Environment

Throughout the course of this fall semester we have read over various texts and documents pertaining to the environment, more specifically nature. After exploring all of the essays in class, my perception of the environment has definitely been altered. More specifically my view of animals, along with their relationship to humans. Having read "Why Look at Animals?" by John Berger and watched "Grizzly Man" produced by Werner Herzog, my prior opinion about the environment has transformed. Before going over these two resources, I really didn't think or care much about the environment, and I felt that there was no connection between humans and animals. Now however, I developed an understanding that animals have been granted some of the same characteristics as humans, and are therefore related. Also, one can take advantage and learn from animals. By properly observing animals in their natural habitat, it is much easier to fully appreciate their existence. This is seen for example in the movie "Grizzly Man", as the life of Timothy Treadwell is portrayed. It is clear that Treadwell expressed love for grizzly bears, and developed a connection with these animals. This connection is what allowed him to survive a miraculous thirteen summers unarmed. I don't believe it's possible for everyone to develop such a personal relationship with animals, but I do think people can learn a lot by observing and studying animals, both wild and domesticated alike. Ultimately, it is vital that people strive to protect animals, and preserve the environments in which they live.

On Environment

The most recent project in the class, Grizzly Man, had a major affect on me. Timothy Treadwell is an astonishing person. If you would have told me that a person lived and interacted among bears to study them I would have told you that that person was out of his mind. To me, bears are large creatures that may look “cuddly” but are actually ferocious. However, Treadwell changed my view on nature in that I understand nature’s perspective now. Bears, foxes, and other animals live in ways that are comparable to humans, such as fighting over a female and showing affection. Treadwell showed me that nature should be viewed the same as civilization. Treadwell showed me how negative civilization can be. Throughout the entire class, Timothy Treadwell, from the Werner Herzog documentary Grizzly Man had the largest affect on my view of nature.

On Grizzly Man

Grizzly Man is one of the most interesting and surprising documentaries I have ever seen. Timothy Treadwell was quite an amazing man, one can call him unique at the very least. His ability to connect with grizzly bears at such close proximity and at an almost unbelievable personal level is astonishing. The fact that he was able to survive unarmed for an incredible thirteen summers in the wilderness was a feat of fascination. Although Treadwell was attacked and killed by one of the grizzly bears he was studying, it wasn't unusual to see him die. It was a very tragic and catastrophic occurrence, however, I feel Treadwell was naive in thinking that it was safe to live with wild bears. I believe he misunderstood the danger involved in video taping, and sometimes even touching the animals. Also, I saw that Timothy Treadwell thought he was an animal, and often acted like one. He was a person who really appreciated nature and only wanted it protected and preserved. Overall, the hundreds of hours of uncut and unedited video footage is remarkable. I recommend watching Grizzly Man to anyone interested in nature and animals, especially bears, and even people who just wish to explore the life of a wonderful man, Timothy Treadwell.

On Grizzly Man

This was a very interesting documentary because it was different from many others. I liked that all of the footage was actual footage that hadn’t been cut or edited yet. Timothy Treadwell had an interesting lifestyle and the way he viewed the bears, and nature as a whole made the documentary much easier to watch. Although Timothy Treadwell had a passion for nature, I believe that passion cost him his life. By trying to actually form a human relationship with the bears, he crossed a line. I think that Treadwell had major issues within himself and with being accepted within the society so he turned to animals instead. While I think that it is great how much Treadwell valued nature, he should not have disturbed the wild animals and territories they live in.

On Grizzly Man

Timothy Treadwell is an astonishing man. He devoted his life to the preservation and protection of grizzly bears. Throughout this class, we have discussed human animal interactions. Treadwell took this to a new level. He made the bears and foxes his family, gave them names, and treated them with the utmost respect. His willingness to ultimately give his life for his cause is amazing. To him, the animals mean everything. They essentially helped him quit drinking and drugs. They may have saved his life. Some people may believe that Treadwell got what he deserved when he died, but I do not believe this. I believe that civilization is what killed Treadwell, not the bear. After all, Treadwell would have been heading home had it not been for that altercation with the airport worker. Nonetheless, Treadwell is a role model for people everywhere.

On Grizzly Man

Timothy Treadwell is in one word an individual. To go out into the wild, to separate yourself from the civilized population and immerse yourself in the world of the animals is, to me, simply amazing. I watched the documentary with a mixture of fear, wonderment and skepticism. I mean, here was a man who got as close to the bears (even more so) then any human would dare to.He was so passionate to this ideal that he was the only defender of the bears and he couldn''t leave them. One ecologist said from reading his letters 'he connected so deeply, he seemed no longer human'. He even voiced how 'he wanted to become a bear'.

Treadwell, had a purpose and though he pursued it in a unique way, he had his heart in the right place. Hertzog, who produced the documentary certainly helped the viewers to understand Timothy better. What with the various interviews of Treadwell's family and close acquaintances a picture of who this man was really came into focus. He had within him a wild streak, a deep and yet childish nature towards the grizzlies. He named them, he petted them, he showed his affection with his continuous 'i love you's and conversed with them as if they were children. Perhaps as one interviewee said, "he'd lost sight of what was really going on". There isn't anything wrong with wanting to connect with animals, to defend them; but there is a limit to it. As the biologist Van Daele puts it "we can never get into their world because they're different from us"

I'm especially appreciative of Hertzog taking the time to look at the different perspectives of Treadwell's work. Dr. Haakanson, curator of Autiqq Museum voices his displeasure at Treadwell's attempt to 'connect' with the grizzlies. In his culture, it was a form of disrespect "when i was growing up, we kept to ourselves and the bears kept to themselves". He felt it was wrong "you can't habituate bears to humans, then they'll think all humans are safe". His point is valid, though if you put it in reverse, there is the argument that having animals penned up in zoos or as pets to 'habituate' humans to them is equally wrong; we would all think snakes are harmless creatures so long as their fed, right?

I don't necessarily agree nor disagree with Treadwell's aim to protect: it kept him from having a life thrown away by drink and helped him to explore who he was, but maybe he did get a little carried away. Maybe he did trust the grizzlies, the most dangerous species on earth to the point that it led to his death. But then maybe, just maybe he was getting at something that we can't yet see or at least choose to ignore.

On Grizzly Man

Werner Herzog's documentary about the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell was simply amazing. I like the way Herzog incorporated Treadwell's footage of the bears to show how Treadwell interacted with them. I also liked how Herzog video taped people's opinions of Treadwell. I wanted to cry when the medical examiner explained Treadwell's death in great detail. Werner Herzog captured every essence of Timothy Treadwell in the "Grizzly Man", showing Treadwell at his best and worst moments.

When I found out that Timothy Treadwell lived among the bears for 13 summer's with no protective gear or weapons, I honestly thought Timothy was crazy. Who would really want to live among dangerous animals without protection? Timothy Treadwell did. In the documentary, Treadwell expressed his love for the bears. They were his friends. He sounded crazy but I respected the way he expressed his love for the bears. He vowed not to hurt them. He wanted to protect them from the hunters and help them get food when there was a decline in rain fall. He truly cared for these animals but they didn't care about him. He seemed to lose touch of reality when he dealt with the bears. He was living in la-la land with these bears forgetting that in any moment they could attack him. He said, "I love these bears, I would die for these bears." He loved the bears and died for the bears. It was sad how he died but I honestly believe he didn't fight back. He didn't want to harm the bear even if he was being harmed and I respect him for that.

Timothy Treadwell's perception of nature and wild animals was inspiring. I smiled every time he called the bears and fox his friend. He said, "I'm a spirit of the forest," and he truly was. Werner Herzog's perception of nature and wild animals seemed to be some-what similar to Treadwell's. I think Herzog agreed with Treadwell's opinions but not his tactics. In my opinion Herzog thought the bears and nature should be left alone. I think Treadwell was a eccentric and passionate man, whose mission in life was to protect the bears and I respect him for that.