Christina Elgin ENG 1920 Portfolio

Field Experience Journal Entry #8

Christina Elgin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:49:14 +0000

When I found out that I would be hiking through the mountains as part of required coursework for this class, I was horrified. I did not think I could see the beauty in the rugged terrain of a woodland area. When I picture myself feeling perfectly at peace and happy, I am not in the woods. However, visiting Crowder’s Mountain and Dupont State Forest forced me to look past the original impressions I held of nature. I realized that when all of the seemingly ugly or uninteresting elements of nature come together, they can create something truly breath-taking. When we got up to the top of Crowder’s Mountain, I was sincerely disappointed because it was so foggy I could barely see anything. But once the fog cleared slightly, I was able to see the beautiful valley of trees below me, and I was finally forced to look around and take notice of the nature around me. Hiking through Dupont State Forest was a similar experience; I do not enjoy hiking but I was in awe of the cascading waterfalls that seemed to have been sculpted by a master artist. Even though I still prefer to not spend time hiking in the woods, I learned that I can still appreciate the simplistic beauty and tranquility of nature.

Having completed the field experiences, I do not think my values have changed; I still have the same perception of what is right versus what is wrong, and I think the principles that were important to me before are still important to me now. However, having spent time observing and reflecting in nature and researching how humans are damaging nature, I think more about what is right versus what is wrong in terms of nature as well. My values in this respect have changed because I think more about how my values apply to nature, which is something I had not done before the field experiences. The field experiences also showed me a change in opinion and in beliefs. Before going to Crowder’s Mountain and Dupont State Forest, I thought that nature was something that is not for everyone and that not everyone can feel comfortable in nature. After doing the field experiences, I learned that everyone can connect in some way with nature. There was one quote we reflected on during one of our field experiences that said nature makes everyone equal. That helped to change how my opinions and beliefs about nature because I had never considered how true that is. Before the field experiences, I thought of exploring nature as being trapped in the wilderness; I never thought about being in nature as simply being surrounded by elements untouched by humans. Doing the field experiences showed me that when someone is surrounded by nature, they are set free, not trapped. Another quote we reflected on that helped to change my opinions and beliefs was one that said everyone is made young again when in nature. This quote, like the first, showed me that everyone is made equal in nature, and that even if people view nature differently, they still see it with the wonder and amazement of children. Before the field experiences, I thought there was no way two people could look at nature through similar eyes because opinions and views are so subjective. I have learned that while it is true that opinions and beliefs about nature are subjective, there is a common way in which people look at nature that makes their opinions and beliefs connect.

At the beginning of this term, I defined nature as organic material that is not man-made. I still believe this to be the definition of nature because it is a very broad definition, and the term “nature” covers an entire gamut of places and areas. Nature can be the wooded areas deep in the middle of a forest, the open fields of the countryside, or the sandy edges of a beach. However, I think nature can be more specifically described also as something that was created before man and could never be re-created by man. Environment I defined as the place or space around someone. When I think of environment, I think of the place someone calls “home”; the place where they are most comfortable. I still think environment can be defined as the place around someone, but more specifically, I think it is the place in which someone feels the happiest. I thought of wilderness as somewhere more secluded than nature and as a part of nature not disturbed by man. I still think of wilderness as more rugged than nature; where an area in which civilization has established things like walking paths can still be considered nature, the wilderness would be destroyed by anything man-made because it would have lost its quality of being truly untouched. I do not think my field experiences changed how I would define these terms because when I did the field experiences, I learned more about appreciating nature, not about defining it.

The most important lesson I learned through this class and through the field experiences was that I can use nature to identify and to describe how I feel or have felt during specific events in my life. In my personal narrative, I had to really focus on finding a way to connect an event in my life to nature, which I thought would be impossible. I learned through this essay, however, that I can connect my life to nature. When, for example, I needed to explain a feeling of loneliness, the best way I could describe it was to say I felt trapped in the middle of an ocean. I never thought elements of nature would be able to describe me so well, but it turned out to be the best way to illustrate my feelings to the reader. The field experiences also helped me to connect to nature through connecting quotes from nature writers to what I was observing. This was something I had not done before in a class, so it really helped to teach me that I am capable of observing nature and paying attention to how I feel about nature and relate that to how other authors have described their own feelings about nature. For example, the field experiences from the trip to Dupont State Forest involved responding to quotes from pieces written by nature writers. Observing nature and connecting what I was seeing to what the authors wrote about taught me to be able to comprehend an author’s perspective of nature and to connect this perspective to my own.

The biggest challenge for me while writing the field experiences was connecting what I was observing with a given quote because often, the quotes were deeply philosophical and difficult to interpret. In this way they were similar to the reading journals we completed throughout the course because the pieces in those journals were difficult to understand at first because they were very philosophical at times. When I first read the quotes, I had to think for awhile to first determine what the speaker even meant. This became easier after completing more field experiences. However, even after determining the meaning of the quote, I had a difficult time at first finding something to relate the quote to my surroundings because writing about nature was unfamiliar to me. I am more familiar with academic writing, so making connections to a philosophical quote was difficult when I first began writing. I was able to overcome this by focusing on my surroundings and how I was feeling, which helped me to further understand what the speaker was thinking when they produced the quote. Once I made a connection to the quote, I was also able to explain it better in writing. I think it did help to actually be in nature while writing the field experiences because being in those surroundings helped me to fully understand what the quotes meant. I think if I tried to write the field experiences sitting at my desk or in the library, I would not have gotten the full meaning of the quote.

Doing the field experiences helped me to connect better to the natural world because they required more than simply looking at nature. In addition to making observations, I had to make connections between how I felt in nature to how other authors have felt in nature. Also, the pre-field experiences helped me to view both the natural world and myself differently. After these entries, I was able to view nature and the natural world as places that were important to me as a child because I found that some of my fondest childhood memories are connected in some way to nature. I also view myself differently because before this course and before completing the field experiences, I saw myself as someone with little appreciation for nature. I still see myself as someone who prefers modern conveniences to exploring the wilderness, but now I can see myself as someone who can also appreciate the calmness of nature.

Reading Journal Entry 8: René Dubos’ “A Family of Landscapes”

Christina Elgin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:14:05 +0000

In this piece, the author addresses how the modern landscape of Greece is a result of human forces such as deforestation and erosion. The place is immediately set as modern Greece, which is compared to the past landscape of Greece. He goes on to describe the current natural elements of Greece, such as “…thyme, lavender, sage, mint, and other aromatic plants.” The author views these elements as nature. The wooded areas of Greece have been obliterated by humans; therefore, the addition of a natural element such as pine trees does not feel like nature because humans have long since taken them away from the Greek landscape. The author also says, “The humanization of the Greek wilderness has been achieved at great ecological loss.” This indicates the author’s view of nature as something unaltered by humans, something “wild.” Later in the piece, the author shows his environment to be present-day Greece when he wonders about the landscape of Greece in the past, saying, “I have wondered whether the dark and ferocious divinities of the preclassical Greek period did not become more serene and more playful precisely because they had emerged from the dark forests into the open landscape.” The author does not know a lot for sure about the past landscape, which shows that his environment is the present landscape. Throughout the piece, the author demonstrates an ecological thought process because he is considered the effect humans have had on the Greek landscape and its natural elements. When the author says at the beginning of the piece, “Yet these landscapes derive much of their color and sculptural beauty from deforestation and erosion, the two cardinal sins of ecology,” he is showing an ecological thought process because he is addressing how nature has been changed. Later in the piece, the author addresses again how humans have altered nature, saying, “Today, the Ilissus is dry much of the year and, covered by a noisy roadway, serves as a sewer. There could not be a more dramatic symbol of the damage done by deforestation, erosion, and urban mismanagement.” This shows again the author’s ecological thinking and attention to the change in nature resulting from humans. At the end of the piece, the author connects his own ideas to those of another author, Edward Steichen, who published photos illustrating the “natural and humanized environments” humans are familiar with. In Edwin Way Teale’s “The Lost Woods,” he also makes connections between his own experiences and those of other authors. Dubos is able to see at the end of the piece that “admired landscapes” have been those altered by humans and is able to see the beauty in both elements of nature and elements of human creation.

Reading Journal Entry 7: Edwin Way Teale’s “The Lost Woods”

Christina Elgin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:12:18 +0000

In this piece, the author describes a wooded area he visited with his grandfather as a child that had a profound effect on the way he views nature. The first sentence of the essay establishes the place for the reader as December in Indiana. As the reader later finds out, the setting for this piece is in the author’s past, from when he was six years old. The author also expresses his environment in the piece as a country area, saying, “At first, we drove through familiar country – past Gunder’s big red barn, the weed lot and the school house.” Describing a “familiar country” indicates that this is the author’s environment, and the specific aspects of the environment named indicate a country area. In this piece, Teale describes the wooded area as nature, especially the trees. He touches on the definition of nature as something undisturbed by human-made creations, saying, “The fences soon disappeared and we rode out into open country, onto a wide, undulating sea of whiteness with here and there the island of a bush-clump.” Susan Fenimore Cooper also defines nature as something unenclosed by fences, which re-establishes this idea of nature. Later in the piece, the author describes parts of nature that at first glance appear to be something human-made. The author thought he saw snow-covered walls and igloos; in fact, “The walls were the corded stovewood; the igloos were the snow-clad piles of discarded branches.” His ability to make a connection between parts of nature and human-made objects demonstrates ecological thinking. Later, the author goes on to describe the various types of trees in the woods and how they are affected by animals in nature, such as shelled nuts from squirrels and holes from owls and woodpeckers. This shows how he thinks ecologically about his surroundings as a child. When looking back on his experiences in the woods, the author indicates he may not think as ecologically as he did as a child, saying, “Perhaps I failed to recognize the wooded tract as seen through the eyes of a small boy.” This addresses the idea that children are more attentive to nature and maybe think more ecologically. At the end of the piece, the author connects his own experiences to those of Henry Thoreau and John C. Merriam. Despite the similarities the author sees between his experiences and those of others, I think Emerson would disagree when he mentions “…the owner of the woods…” because Emerson defines nature as something not owned by any one person. The author’s ideas of how his past experiences helped to shape his current views of nature show the reader what ecological thinking and nature mean to people at different stages of their lives.

Reading Journal Entry 6: E.L. Grant Watson’s “Wave and Cliff”

Christina Elgin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:15:35 +0000

In this piece, the author goes into detail about how the waves in a specific coastal area work with the cliff and the rocks. In particular, the author pays close attention to how elements of nature fit together, saying, “That the sea-wave…should fit with such perfect adjustment to the rock-surface of the cliff is one of the most inevitable of natural things.” The author shows here that parts of nature such as the waves and the rocks were made to be together and to fit together. In addition to elements of nature fitting together, the author describes the unpredictable quality of nature, saying, “Its comings and goings are unpredictable, and the haphazard tossings of the seaweed declare what little one can know of the wind and sea currents.” The waves described in the piece will always crash into the cliff, but the force with which it does so is unpredictable, and the force these waves have on other elements of the sea is also unpredictable. The author’s description of the waves and the cliff establish the environment as a coastal area. Further establishing this is the mentioning of oyster-catchers who are near-by when the author is observing the waves and cliff. A specific coastal area, Gruinard Bay, is listed in the middle of the piece and can be considered the place the author is referring to. Throughout the piece, the author is deeply considering the coastal environment around him, which hints at an ecological thought process. This deep observation of nature also allows the author to make a connection between what he sees and life in general when he writes, “As the mood of attention deepens there seems to arise a kind of kinship and recognition between the tossed fronds of seaweed and the inner, secret happenings of life.” Without the ability to think ecologically, the author would not have been able to see how the seaweed’s experience with the sea waves can be compared to everyday life. At the end of the piece, the author makes an ecological conclusion to his observations, saying, “The cliff determines the shape that the wave must take at their meeting, and the waves, in the innumerable comings and goings, mould the cliff.” After observing the many connections between elements of nature, the author is able to conclude that the elements of nature truly work together to create a coastal environment, and that one element cannot exist without the other. A piece by Virginia Woolf, “The Death of a Moth,” offers a look at how elements of nature work against one another, which was the case for the moth and the forces of nature. This observation contradicts Watson’s point that elements of nature work well together and in fact fit together perfectly. I have not read another piece that observes the elements of nature working together perfectly as Watson describes; most of the pieces I have read are about the unpredictable and often violent forces of nature.

Reading Journal Entry 5: Virginia Woolf’s “The Death of a Moth”

Christina Elgin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:24:39 +0000

In this piece, Woolf immediately, yet briefly, establishes the environment and the place. The place in the piece is said to be “…a pleasant morning, mid-September…” This establishes the tone that the piece is set in early fall or late summer. The author also briefly mentions various aspects of a farmland area, such as fields and a plough, which demonstrates to the reader that the author’s environment is a farm area. Woolf’s perception of nature seems to revolve more around life as a part of nature; she chooses to focus specifically on a day-moth that is within her windowpane. While nature is often thought of as a place such as a wooded area or a lake, Woolf shows nature as living things as well. She describes what the moth’s presence is able to teach people, saying, “It was as if someone had taken a tiny bead of pure life and decking it as lightly as possible with down and feathers, had set it dancing and zig-zagging to show us the true nature of life.” By the moth being inside her windowpane, Woolf is able to see life as a part of nature. Later in the piece, the author demonstrates nature as a force that can work against something; in this case, nature is working against the moth. She sees the moth struggling inside the windowpane and imagines something from the outside somehow causing the moth’s obstacles. “Yet the power was there all the same, massed outside indifferent, impersonal, not attending to anything in particular.” While she tries to find the source of the moth’s struggles outside, she is unsuccessful. In a continuation of the moth’s struggle against nature, Woolf describes death as a force of nature, saying, “…nothing, I knew, had any chance against death.” Throughout the piece, the author demonstrates an ecological train of thought by spending so much time observing the moth and thinking about its struggles. She does not simply recognize the moth’s existence in her home, but wonders about what is causing it to struggle and considers nature as a force that works against it, ultimately causing the moth to die. Her ability to think so thoroughly about the moth allows her to also feel sympathy for it; without an ecological thought process, the author would not have been able to feel anything towards the moth and may not have even noticed its existence. In the pieces I have read so far, I have not come across an author who spends so much time thinking about and discussing an insect as a part of nature. However, in Mabel Osgood Wright’s “The Story of a Garden,” she thoroughly discusses birds and pays very careful attention to the habits of specific birds in her environment. In this sense, the two authors share a common interest in the living aspects of nature.

Field Experience Journal Entry #6

Christina Elgin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:08:58 +0000

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like the autumn leaves.” – John Muir

I love the peaceful sound of the lake water gently lapping against the edge of the pier and how the breeze is strong enough to remind me that it is autumn without making my fingers numb. Like the waterfalls, the water in the lake moves in one direction; however, unlike the waterfalls, the water in the lake changes with the direction of the wind. As the quote says, “The winds will blow their own freshness into you…” The fresh mountain air is quiet and serene except for the occasional call of a distant bird, which echoes as it bounces amongst the tops of the trees. The freshness of the air gives me a renewed energy, despite the effects of the long day that are beginning to set in.

The trees surrounding the lake are in varying stages of an autumn change; many of the evergreens and firs hold on to their rich emerald tones, while other varieties of trees display subtle changes in color. Other trees still have already begun to discard their leaves, as if letting go of all their cares in preparation for the long winter months in which they will have to endure fiercely cold weather without the leaves that had previously blanketed their branches. The leaves that have taken their descent from the tree branches float along in whichever direction the wind moves the lake water. Once the leaves become part of the lake, they become part of the way the lake water is under the control of the forces of nature.

The heavily clouded sky still allows for the occasional rays of sunshine to break through and sweep over the tops of the trees. For a moment, it is as if the trees and the lake are being illuminated by the heavens. The sight of the trees being lit up from above displays the peacefulness of nature and reminds me of forces larger than myself that control the world in which I live. The colors of the leaves are made more vibrant by the sunlight; emerald tones are made lighter, yellows become brighter, and oranges and reds appear to be ablaze like a fire.

Even when sitting on a pier on a calm autumn day, reading Muir’s quote reminds me of the possible storms nature can produce. On a stormy day, the lake water that is peaceful and serene today would rise in violent swells and crash into the pier with a deliberate intensity. Trees would sway uncontrollably from side to side with fierce and stormy winds, and the leaves would be forced off the tree branches before they were intended to.

Like the waterfalls, the changing of direction of the lake water because of the wind reminds me that water in nature continually moves forward and never looks back. While lake water can return to where it started, it never goes through a single day making the same journey as the day before or even the same journey it will make the next day. For me, as someone who enjoys being in control of situations, it is refreshing and reassuring to see something so out of control of its own path and at the same time so peaceful. Despite the constant and uncontrollable changes in direction, the water is always moving in a serene and tranquil fashion, reaching whichever shore it comes to first.

Field Experience Journal Entry #5

Christina Elgin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:07:49 +0000

I am surrounded by the crisp, cool autumn air and the sounds of the water cascading loudly over the rocks to a stream below; the sound reminds me of nature’s version of a television without a signal. The sound of water crashing down over the falls also reminds me of how waves at the beach would sound coming in if they were reaching a coastline of rocks instead of sand. Mist rises above the stream at the bottom of the first fall, and it is like watching nature release a gentle exhale in the dead of winter. As the water completes its journey at the bottom of the three falls, it settles into a calmer stream. The rocks around me, including the one on which I am sitting, are cool and wet from a previous rain shower and fallen leaves are glued to its surface like wallpaper. The wet rocks have a cool, earthy smell that complements the seasonally chilled air. Towering trees stand along either side of the falls, and most of the leaves have changed to a vibrant yellow or orange or have fallen to the rocks below. A soft breeze rustles the trees around me, forcing countless yellow leaves to dive and sway toward the ground.

The sun spreads its rays over the tops of the tallest trees, illuminating the vibrant new colors of the leaves. The towering height of the other trees casts a cold shade, and I suddenly feel unprotected against the fiercely cold wind. My fingertips are turning an unnatural shade of purple and are beginning to feel numb. Overhead, wisps of clouds move quickly through the blue sky, mimicking the fast movement of the waterfalls, yet traveling in the opposite direction. The rich green tones in the evergreen trees seem perfect for fall when surrounded by the changing colors of the leaves.

When Toni Morrison says, “All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was,” I believe she is referring to the way water forever moves in a single direction. The falls here will always force the water to move in the same direction; the water here will always follow the same path. The consistency of the flow of water in the stream demonstrates to people how they should look at their lives because many people spend too much time thinking about the past and wishing to go backward when the only real choice is to move forward. Once water has cascaded over a waterfall, it cannot return to the top. In this way, people can see the importance of living in the moment because many of the most important moments in our lives only happen once. The rocks along the way do not stop the water along its journey; instead, they help to propel the water on its way. Challenges and problems in peoples’ lives would be much easier to accept and move past if they could simply see the obstacles as a jumping off point and a chance to change.

This idea connects to the quote, “Loss of nothing but change, and change is Nature’s delight.” Throughout the year, nature is constantly changing because of the seasons; the leaves change color in the fall, then fall off the trees in the winter, start to emerge again in spring, and finally fully appear in summer. When trees lose their leaves, it is simply a change into the next phase of nature. If people could see loss as a change, it would be much easier to deal with and move past a loss.

Reading Journal Entry 4: Mabel Osgood Wright’s “The Story of a Garden”

Christina Elgin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:32:32 +0000

In this piece, the author describes nature more as the home for various birds and other animals rather than simply a place. Many of the flowers mentioned in the garden are personified to help establish nature. In one instance, the author says, “The wild rose in the chinky wall peeps shyly at her glowing sisters, and the goldenrod bows over it to gossip with the pentstemon.” This gives life to the plant life that makes the garden what it is. She describes how a bird, which is a part of nature, helped a little boy get past the shock of a public hanging, saying, “…through the bird Nature laid her warm hand on his heart and gently drew it toward their mutual Master, and never did he forget her consolation.” Including the public hanging in the piece gives the reader a sense of place because public hangings are occurrences from long ago. This also shows an understanding that nature is composed of not just physical objects, but actual beings as well. Animals, especially birds, and flowers are important parts of the author’s environment. She defines the garden in terms of the birds that live there and the plants that grow there. Like the piece by Celia Thaxter, the author mentions flower types by name, such as the fuchsias and heliotropes. This helps to establish an environment that is more unique to the author. Specific birds are named, such as the robin and English sparrow, which also illustrates the author’s exact environment. The author also describes nature within the garden as “wildness” with a “bit of green,” which are definitions of nature many people are familiar with. The author demonstrates an ecological thought process in a few places in the piece. She pays particular attention to the habits of birds, which are creatures of nature. An entire paragraph is devoted to a red-eyed vireo, who the author describes as “…quite shy at first, yet hung the nest over the path, so that when I passed to and fro her ruby eyes were on a level with me.” Because she has an ecological thought process, the author is able to see specific distinctions in the birds that reside in her garden. The author’s garden is one that is largely shared with nature. The author recognizes this by mentioning rabbits, saying, “…only remember when you plant the lettuce out, to dedicate every fourth head to the wild rabbits, who, even while you plant, are twitching their tawny ears under the bushes, and then you will suffer no disappointment.” She sees the rabbits as part of her garden and of her environment, so she makes sure to include them in her lifestyle. In her writing, the author displayed common opinions with several other authors. She describes nature as something untouched, saying, “The garden’s growth was nowhere warped or stunted by tradition; there was no touch of custom’s bondage to urge this or that.” The idea of nature being something untouched resembles the thought process and opinion of Emerson. Later, Wright says that “No rudeness had despoiled its primal wildness…” In a piece by Susan Fenimore Cooper, she writes about fences being “rude” because they inhibit nature. It was interesting to see two different authors reach the same conclusion about the rudeness of restraining nature. The entire piece had an interesting perspective about the living things in nature such as birds and animals.

Reading Journal Entry 3: Celia Thaxter’s “An Island Garden”

Christina Elgin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:31:17 +0000

The author of this piece describes the events leading up to, during, and after a tropical storm occurs in her town. She takes a lot of time to describe the various elements of nature, such as the sun beating down on the flowers in her garden during a drought. The author uses parts of nature to describe the effects of the drought on her garden, saying, “The patient flowers seem to be standing in hot ashes, with the air full of fire above them.” In this quote, she is describing how the sun is drying out the flowers in her garden because there is no rain to balance the dry heat. The detailed description of the sun’s heat and of the drought establishes the place of the piece as the summer months of an island. Her use of specific flower names, such as Sorrel, Crowfoot, and Potentilla, help to establish her environment as a garden within a tropical region of the world. Later in the piece, after the author has established the problem of a drought, a fierce storm occurs in her town. Her description of the storm, “Then over the coast-line the sky turns a hard gray-green, against which rises with solemn movement and awful deliberation an arch of leaden vapor spanning the heavens…,” establishes a more destructive side of nature. This side is not often shown in other pieces that praise nature’s beauty, so it was interesting to see an author describe all aspects of nature. She even goes on to describe the beauty of the storm, writing of its aftermath, “The clouds break away and show in the west glimpses of pure, melting blue, the sun bursts forth, paints a rainbow in the east upon the flying fragments of the storm, and pours a flood of glory over the drowned earth…” The author shows here that despite the destruction of the storm, she is still able to appreciate what it has done for her garden and the beauty of nature after a storm.

The entire piece revolves around the author’s description of nature, which demonstrates an ecological thought process because she is very aware of her surroundings, enough so to be able to notice the smaller pieces of it. The author describes after the storm how she had taken preventive measures with her flowers, saying, “…those inside the garden are safe because I took the precaution to run two rows of wire netting up and down through the beds for their support.” This shows the author thinking about her environment in a tropical area prone to storms and the sometimes harmful effects of nature and using this knowledge to protect something important to her.

While reading this piece, I noticed some small similarities between this author and other authors. This author’s environment is composed of many animals and insects in the garden, such as the pet hummingbird she helps bring back to life after the storm. In another piece, Susan Fenimore Cooper’s “Rural Hours,” she describes farm animals as being an important part of her environment. Also, like many other authors, she is made content by being in nature. Her thorough description of nature shows how appreciative she is of her surroundings. While the place is different than that of other pieces I have read, the description and appreciation for nature are all the same.

Reading Journal Entry 2: Susan Fenimore Cooper’s “Rural Hours”

Christina Elgin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:43:31 +0000

In this piece, the author recounts time she spent in rural areas of farmland, and the misconceptions those who do not live in the area have about its appearance. The author seems to share the opinion that nature is something in the world that is untouched or unchanged by humans. She mentions places where nature has not been turned into farmland, saying, “Even within the limits of the village spots may still be found on the bank of the river, which are yet unbroken by the plough…” This shows that there are parts of her environment that still qualify as parts of nature. The author’s environment is the farmland area in which she lives. She describes different aspects of her environment that may be lost on those who are unfamiliar with the area, saying of those who do live in the area, “To one familiar with the country, there is a certain pleasure in thus beholding the agricultural history of the neighborhood unfolding before one, following upon the farms in sight these progressive steps in cultivation.” She also, unlike those unfamiliar with the country, sees pine stumps not as something of “new country,” but as a replacement for something rare in the country, rocks. This shows her connection to her environment and proves that anyone’s environment looks different to them than it does to someone who does not live there. The place is hinted at only when she mentions new machinery used to take away tree stumps which require the use of horses and oxen. In modern machinery, neither oxen nor horses are used to aid in the removal of tree stumps. Therefore, this had to have been written sometime in the past, but not very far in history. The author displays ecological thinking throughout the entire piece because she writes about her experiences in taking in her environment and how it was created using elements of nature. For example, she describes an area cleared of trees to use as a pasture, but has not been used for cultivation yet, saying, “This spot has long been cleared of wood, and used as a wild pasture; but the soil has never yet been broken by the plough…” This demonstrates a combination of nature and the environment, as well as the author’s ecological train of thought, because nature was taken away for use as something found in the farmland environment. Despite that, however, the plot of land was not used for farming, so it is still in a sense part of nature. The fences of the pastures and farmland are noted by the author as “rude fences,” presumably because she views and values nature as something uninhibited. While reading this piece, I thought of Emerson because he too viewed nature as something uninhibited and unchanged by humans. However, I noticed at the beginning of the piece the author hinting at ownership of land by farmers, saying, “The fields which border this quiet bit of road are among the oldest in our neighborhood, belonging to one of the first farms cleared near the village.” I think Emerson would disagree with this statement because he believes that nature is not owned by anyone. This may be a change in opinion because of environment because the author of this piece is surrounded by farmland, where people do own land and use it to make a living. Overall, I appreciated this author’s perspective of nature and the relationship she has with nature and with her environment.