First off, I want to state that my understanding of ecocriticalism comes from the relationship between nature and literature. That being said, I see Ecocriticalism as the thought of the Environment not just being a setting or place in literature but actually becoming the main character in a book or novel. By giving the environment life like it truly has, the environment is no longer abiotic or background information, to the environment becoming the main focus and a biotic factor. Too many people see the environment as a commodity rather than an element that is ever changing and growing in all of our lives.
My ecocritical or environmental interests range from a variety of answers. I'm very intrigued with natural disasters as they seem to be occurring more frequently as I age (even though I've been on this earth for 20 years), I'm fascinated with the study of these catastrophic storms as they affect and endanger not only our lives, but ecosystems, and economies all along the biosphere. As a reader majoring in environmental studies I would like to grasp a lot more knowledge based on whether we are accelerating these storms or whether this is nature running its course.
I'm also very interested in sustainability because I believe it is the best and most productive way to sustain and use energy. Now whether that sustainability be from architecture by using solar panals to power cities or vegetation that covers cities to enrich and feed the population. These examples are what I see the world coming together and completing in order to sustain human life in a healthy non-toxic to the ozone layer way. As we talked about in classs and read through Thoreu I find myself agreeing with that in order to fully buy into environmentalism you must first show empathy and attachment. Without displaying these necessary traits, there will be no environment left to care for and keeep us healthy and I would argue sane. Without nature to be in and to love, I believe I would go insane. Like Frances Hodgson Burnett who is famous in american childrens literature for simply writing a book "The Secret Garden" she talks about self-healing by merely going outside and experiencing nature on a nice day. This I can relate to tremendously as when ever something has me down if it is a nice sunny day or a rainy day I find myself just observing to see that nature carries on, life goes on no matter how you feel. Being in nature and staring at trees sway in the wind is as mesmerizing as staring into the ocean watching the waves crash or watching a fire crackle in a fire pit. You start to understand that life is not just about us and we are not the center of anything. Humans these days are very self centered and egotistical where a nice day is ruined because of video games and technology. I feel that my generation was the last generation to experience actualy childhoods. There were no smart phones or PS4's or Xbox's, for fun we would go outside, ride bikes, or shoot hoops.
I find myself conflicted on what direction I want to go with a final project in this course, between trying to reach out and help America's youth to not be addicted to technology, or to the study and literature on these ever so destructive storms that get worse by the months. I feel there is a lot of information to be absorbed in both subjects as depression in teens skyrocket and as people are displaced day after day by either floods or fires.
Comments