on my opinion. The use of technology nowadays has limited but also expanded the knowledge and understanding of the world in this generation. We easily learn through computers, cell phones, I pods, and other electronic devices. And because technology has such a strong impact on this generation I would have to say this generation is becoming less nature literate. We are brought up in a time were most cities and places are urbanized with the type of technology being used. Therefore, I think my generation pays less attention to nature and what it has to offer. Its kind of like technology and nature flip flopped throughout time. In the past nature was paid attention to; as a matter of fact people needed nature to help them live. Now its as if this generation needs technology to live. What I'm trying to say is because we have technology (especially) we will pay less attention to nature but it doesn't mean that we aren't aware of nature itself. In fact there are still people in this generation fighting to save forest and other nature environments. For example, there is a group on campus fighting to save a forest from Pizza Hut building its business on it. This shows that this generation does have regard towards nature. To me nature literacy means knowing about nature and the environment that is surrounding us. Nature can be animals, trees, forests, insects, and in some cultures humans.

Nature Literacy

My generation lacks in animal interaction. As proven in class the only interaction during the day that we have with animals is a bird flying to get some crumbs in front of us, or a squirrel running through or path. It matters were you live and what type of life style. Some people live on a farm and interact with animals every day, but others like us in a city may not see an animal in ages. But the true back of the matter is that animals are disappearing every around us. The more people expand the more we kill of the rest of the world. Like in the movie Matrix, the agent says that humans are a disease a virus that destroys and infects everything. Nature literate is to be aware of the environment and animals. To have knowledge on the wild world.
The less animals are seem the more people want to bring them back. Just look at TV how many channels are about animals, and the environment. There was even a show about the fishing on whale called “Whale Wars”. Yes TV shows are made to make money but they are an educational source for us. They drill information into our heads everyday about animals and love for animals into our hearts. Animals may be disappearing but the fight for animal rights is just increasing. At the moment this topic may be out of congress: animal rights, because of the war and the bad economy but it is on many politicians’ agenda. The call to stop killing of the nature is at its all time high, forests are preserved, more people are recycling, and pollution is at its all time high in everyone’s mind. Because of this constant flow of information into my generation on nature, I feel my generation is becoming more nature literate.

Nature Literacy

Nature literacy to me would be defined as how in touch someone is with the natural environment around them. Our generation has become and even more so becoming very illiterate in many important aspects of life as a whole. As for nature, this disconnection varies in different areas. Being African and living in an area where nature is the main source of living for the country I currently reside in, we all learnt to greatly appreciate the beauty of nature and its importance. In the states on the other hand where everything is developed and we have very little raw nature, I think its harder for people of our generation to relate or get in touch with nature under such circumstances. Yes, its easy to get a dog and live with it or take a trip to the beach and be one with the ocean, but how often do we just sit back and enjoy fresh, unpolluted nature at its very best? ...

-Emerald Tawe

Nature Literacy

Nature litracy for me is that knowledge of what nature means backed by concrete action aimed at supporting one's knowledge of nature. If nature literacy has to do a whole lot with man and his natural environment ,then it is but fair to argue that my generation is becoming more and more nature literate. For instance my generation is keen on addressing such things as green house gases, preservation of wild life , forest utilization, waste management, just to name a few as concrete demonstration of how more and more my generation is becoming nature literate.

Nature Literacy

I believe our generation is defiantly becoming less nature literate. Most teenagers today are grossed out by animals or are frightened by them. during our summer vacations we hang out with friends and work jobs at pools and stores. But not long ago the entire reason of summer vacation was to harvest crops. Many of the people in my generation wouldn't be able to survive a night or two out in the wilderness. But people from past generations would be able to light a fire, hunt food and possibly survive several nights. To me nature literacy is the ability to feel at one with nature.

-Liam Bradley

Nature Literacy

I define nature literacy as being able to look at nature, understand, and read it the way we look at a text and are able to do those things. Out generation is definitely becoming less literate. Today much of nature is being replaced. Even in my own neighborhood, I constantly see new housing developments and such where trees once were. Although houses are both essential and beneficial to humans we must also realize the importance of nature. This can be done by improving our literacy of nature by simply making an effort to learn a little more.

Nature Literacy

In my mind nature literacy refers to environmental and ecological books, essays, etc. I also believe it can refer to any reference to the natural world and the environment made by an author. Personally, I believe that my generation is slowly becoming less and less nature literate. By this, I mean that as we progress through the 21st century, we are seeing more and more advances in technology, and, as a result, we are seeing differences in styles of writing. Nature Literacy hit its peak during the 1800's when such authors as Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson arose on to the literary scene. I believe also that technology is creating a less natural world. We have scene the rise of such innovations as iPhones, GPS navigation systems, and other breakthroughs that have greatly altered our lives and how we perceive the world. However, with a heavy emphasis on "Going Green" and saving the environment, I believe we may see a rise in eco-literature in the near future. For now, however we are very un-nature literate, in my mind.

Nature Literacy

Since the time of our species beginnings, we have used and interacted with nature in various ways. These interactions, whatever they may be, have allowed us to evolve into what we are today. Although this relationship began as a simple need for survival, it has, over time, become an extended exploitation of the various resources that nature provides. Nature Literacy is the ability to understand and interact with nature in meaningful and useful ways. As a species, we have and still are evolving further and further away from nature. Our technological advancements, namely our increased means of social communication and entertainment, have caused us to drift yet further, and even allow some to bypass nature altogether. My generation is at the forefront of this evolution away from nature; we are the proponents of everything that will increase this distance. Unless there is a drastic change in direction for the evolution of our advancements, I believe each succeeding generation from here on will be much less nature inclined than the one before.

Nature Literacy

I would say that my generation has to definitely be less literate than previous generations. My generation is very advanced and caught up with technology. Today, we rely heavily technology in our every day lives. We wake up by an alarm clock. We used electric toothbrushes. We drive cars to work. We have smart phones that we use to text all day, receive emails, and plan out our weeks. Almost every kid has some form of video game that they play endlessly throughout the day. My generation does not do what the older generations do, which is play outside. My generation does play outside, however it is less then before. The older generations always played outside and therefore interacted more with nature and knew more about it. I define nature literacy by not only knowledge of nature, but also of experience with nature. Just walking around and exploring can teach someone a lot about nature.

Nature Literacy

Nature literacy could mean a lot, every individual might have their own definition to nature literacy. From my point of view nature in two words is our natural world, physical world or material world. Nature literate refers to knowing about the natural, physical and material world, understanding it and appreciating it. I believe my generation, as compared to previous generations is much less nature literate. The lack of connection to the natural elements has been reducing gradually, I believe we are more in the technological age and thus no longer care about the earth and what it has to offer. My generation today care less about nature because of the introduction of technology in the world. Majority have no clue of what is called the "third place", where they could hang out with other people and enjoy nature. Rather we do everything technologically, people would rather interact on their computers through skype, oovoo, msn and a few others, than meeting at the park to talk, ride their bicycles and admire nature. Social networks now do not allow individuals in my generation to go out to make friends but rather hit a couple buttons on their "gadgets" and they through with other peers. The youth would play online games with their friends rather than go to the field or court to play physically. A lot of people do not know anything about the environment, talk about pollutions and preservation. Just a few people know what global warming or green house effect are, and thier consequences on nature and the world. People do not come in contact with animals these day to understand the nature of animals. My English professor once asked a question in class "How many of you have had an encounter with an animal today?" and with over 10 or more people in the class only about 2 had. That should tell you a lot, I wonder if he had asked how many of you had been on facebook or twitter today and the whole class would have had a response to that. This all shows that nature illiterate is more common in my generation and people could care less about getting in touch with nature.

Nature Literacy

To me, nature literacy means the ability to possess a deep understanding of the environment and how it functions. Despite our growing awareness of how we affect the environment, my generation is still very far away from becoming nature literate. Awareness can not substitute for understanding. Our society stresses the importance of taking care of nature, yet we have not taken any steps to create a relationship with it. We allow ourselves to be so preoccupied with our busy lives that we do not have the time to take notice of or even enjoy our surroundings. Instead of coexisting with nature, we pass around it. What is the point of protecting something we are not closely acquainted with? How can we possibly know exactly what it needs?

Nature Literacy

To me, nature literacy is the ability to read and appreciate all of the many things that nature has to offer. While there are some who still admire its beauty, for most of our generation it has been surpassed by things such as the internet. Viewing pictures of nature on the internet is not nearly the same as experiencing them firsthand. I know that I am not very nature literate, since I would much rather spend the day fiddling with technology than viewing the many stories nature has to offer. I know that it has these stories; I just think that I, and many others in my generation, have placed nature at a much lower level of importance than it actually should be.

Nature Literacy

I believe my generation, as apposed to previous ones, is much less nature literate. There has been a gap and/or a lack of connection from the natural elements and I believe we have become much more materialistic, and thus no longer care about the earth and what it has to offer. The fact that most kids nowadays would rather play their Xbox, PlayStation or, any of their other game consoles instead of simply going outside and having fun speaks to the lack of nature literacy in my generation. People no longer leave the comforts of their home unless they are forced too. Part of the reason on why our Earth is suffering so much is that we are constantly polluting it by throwing trash on the ground, putting dangerous chemicals in the air, and smoking etc. Pretty soon we will have no open territory nor land to cultivate, it is constantly being destroyed and having construction done to it. We need to get back to respecting our Earth like our ancestors did and only use it for good and thus extract resources but, also give back to the earth.

I define nature literate as knowing about the natural world around us. To know and appreciate and not to abuse is being nature literate. to understand the 'circle of life" of how plants die, go back into the soil and become reborn again. To appreciate and to know that everything that we have, that we eat, our existence comes either directly or indirectly from nature itself is being nature literate.

Understanding Nature

I believe that we as a generation are more our of touch with nature than previous generations. With the ongoing age of technology, our minds are more focused on the newest gadget and how many gigabytes our IPods have. We might think we know a lot about nature, but what we have learned is from the television or the internet. Most people in our generation rarely have encounters with nature outside their "norm". Taking a walk in the park and the only thin you can think about is why you have no cell phone service is not being very in touch with nature. Individually, we might think that we are in touch with nature, but as a whole generation. The nature illiterate are more common and could really care less about "getting in touch" with nature.

-Austin Richardson

Nature Literacy

My generation is becoming less and less nature literate. Many people do not even recognize nature as a separate being; most people view their surroundings as boring, passive scenery. Young adults are growing up in a place that is converting into a more wireless and paperless world every single day. Even here at Temple I hand in the majority of my assignments online, never actually having a hard copy in my hand. Nature literacy to me is the ability to recognize and interact with nature on a regular basis. One should not only notice the natural environment, but appreciate it too. If the ways things are going now continue for nature, there will be less of it every year.

Nature Literacy

Nature literacy may mean many things, but to me it means how good we are at reading the many signs of nature. By signs I am not only referring to the sounds and physical characteristics that nature exhibits but the very essence that makes nature. By essence I'm referring to the roots of nature such as our roots. being literate in nature means understanding that we are a part of nature and we are not as disconnected as we think we are. When we walk into a forest most of us appreciate the simple beauty but when a society walks into a society they see the potential of converting the "wilderness" into something with purpose. What they don't realize is that the forest is the epitome of potential. The people who do now see the whole aspect of natures wonders are truly illeterate in the language of nature.

On Animals Blog Assignment

Overall, good posts for scholarly resources on animals.
A few of you seem to have misunderstood the assignment as it relates to abstracts. See for example my comment on Joshua Hopkin's blog post.
I tracked down Joshua's source on Academic Search Premier and posted the abstract in the comment. Locating and understanding abstracts will be more important when you take 0802, but it's good to be able to identify them before you begin research next semester.

On Animals- Devon Golde

Cherry, Elizabeth. Shifting Symbolic Boundaries: Cultural Strategies of the Animal Rights Movement.Sociological Forum.

How do activists create cultural change? Scholars have investigated the development and maintenance of collective identities as one avenue for cultural change, but to understand how activists foster change beyond their own movements, we need to look at activists’ strategies for changing their targets’ mindsets and actions. Sociologists need to look at activists’ boundary work to understand both the wide-sweeping goals and strategies that activists enact to generate broad-based cultural changes. Using data from participant observation and interviews with animal rights activists in France and the United States, and drawing on research on ethnic boundary shifting, I show how activists used two main strategies to shift symbolic boundaries between humans and animals, as well as between companion and farm animals—(1) they blur boundaries through focusing and universalizing strategies and (2) they cross boundaries physically, discursively, and iconographically. This study contributes a new theoretical and empirical example to the cultural changes studied by scholars of social movements, and it also provides a useful counterpoint to studies of symbolic boundary construction and maintenance in the sociology of culture.

On animals

Wynne Clive, "Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals." Our conflict relationship with animals

I think some people become involved in social movements because of personal experiences with friends, family members, associates, etc. Others don't become involved in these movement because it doesn't mean much to them because they haven't really experienced it, or know someone who has. If knew someone who had cancer, it would make more want to join a cancer movement even more because of that person. However, if I didn't know anyone who had cancer, I'm not saying I wouldn't join the movement but I would be less encouraged to join. Having that experience with someone who has cancer is the extra push that would make me join the movement.

On Animals

Cochrane, Alasdair, "ownership and Justice for Animals." Utilitas.


People get involved in social movements mostly for personal reasons. Sometimes it may depend on a personal experience or just a personality. An experience can be significant no matter the age and may be enough to inspire a person to do something about it or "move". Other times a person may be inspired by their surroundings (peers, wildlife, etc.) to react to situations a certain way. Sometimes curiosity has a major role. An individual might think a certain way because of the effort they put into their research. The one thing that is key for anyone to be a part of a movement is motivation. Although not always obvious there are plenty of ways to trigger it.

On Animals

Fielding, William J., "Domestic Violence and Dog Care in New Providence, The Bahamas." Society & Animals

Although there has been much research on the connection between nonhumananimal cruelty/abuse and domestic violence, the link between nonhuman animalcare and domestic violence has received less attention. This study, based on responses from 477 college students in New Providence, The Bahamas, indicates that the presence of domestic violence in homes is linked with the level of care and the prevalence of negative interactions with dogs. Dogs received 10 or more of 11 components of essential care in 58.0% of homes without domestic violence compared with 43.7% in homes with domestic violence. A dog was reported being physically injured in 6.8% of homes when domestic violence was absent and in 13.6% of homes when domestic violence was present. The study suggests that in homes with domestic violence, dogs as well as people are at higher risk of intentional harm and/or neglect.

Liam Bradley

"On Animals"

Why do some people and not others become involved in social movements?
Some people do not get involved in social movements because they do not believe strongly enough to take action. Others feel even if everyone gets involved the problem will not be resolved. If enough people stand up for cause then all will fallow. This happened in Ukraine “The Orange Revolution” in 2004 the presidential elections were rigged and a Russian communist was suppose to come to power. But Ukrainians came together and started a revolution, everyone was part of it, from children to great grandparents. The movement was able to stop this abuse of power and Ukraine got the president that they wanted. I believe if a great cause is brought up everyone will stand behind it to make a change.

Marcia Clemmit “Animal Rights” The CQ Researcher • January 8, 2010 • Volume 20, Number 1
Animal rights are growing in America, people are starting to look at animals as part of a family, some even live property and money for their pets, on their will. Billions of animals are still slaughtered each year. All who depend on using and killing animals such as researchers and food industry are “fighting back against what they call overblown concerns about animal rights.” Last year in Ohio, voters overwhelmingly approved laws that prevent animal cruelty applying to the agriculture industry.

On Animals

Adrian Franklin. "Animals and modernity: changing human-animal relations" Journal of Sociology

In this article we provide an empirical test of Franklin's (1999) recent contribution to the burgeoning study of human–animal relations. Drawing on the anthropological claim that animals are good to think with, Franklin used theories of reflexive modernization to explain a shift to increasingly zoocentric and sentimentalized relations with animals. After deriving a series of expectations from this account, we tested them through a content-analysis of over 1000 articles from one Australian newspaper over a 50-year period. Broadly, we found support for Franklin's key claims. But we also found local contingencies and historical continuities which suggest limits to the sweeping theorizations of change in accounts of reflexive modernization.

Citations:

Adrian F. Animals and modernity: changing human-animal relations, 1949-98. Journal of Sociology. September 2001;37(3):219-238. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 12, 2010.

On Animals

Wendy Atkins-Sayre, "Western Journal of Communication; May/Jun2010, Vol. 74 Issue 3," p309-328, 20p, Articulating Identity: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Animal/Human Divide.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) faces a daunting task in creating support for animal rights and convincing individuals that they share substance with animals. PETA challenges the animal/human divide by articulating a shared identity through discursive and visual appeals. Their advertisements invite viewers to see similarities to the Other, visually experience the Others' world, and visually break down differences between the two. A critical reading of select PETA advertisements leads to conclusions about the nature and function of these specific rhetorical campaigns, as well as to larger conclusions about visual rhetoric, articulation of identities, and social movements.

-Emerald Tawe

On Animals

Ostermeier, Mark, "Military Medicine: Vol.175 Issue 8" History of Guide Dog Use by Veterans

Seeing eye dogs are main helpers in the disabled community. Nowadays, they not only help the blind, but can help those that are paralyzed by doing task not able to be performed by their owner. The first establishment for guide dogs was in Germany after World War I to assist the war veterans that were blinded during war. Americans adopted this method of training dogs to assist the disabled.
Seeing eye dogs are a great example of humans and animals working together in the world. Dogs were once wild animals that descended from wolves, but now they trained and taught by some to help others. There was a man that had a seeing eye dog near my high school and Ive seen this dog open a door, stop at a red light and go on a green light, warn the owner of upcoming obstacles (steps, curbs, and ramps). The dog remains calm and is always working to assist its owner.

-Austin Richardson

On Animals

Bekoff, Marc, "Increasing Our Compassion Footprint: The Animals' Manifesto" Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science

Abstract: In our society many people have forgotten their responsibility toward animals. Instead of ensuring their welfare, society allows animals to experience intense physical and emotional pain through either factories or experiments. Berkoff believes that animals should not be maltreated for human benefit. He urges society to adopt a compassionate attitude towards animals. Perhaps if society could be more sensitive to how we interact with animals we will, for once, learn how to keep their best interests in mind.



*Unfortunately my user name was not changed, so just to keep things clear this is Cenah's post. Thank you!

On Animals

Deane-Drummond, Celia, "Are Animals Moral? A Theological Appraisal of the Evolution of Vice and Virtue" Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science

I discuss controversial claims about the status of non-human animals as moral beings in relation to philosophical claims to the contrary. I address questions about the ontology of animals rather than ethical approaches as to how humans need to treat other animals through notions of, for example, animal rights. I explore the evolutionary origins of behavior that can be considered vices or virtues and suggest that Thomas Aquinas is closer to Darwin's view on nonhuman animals than we might suppose. An appreciation of the complexity of the emotional lives of social animals and their cooperative behaviors in light of the work of animal ethologists such as Frans de Waal and Marc Bekoff suggests that social animals can be considered moral in their own terms. I discuss the charge of anthropomorphism, drawing on the work of archaeologist Steven Mithen, and consider arguments for the evolution of conscience in the work of anthropologist Christopher Boehm. Only the biological basis for the development of conscience and religion has evolved in nonhuman animals, and this should not be confused with sophisticated moral systems of analysis or particular religious beliefs found in the human community.

Oliver, Kelly, "Animal Ethics: Toward an Ethics of Responsiveness" Research in Phenomenology

Abstract: The concepts of animal, human, and rights are all part of a philosophical tradition that trades on foreclosing the animal, animality, and animals. Rather than looking to qualities or capacities that make animals the same as or different from humans, I investigate the relationship between the human and the animal. To insist, as animal rights and welfare advocates do, that our ethical obligations to animals are based on their similarities to us reinforces the type of humanism that leads to treating animals—and other people—as subordinates. But, if recent philosophies of difference are any indication, we can acknowledge difference without acknowledging our dependence on animals, or without including animals in ethical considerations. Animal ethics requires rethinking both identity and difference by focusing on relationships and responsivity. My aim is not only to suggest an animal ethics but also to show how ethics itself is transformed by considering animals.

On Animals

Russell, Nerissa, "Navigating the Human-Animal Boundary." Reviews in Anthropology

Abstract: Animals have long figured in anthropology, but human-animal relations have come into focus in recent decades. The topic links anthropology's sub-disciplines by exploring the biological and cultural nature of both humans and animals in the past and present, as well as articulating with some similar concerns in other disciplines. While anthropology is defined in terms of the separation of humans from animals, this explanation exposes the permiability of the human-animal boundary, transcended by thinking animals, bestial anscestors, and transpecies empathy.