Grizzly Man is a documentary produced in 2005 by Discovery Docs and Lions Gate Entertainment. Grizzly man depicts Timothy Treadwell’s lifework. Timothy spent thirteen summers in Alaska at Katmai National Park. He meticulously filmed over 100 hours of video and repeated narrative takes up to 15 times. Timothy had a unique relationship with the animals he encountered. He was searching for himself and believed that bears gave him life where he had none. He connected to the bears and mimicked their actions. He wanted the bears to accept him as one of their own. His colleagues either respected his relationship with bears or thought he was crazy and going to get himself killed. His love and awe of these deadly creatures led to his death. A bear killed Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend …show more content…
Amie Huguenard in 2003. Reflection The film suggests that man and nature are intertwined. Timothy had a passion for animals. When life got hard and he felt lost, it was the bears that gave him hope. He said they gave him a life where he had none.
His passion for animals helped give him a sense of who he was again. He believed man could be one and live in harmony with all animals. He would spend his summers watching and interacting with grizzly bears. He named each of them and talked to them like a friend. He tried to understand their way of life. He picked up several of their characteristics. He even tried to scare off these dangerous animals and try to be the alpha. He wanted so much to be one of their own he did not really perceive the danger he was in. He had no form of protection and most of the time was alone. The pilot would not be back until the meet time at the end of the season. He was essentially on his own in their habitat. As much as he loved the animals, I do not think the severity of the situation was real to him. Bears are a very wild animal. Ultimately, this choice to travel without any protection led to his demise. It is great to think that man and nature can become one. We all could use to think more about animals. We have endangered so many species by cutting down forests and destroying their homes. Future generations will miss out on the beauty of animals such as the tiger,
grizzly bears, polar bears, wolfs, elephants, leopards, gorillas, rhinos, whales, dolphins, and the list just keeps going with more adding all the time. We should not go to the extremes that Timothy did but we could be more conscious of our actions. We are not the only living thing on this planet. Each animal has its own purpose like the bees that pollinate the flowers. Without the flowers being pollinating there are certain herbal medicines we would not have anymore. We would not have beautiful spring flowers that grace our flowerbeds. We would not be able to send flowers to a sick family member or give them to a spouse. We would lose all the beauty and joy they bring. We need to find a way to keep the balance. We have massive amounts of space for buildings and shopping centers without tearing down more areas for animals. By tearing down their homes, they move into our city areas and cause us problems. We have deer, raccoons, possums, and field mice that have nowhere to go. They end up bugging us and people end up killing them. We need more areas designated for nature preserves where they can build their homes. Timothy understood the beauty and importance of these creatures. Timothy got people’s attention. We may think he was a little crazy but he got attention for the animals. He was able to show people what they are like. He helped by bringing awareness to animals and setting up a foundation. His foundation taught people about animals. He wanted people to recognize how some are becoming extinct. He loved all animals and wanted to live in harmony with them. He gave his life for them.
situations. He went to Alaska unprepared which cost him his life. He left his family without
All three adventurers displayed their affection for the wilderness through how they lived after leaving society. After reaching Fairbanks, Alaska, McCandless set up his camp and began to live off the wildlife nearby. In his journal, he noted what he caught each day and showed his gratefulness through his writing font. He believed that “it [wildlife] was morally indefensible to waste any part of an animal that has been shot for food” (166). He tried his best to preserve the animals he shot for food, which in turn displayed his thoughts of nature as something precious.
In this paper Martin is arguing that late quaternary or near time extinctions where caused by human activity or as he calls it “overkill”. Martin recognizes that there have been many forces that have triggered extinctions in the planet on the past but disagrees with the idea that near time extinctions where caused by some commonly believed causes like climate change, disease or nutrient shortage. He argues that the arrival of humans to different continents, islands and the subsequent excessive hunting, the introduction of diseases and other competitors and predators was the cause of extinction of a great number of species “As our species spread to various continents we wiped out their large
With all of that said, Herzog presents Timothy as looking both foolish and in a sense irresponsible for going to the Alaskan wilderness alone to watch and study grizzly bears without any prior training with the animals. Never shying away from how Timothy died, Herzog had an obligation to document ethically and truthfully, but in a way did not to the full extent. Though even the national park rangers claimed he was harassing the wildlife, Timothy truly believed in what he was doing and was wrongfully portrayed for who he was. In Introduction to Documentary: Second Edition by Bill Nichols (pg. 138), Nichols even states that “Grizzly Man explores the life of a specific disenfranchised and/or marginalized individual,
Although it may be true that Chris McCandles was stubborn, people should consider that he had family problems, he loved nature and he also had an adventurous spirit. I believe that the motives that led him to the wild were family problems and emotional damage as well as his love of nature and his adventurous spirit. In Chris’s journal it seemed like he had lived for 113 days in that “magic bus” but in his last days he had written that “death looms” and that he was “too weak to walk out”. There are many evidence that connect with family problems as well as his adventurous spirit. As I go on with this essay I will state my theory on why Chris was led into the wild as well as evidence that support my claim.
To start with, McCandless was not someone who gave up. Despite others trying to scare him out of continuing with his journey into the Alaskan wilderness, nothing deterred McCandless. He anxiously awaited to experience life off the land. The people McCandless encountered on his way to Alaska often commented on his determination. Jim Gallien, a man who drove McCandless into the Alaska interior, described McCandless as “real gung-ho”. McCandless's attempt to undertake such a risky endeavour is something to admire in itself. To travel two years, mostly on foot, is certainly not an easy task. However, McCandless still persevered through the hardships he faced throughout his journey. McCandles...
seem to be lacking common sense and was also unprepared for the wild. He made friends very
... every aspect of his life whether it be his education, physical endurance, or making it through the Alaskan wilderness with nothing more than a rifle, a backpack, and a road map. Chris was aware of his differences and that he did not fit into society. He fully embraced that and and chose to lead his own path. Chris led a happy life according to one of his last journal entries he wrote, “I have had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!” (Krakauer 199). Chris was willing to risk everything to gain that happiness. His ambition to enter the wilderness, in the end, took his life but that did not stop him. He would have rather died a happy man than lived a miserable one. Chris ventured out into the wilderness and found himself; a tragic story for a tragic hero.
... middle of paper ... ... He did not turn into an animal, who only thinks of survival, but he shared his food with the people he loved. Therefore, one can conclude that one can see the theme of inhumanity through survival.
Living in the wilderness is difficult, but understanding the meaning of such lifestyle is even more difficult. One of the Christopher’s admirable qualities was that he was well aware of what he was doing. He knew about the difficulties and dangers that he would face into the wilderness, and was mentally prepared for that. Author Jon Krakauer says that “McCandless was green, and he overestimated his resilience, but he was sufficiently skilled to last for sixteen weeks on little more than his wits and ten pounds of rice. And he was fully aware when he entered the bush that he had given himself a perilously slim margin for error. He knew precisely what was at stake” (182). McCandless was an educated youth, who loved nature and dreamed of living in the Alaskan wilderness. Although he ignored to take many necessary things with him on this
He went through many obstacles that could have proved fatal. From canoeing in the Colorado River to picking the right berries, he was testing his intelligence. Chris had a true confidence in the land and in himself to set out on a mission so dangerous. “Wilderness appealed to those bored or disgusted with man and his works. It not only offered an escape from society but also was an ideal stage for the Romantic individual to exercise the cult that he frequently made of his own soul. The solitude and total freedom of the wilderness created a perfect setting for either melancholy or exaltation” (Nash; Krakauer 157). Chris longed to escape from society and rely on only mother nature. An innumerable amount of people desire to withdraw from society as Chris did; but they are so comfortable and secure with a normal life they do not dare take such a gutsy
Treadwell believed that he was part of the Grizzly Bear community. He believed that he was on the same level of hierarchy as the bears. This is proven by how he interacted with the animals. He would talk to them, play with the cubs, and also scolded them when they did something bad (Grizzly Man). He wouldn’t hesitate when he approached the bears and he called them all by name. He even had foxes come up to his camp site. He yelled at one of them when it stole his hat and he even chased after it and scolded it. Also on an interview with David Letterman he said that “it was important that the bears know that he fits on their hierarchy.”
All in all, it is interesting how the trials of life can lead a person into an awakening that inspires millions. Many people believe that walking “into the wild” to live off the land and find himself alone in nature was arrogant, foolish and irresponsible. Chris lacks of knowledge about the wild was a major factor in his death. Chris did not plan how he will survive in the wilderness without proper equipments. He misunderstood that he would have no problem in setting in the wild. Chris immature manner and decisions lead him to starvation and ultimately death. If he planned it out in the beginning he would have saved his life.
The only world the man truly accustomed to, is his own. Never being exposed to such a harsh climate. draws us to the conclusion that the environment is the determining factor. of his survival, as well as his dogs too. Anything that the man and his dog comes into contact with, creates an anticipation for disaster in the story.
McCandless is a very independent person, a person with high hopes, that has a lot of courage, and is a very brave man for going out by himself in the wild of Alaska of the Stampede Trail. Chris McCandless had a lot of courage on going to Alaska by himself at a young age. While Chris was at any city or anybody’s house, he was ready to go to Alaska. But while he was there, close to the end of his life, he left a note on the back of the bus saying, “S.O.S I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here i am all alone, this is no joke. In the name of god, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return by evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?” Chris McCandless was by himself at the time. He shows his courage because while by himself, he went back out even though he was near death. He went out for food. Food for his health. That shows how much courage he had for his trip. Chris McCandless encouraged many young men to ...