The question of man’s ability to live in harmony with nature is one as old as humanity itself. The problem then becomes can humanity truly control nature. This is the question John McPhee seeks to answer in “The Control of Nature”. Like any good investigator McPhee begins by asking simple questions to those who have seen first hand some mankind’s most ambitious attempts at domesticating nature’s brute force. While McPhee does not comment specifically as to what the answer might be to the book’s question, he leaves the evidence for the reader to make their own decision as to man’s ability to conquer nature. McPhee looks to empower the reader so that they might make their own decision when confronted with how humanity, as a whole, must live with …show more content…
For example, when describing the mouth of the Mississippi River McPhee writes “like a pianist playing with one hand—frequently and radically changing course, surging over the left or the right bank to go off in utterly new directions” we are given a useful metaphor in imagining something that would otherwise be difficult to conceptualize. One of the most poignant and revealing phrases from McPhee comes shortly after this when describing Louisiana’s current predicament when faced with the Mississippi River’s constantly changing nature: “For the Mississippi to make such a change was completely natural, but in the interval since the last shift Europeans had settled beside the river, a nation had developed, and the nation could not afford nature.” As McPhee goes on to point out, the Mississippi is not the only natural force that causes a nation to think in this …show more content…
Flooding is not the only risk faced by these communities, however. As rivers of any size tend to do, the Mississippi is in a constant state of changing course, particularly close to the end of it’s journey to the Gulf of Mexico. McPhee gives us a glimpse into the war that Americans have been waging on the river’s relentless attempts at changing directions. There is a lot at stake when talking about hundreds of square miles filled with towns and communities that would be destroyed if the river had its way. More so, it is the will of the large corporations that make residence in these towns that bend the will of the government to their bidding, going as far as recruiting the Army Corps to erect massive structures in an attempt to divert the path of the water. McPhee gives us many examples of these structures, coupled by those who oversee their well being. Many report that they are no match for the Mississippi’s might. Men such as LeRoy Dugas who have overlooked some of these ambitious projects since their birth in the early 60’s. There is a sort of somber undertone in almost all of the conversations McPhee has with these workers, they seem share a slow decay in hope for man’s ability to control the
Barry defines the Mississippi’s unpredictability through an “uncoiling rope.” One cannot experience an act such as that of an uncoiling rope, in it’s smooth, but quick movements. Its destination cannot be anticipated and its course of action can only be speculated. By using a single phrase, like “uncoiling rope,” Barry guides his audience to a complete picture of the fascinating Mississippi. He gives life to the Mississippi by relating it to a snake. His snake-related diction, such as “roils” and “uncoiling” present the river with lifelike qualities that extend Barry’s purpose in saying that the incredible river can actually stand on it’s own. Furthermore, Barry describes the river in similes in order to compare the Mississippi to a snake, in a sense of both power and grace. The river “devours itself”, “sucking” at the surface around it, and “scouring out holes” in its depths. Barry’s combination of personifying diction and similes provide his audience with a relation in which one understands the Mississippi’s paradox of strength and unpredictability, and
John M. Barry's Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America, takes us back 70 years to a society that most of us would hardly recognize.
The purpose of this essay is to examine and analyze Katrine Barber's book, "Death of Celilo Falls". In this book, Barber successfully seeks to tell the story of a momentous event in the history of the West, the building of the Dalles Dam in 1957. Celilo Falls was part of a nine-mile area of the Long Narrows on the Columbia River. Despite the fact that the Celilo Village still survives to this day in the state of Oregon (it is the state's oldest continuously inhabited town), the assembly of The Dalles Dam in 1957 changed the way of life for the surrounding areas forever. Barber tells this story very well, and as it is the first book-length account of the inundation of Celilo Falls, it is a very valuable and insightful look at an influential event in the history of the American West. Barber's purpose for writing the book is summed up in the introductory chapter of the book when she says, " this book examines what happened to two neighboring communities when a large public dam was built adjacent to them." (pg. 9). She goes on to say "This is not a story about impersonal federal force swooping down to rearrange two defenseless communities: it explores relationships between federal representatives and local residents, as well as between residents of The Dalles and Celilo Village." (pg. 9). Barber argues that the Columbia River and those living in its vicinity would never again be the same. The effects of the building of the dam have impacted society up until this very day, with Barber describing the dam as "a tangible reminder if the complexity of Indian-white treaties and their ongoing negotiation, the simultaneous promise and destruction of progress, the loss of a natural river and the life it sustained, and the transformative power ...
Man has destroyed nature, and for years now, man has not been living in nature. Instead, only little portions of nature are left in the world
The fallout of the 1927 flood demonstrates the one of many continuing struggle in dominating the Mississippi River despite understanding the true nature of the river. For example, “The average gauge readings through the last three months of 1926… of the three largest rivers… was the highest ever known… no one at the Weather Bureau or the Mississippi River Commission correlated or even compiled this information” (pg 175). The failure in understand the nature of the river prelude to more elaborate control schemes by expanding the federal government’s responsibility in seizing full control of the Mississippi River from states jurisdiction. The U.S Army Corps of Engineers is fully responsible in constructing va...
In Notes from the Underground, the narrator claims that the natural world follows its own rules and laws regardless of human desires. He describes this by saying that “Nature doesn’t ask your permission; it doesn’t care about your wishes or whether you like its laws or not. You’re obliged to accept it as it is and consequently all its results as well” (13). It is not as though nature cares if humans are content with what it is doing, it acts by its own will so much that humans cannot try to control or alter it, they can only adapt.
The Question of Control as Presented in Jurassic Park According to Arnold Pacey How could one describe the relationship between humans and nature? Perhaps it is one of control, a constant struggle between the power of the elements and the sophistication of human mechanization. Could it be one of symbiosis, where man and nature coexist in relative peace? Are we, as a species, simply a part of nature’s constantly changing realm? This issue is one that philosophers have debated for centuries. Where does mankind fit into the vast network of interacting environments and beings called nature? From the beginning of time, we have attempted to set ourselves apart from the rest of Earth’s creatures. Given the ability to reason, and to feel, and most importantly, to choose, we find ourselves with "the impulse to master and manipulate elemental force" (Pacey 86). We must fight, we must advance, and we must control all these elements of the natural world. But just how much of that world do we control? Surely people attempt and perceive control over nature, but do they succeed? The question of control, over nature in specific, is one of the prevalent themes that runs through Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. This novel is set on a small island off the coast of Costa Rica called Isla Nubar. On this island, construction of a new, virtuostic, state of the art park is almost complete, when a gathered team of paleontologists, businessmen, and a mathematician arrive to approve of the park opening. All seems well until the "experts" lose control of the park, leaving the main attractions, genetically engineered dinosaurs, free to roam and hunt. This loss of control further contributes to the downward spiral the park experiences, resulting in numerous deaths. How, one might ask, could a team of technicians and experts let something like this happen? The answer is simple. They over-estimated their perceived sense of control over one of the world’s most unpredictable forces… nature. The theme of man’s perceived control over nature is one that Crichton has masterfully incorporated into his novel. The actions of the park experts present to the reader the false idea "that the proper role of man is mastery over nature" (Pacey 65). Mankind has always attempted to achieve this mastery, and the construction of Jurassic Park is a perfect example. Crichton uses the character of Ian Malcolm to constantly present this theme.
Nature causes life, beautiful scenery, and a place for humans to live. Nature also causes death, sickness, and worldwide disasters. One can view nature with an optimistic or pessimistic outlook. Some people go through life by taking nature for granite and not realizing that they live at the mercy of nature. Comparatively, there are groups of people who view the nature with all the beauty it provides. The Native Americans’ treated nature with great respect; however, the Europeans did not hold nature in a high regard. The Native American cosmology allowed the land and other living creatures to be treated with great spiritual respect and with the notion that nature is more important than man. The first Europeans who came to the New World thought of land as a place to make profit and living
Floods that affected Memphis Tennessee have become a part of history, made devastating impacts, and have solutions. The floods in Memphis may not be a major chapter in history, but it has shaped the growth of Memphis. The impact leaves scars on many people and on others small scratches, but either way a very diminutive amount of people would wish for this misfortune. Several would rather have a solution to prevent floods from the river or an immense amount of rainfall. Society has experienced these floods almost yearly, but some have been more detrimental and hazardous, which could lead to a build-up of traumatic events landing that flood in history and impacting Memphis for years. Solutions to floods should be executed as soon as possible so no one will have to face the loss of something precious.
Human beings have made much of purity and are repelled by blood, pollution, putrefaction (Snyder, 119). Nature is sacred. We are enjoying it and destroying it simultaneously. Sometimes it is easier to see charming things than the decomposition hidden in the “shade”.We only notice the beautiful side of nature, which are benefits that nature brings us: food, fresh air, water, landscapes. But we forget the other side, the rottenness of human destruction. That is how human beings create “the other side of the sacred”. We cut trees for papers, but we fail to recognize that the lack of trees is the lack of fresh air. Therefore, it is crucial to acknowledge “the other side of the
Petersen, Jennifer. “Mississippi’s History.” Let’s Take A Look at Mississippi. Great Neck Publishing, 2010: 7. Magnolia Database. Web. 26 August 2013.
The external conflict of nature against man never becomes resolved, as nature ends the man and his goals. For example, the severe cold weather prevented the man fro...
“Man masters nature not by force but by understanding. This is why science has succeeded where magic failed: because it has looked for no spell to cast over nature”. From the beginning of time man and nature has been in conflict with one another because, as a whole, there is no cooperating. Each one tirelessly wants its way. The Man is fighting for dominance and nature w never yielding its authority. In American Literature, many authors illustrate this theme in their writing. Specifically the writers Jack London in The Law Of Life, Stephen Crane The Open Boat and Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Fin. Each explores the relationship between humans and nature but with slightly different methods. Mark Twain uses nature in a realistic way, Jack London in a naturalistic way and Stephen Crane constitutes a combination of both.
In his essay, The Ethics of Respect for Nature, Paul Taylor presents his argument for a deontological, biocentric egalitarian attitude toward nature based on the conviction that all living things possess equal intrinsic value and are worthy of the same moral consideration. Taylor offers four main premises to support his position. (1) Humans are members of the “Earth’s community of life” in the same capacity that nonhuman members are. (2) All species exist as a “complex web of interconnected elements” which are dependent upon one another for their well-being. (3) Individual organisms are “teleological centers of life” which possess a good of their own and a unique way in which to pursue it. (4) The concept that humans are superior to other species is an unsupported anthropocentric bias.
To understand the nature-society relationship means that humans must also understand the benefits as well as problems that arise within the formation of this relationship. Nature as an essence and natural limits are just two of the ways in which this relationship can be broken down in order to further get an understanding of the ways nature and society both shape one another. These concepts provide useful approaches in defining what nature is and how individuals perceive and treat