Summary Of The Trouble With Wilderness William Cronon

Journal Entry #16: The Trouble with Wilderness by William Cronon – April 1, 2018

Our Perception of Wilderness

“For many Americans, wilderness stands as the last remaining place where civilization, that all too human disease, has not fully infected the earth (Cronon). I think that his choice of words in this phrase – particularly “disease” and “infected” – is very interesting, and sets the tone of the essay.

We regard wilderness as “the best antidote to our human selves” (Cronon), but…wilderness is actually “a product of civilization, and could hardly be contaminated by the very stuff of which it is made” (Cronon).

Seeing wilderness as a cultural invention seems to be Cronon’s general point of view. The definition of wilderness has changed

over time. It was not anything “positive” before, as it is now… “It had little or nothing to offer civilized men and women” (Cronon).
Sublime (old view) vs. Frontier (New/American view): “Wilderness” has different images accordingly to moral values and cultural symbols” (Cronon).
“Wilderness can get us into trouble only if we imagine that this experience of wonder and otherness is limited to the remote corners of the planet, or that it somehow depends on pristine landscapes we ourselves do not inhabit” (Cronon).
Cronon's essay on the wilderness is very eye-opening.

He pointed out many ideas and concepts that most people have never thought about, or even realized in the first place. At the end of the essay, he writes: "Learning to honor the wild - learning to remember and acknowledge the autonomy of the other - means striving for critical self-consciousness in all of our actions". This lack of self-consciousness in our actions is what can cause "trouble", as he mentions in the essay. I think that this concept goes for any other topic. Acknowledgment and self-awareness is extremely important. Why do we do things, say things, believe things? What influences us? There is always an influence to everything. Regarding the topic of wilderness, it was the moral values and cultural symbols that had a strong influence on the views of wilderness. The concept of wilderness today is very much different than that of the earlier centuries, and I learned that we must acknowledge and be aware of this. The underlining idea of this essay is that we humans created the idea of wilderness. The term has evolved and changed throughout the centuries, and it was very interesting to come to this

realization.
Research question: Did civilization “create” wilderness? What is the connection between wilderness and civilization?
The answer to this question may be subjective, but there are professionals, other than William Cronon, who believe that civilization did, indeed, create wilderness. Professor Roderick Nash of University of California explains that wilderness is a moral resource, and that “human cultures have seen an extraordinary intellectual revolution in recent centuries that has transformed their view of wilderness from a liability to an asset” (Nash). This “transformation” has been promoted by the recreational, scenic, and spiritual values that use humans as the measure of value. His views are extremely similar to that of William Cronon’s.

Week 12 Discussion: Front Lines by Gary Snyder – April 8, 2018
Wilderness vs. Civilization
I think that all of the nature writers that we have studied so far have interesting views, and I agree, at least to a certain extent, with most of them. I like to keep my mind open and hear all sides of the story. Overall, like any other environmentalist, I agree that nature is something that has high value, and that we need to preserve it as much as possible. I think that wilderness is extremely important and has intrinsic value – it is definitely something we must respect. Wilderness has been around way longer than civilization, or any other species, and I think that we sometimes forget how important it is. I would say that my view on nature is the most similar to that of Thoreau’s, except that I do not necessarily despise civilization. I think that there definitely is a way for nature and civilization to coexist, and not ruin each other. However, at this rate, I do not believe it will happen – at least not any time soon. However, I think it is important that people become educated on why and how nature is important, and why we should preserve it. Once more people begin to realize its importance and start taking action, that would be a good start.
Snyder’s Front Lines had a very aggressive tone, and he went straight to the point. Snyder describes the hatred for loggers and realty companies, as he connects them to the destruction of the forests. He also uses harsh words such as “cancer”, “grinding”, and “slobbering”. His point of this poem is rather simple – to stop the destruction, as it is an evil act. I do not personally refer to such harsh words of disgust when describing the unfortunate situations of the clearing/logging of trees, but then again, that could be because I have never witnessed any of those situations before. I also admit that I am not too educated about the subject, but I definitely want to be. Maybe if I knew more, or was more involved, I would feel the things that Snyder describes in his poem, at the way civilization treats nature. Snyder could have personal reasons for such an approach to his poem. However, I agree with his idea overall.
Research question: What do people specifically “feel” when they are in the wilderness?
There have been a number of studies conducted by researchers on the relationship between the wilderness experience and spirituality.

According to these studies, people visit the wilderness for spiritual benefits. Some of these benefits include feeling stronger spiritually, gaining a sense of peace and serenity, and experiencing a sense of oneness with nature and the cosmos (Heintzman). Some visit the wilderness as “an escape from a hectic daily life and the opportunity for reflection and solitude” (Heintzman). There are those who feel “physical benefits” as they go to the wilderness for fitness/exercise. However, most studies found that majority of the people who visit the wilderness are there for a spiritual

experience.
Week 13 Discussion: Paraphrase of Four Changes by Gary Snyder – April 21, 2018
Problem of Civilization
“We are the first human beings in history to have all of humanity’s culture and previous experience available to our study – the first members of a civilized society since the early Neolithic to wish to look clearly into the eyes of the wild and see our selfhood, our family, there. We have these advantages to set off the obvious disadvantages of being as screwed up as we are – which gives us a fair chance to penetrate into some of the riddles of ourselves and the universe.” – Four Changes by Gary Snyder
Paraphrase: Today, we live in a world where everything is available to us. There are many things since the Neolithic that are available for our use – to study and learn from them, to use that information for a better tomorrow, a better world. There are endless amounts of information that is provided to us, yet, we fail to use them correctly. Or we do not use them at all. We do not use the past successes and failures to better ourselves. This is one thing that needs to change – we should study and learn about our past, our history, and let it help us find answers to the problems of today.
The way Snyder explains this problem of “transformation” is as if he is totally making fun of humans, of simply how ridiculous it is to not use our available resources to better ourselves and our environment. It is interesting the way he approaches this topic – the way he explains how something that seems rather simple, we do not do. Something tells me that Snyder thinks that humans are selfish and lazy in general. I agree with his ideas overall, and makes me wonder the same thing. I believe that as advanced as civilization becomes, the more materialistic we become. It is so easy to be carried away by material things, and just set aside the issues that truly matter. 
Research question: Who is Gary Snyder, and what inspired him to become involved in the environment?
Gary Snyder was born in 1930 in California. Eventually, he and his family relocated to the Pacific Northwest. Later on, they moved to Portland, Oregon, where Snyder spent solitary time hiking in the forests. This was where he got his inspiration that later appeared in his works of poetry. He studied literature and anthropology in college, and was interested in learning about Far Eastern culture. Around this time, he began his “life-long dedication to the defense of the natural world”. In 1950, he published his first poems on mountaineering and wilderness. He seemed to have worked at many jobs that involved the environment. From reading his biography, I can tell that he has always has been interested in nature, and that it intensified as he grew older. It is also evident that he has always cared for the environment’s sustainability. I think it is amazing how poetry and writing gives you many options to be creative – you can write about anything. In this case, Snyder used his talent for poetry to send the message out about the importance of the environment.

Works Cited
Cronon, William. "The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong
Nature." Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, william Cronon, W. W. Norton & Co., 1995, pp. 69-90,
www.williamcronon.net/writing/Cronon_Trouble_with_Wilderness_1995.pdf.
Heintzman, Paul. "The Wilderness Experience and Spirituality: What Recent Research Tells
Us." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, vol. 74, no. 6, 2003, pp. 27. ProQuest, https://login.ezproxy.chaminade.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.chaminade.edu/docview/215759927?accountid=28738.
Lewis, Leon. "Gary Snyder." Research Guide to Biography & Criticism, vol. 6, Feb. 1991, p.
707. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.chaminade.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.chaminade.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=b6h&AN=17057073&site=brc-live.
Nash, Roderick Frazier. "Power of the Wild." New Scientist, vol. 173, no. 2336, 30 Mar. 2002, p.
42. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.chaminade.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.chaminade.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=6555129&site=ehost-live.
Snyder, Gary. "Four Changes." The Old Ways, online ed., City Lights Books, 1977. Modern
American Poetry, www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/s_z/snyder/snyderessays.htm.
Snyder, Gary. "Gary Snyder - Front Lines / As the crickets' soft autumn hum." I Was Once
Young, blogged by Liam, Blogspot, 27 Oct. 2008, iwasonceyoung.blogspot.jp/2008/10/gary-snyder-front-lines-as-crickets.html.