Rope Swing

Good Friday, eleven years ago. My sister and I, along with two of my neighbors went on a walk. Bored, we decided to sneak into the deep woods that surrounded our neighborhood in search of something that would pass the time until we had to leave for chruch that evening. Before I had left, I remember my father telling me not to get dirty and to stay close to home. We trudged through the mud and eventually found what we were looking for. Hanging from a tree fifteen feet in the air was a giant rope with a foot hole at the bottom. My sister went first followed by Jon, followed by Michael, adn before I knew it, it was my turn. I woke up face down in the mud. Catching my breath I stood up and told my sister that I was going home. On my walk home, my arms began to swell and bruise. Covered in mud, I walked inside. My father wasn't very happy with me. I went upstairs, took a shower, and laid down in my bed. I had broken both of my wrists.

Casey Land Property

The creek's water surrounded the group. Too wide to jump over, Steve went ahead of the group to find a way across. After searching he found a tree trunk that led from one side to another. Everyone lined up to cross the "bridge". Slowly but surely, everyone got on their hands and knees, slowly crossing in order to make sure they made it across safely.

Casey Property Trip

Fifteen Observations:

1. Beaver Chew

2. Barbed wire completely surrounding property

3. Freshwater clam shells

4. Two dead raccoons, both turned upside down.

5. Fish head at the top of the bluff.

6. Deer carcass in ditch.

7. Two tree stands in trees.

8. Large thorns on bark of tree (name unknown).

9. Large creek.

10. Dam letting water into creek.

11. Beaver dam.

12. Large ISU vans.

13. Field that could potentially be turned into prairie.

14. Undergrowth

15. Tree trunk without bark.

Memorable Moment:

I particularly enjoyed watching people strive to cross the creek via tree trunk without falling in. It was very amusing to watch. I also enjoyed walking around and looking at small details such as finding fish heads far from the creek, beaver chew, clam shells. Also, seeing a bald eagle was cool. Very enjoyable trip. Would do again.

Spring Break Snapshot

Day 7: Winchester, Kentucky

After the show we parked ourselves outside of the house in which we would be staying. We walked inside with noodles,bread, and sauce at hand. Ready for a cheap, fulfilling dinner. We placed our sleeping bags, bags, and pillows in Reid's room. Who is Reid? I don't know either. All I know is that he had an xbox and a list of alcohol he wanted to buy on his desk which was cleverly titled "Reid's alcohol list." We ate our dinner while more and more people we didn't know filled the house. Around 3 AM, finally fed up with the drunks taking over the house, Shawn, Christian, and I decided to retreat for the van in order to get some much needed sleep. We all hated cigarette smoke anyways. The loft, the bench, and guitar cabs were used as three beds. Our safe place. The next morning we were awoken by the bright lights of a police car. The officer was very kind, just concerned since we had somehow managed to park our sketchy 12 passenger van right across from a pedophile's house. The social worker living across the street was concerned that he had friends, but we told the officer the truth and were on our way, headed towards Nashville. All we wanted to do was play music.

Wendell Berry - Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

In the poem Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front, Wendell Berry talks about a return to nature and loving it more than anything. Denouncing society and everything you are supposed to love and embracing what nature has given us. Every line he talks about a different element such as nature, the government, women, a family, and he uses that as a guide for how to love the world and how to do it simply by embracing nature or the farm. He wants us to love the world like he does, and this poem is fairly convincing. After reading it, I think it is one of my favorite poems that I have read this semester.

Sandra Steingraber - Having Faith

In Having Faith, Sandra Steingraber mainly focuses on substance to involve the reader and persuade them to listen to what she has to say. A large part of the short story involves Sandra talking about the research that has been done on chemicals and their effects on children who have been breast fed. In order to appeal to the audience, there is a substantial amount of writing about her own daughter. She shares her child's different landmarks such as learning to crawl and learning to talk to further push the issue and to try and get the reader to actually think through the evidence. This is an effective way of getting a point across because it helps the reader relate to their own experiences instead of just giving out facts that you are not emotionally attached to.

My First Summer In The Sierra

John Muir explains three different encounters with creatures he experiences while in the Sierra. The purpose of this reading is to give us a deeper look at creatures that we take for granted, giving us insight as to why they are also very important in life.

Ethos is displayed in the stories because they are all personal encounters he had while traveling. Pathos is shown in the story of the bear encounter. He runs at the bear waiting for it to run away, ending up in a stare off. Finally the bear turns around and walks away, like he is happy. Another example of pathos is the personification given to the animals involved in the story. Logos is shown in the explanation of the landscape.

A Thousand Mile Walk To The Gulf

John Muir wrote an article in hopes to persuade those who believe that the earth was made for them alone, that the world does not revolve around them. He displays ethos in the story by citing personal stories such as when he talks about how he witnesses alligators in their natural home and sees that they are not evil creatures, they are just trying to survive.  An example of pathos is the story of the man whose dog was eaten by an alligator, instead of being eaten himself. Logos is displayed when he talks about how we are homo sapiens and are just another creature on earth, sharing it with thousands of other creatures that are very different from us.

A First American Views His Land

A First American Views His Land was written as an article for National Geographic magazine by N. Scott Momaday. It is an article about Native Americans and their view of the earth compared to the view shared by many that earth is for us to use without giving back or appreciating. N. Scott Momaday's background is very interesting because he comes from Native American descent, his father is from the Kiowa tribe, while his mother is caucasian, but adopted the Native American lifestyle as her own. 

This excerpt is written as a persuasive article to those who do not understand how much the earth means to the Native American people. The structure of the article is kind of all over the place, but does a great job of giving examples and stories of how the tribe and earth interact. One example that stuck out to me was the story of the woman who was buried in a dress and jewelry made from resources given by an animal. Nobody remembers her name or where she was buried, but they know that she was given back to the earth as a sort of give and take system between the Native Americans and the earth. Overall, the article is very convincing, but the structure seems like it could have been a bit more orderly so the effect would have been greater as well.

Polemic: Industrial Tourism and The National Parks by Edward Abbey

This short story is an excerpt from Desert Solitaire, written in 1968 by Edward Abbey. It is written in a "call to arms" kind of style because it mainly focuses on why industrial tourism is ruining our parks and why we need to stop it. His main audience are those who agree with him. The chapter is structured in a way that is able to persuade someone to take action. It opens with a story of how he is visited by the government and told about a road they are building through the national park, but before we hear what happens, he goes on to talk about why we need nature and why it isn't necessary to have highways or automobiles running through the parks. At the end, he give us some good ideas as to what we can do to save nature without letting automobiles in, which set up debate for those who both agree and disagree with him.

Speech at the Grand Canyon, Arizona, May, 6, 1903

This short speech was given to the governor and citizens of Arizona by Roosevelt in 1903. He opens the speech by praising the governor and the people of Arizona. He tells them they are good people and he is privileged to be among them. The second paragraph is spent talking about the irrigation act that he wants passed by congress. He fuses in some politics with this paragraph trying to inform and sway the public. The next paragraph, and longest paragraph is the main focus of the speech, and that is of preservation. He talks to the citizens about how special the Grand Canyon is and how it is one of a kind. It shouldn't be tampered with or tainted by industry or modern marvels.

Thoreau Vs. McCandless

Both stories tell of men who rid themselves of normal life to set out in nature in hopes that they can find happiness in a more simple way of living. They are both challenged with having to completely provide for themselves by finding food, building/finding their home, and living day to day without the normal privileges that most have. By doing this, they find beauty in small things and appreciate the environment around them.

Patricia Smith/ Wildness Symposium

I arrived around 12:55PM to the Sun Room at the Memorial Union to hear Patricia Smith read from her award winning book "Blood Dazzler". Upon entering the room, I saw two people standing outside, giving me the impression that it wasn't going to be a very well attended reading. Almost more awkward than anything, but once I stepped foot into the room, I found that many people had shown up to hear her. I found my seat in front of the stage. The podium set up with a microphone with a panel to the right of it for the following event. I pulled out my notebook and a pen to jot notes before deciding to head over to the refreshments table for some lemonade and a brownie. I noticed an African American woman doing the same thing. Not thinking anything of it, I went and sat down. Patricia Smith was introduced and to my surprise the same lady who was getting refreshments was exactly who I was there to see. She looked normal on the surface, but as soon as she began reading her poems that she had selected, she showed everyone in the room why she was standing where she was. She read with grace and confidence. Her facial expressions, pronunciation, and stamina were perfect. After each poem she would take a sip from her lemonade to clear her throat showing that she too was just a normal person with a gift for words.

Imitation Poem

I could see them sitting on a roof from where I was falling.

I was coming fast, but they couldn't see a thing.

It was dark out. 

I think they went to look at a clear sky, but I just wanted to fall.

I told my cloud I wanted to leave.

Angry, it spit me out.

I landed on the hand of one of them and my friends followed with me.

"Gettin' His Twang On" by Patricia Smith

The premise of this poem is talking about George Bush going to play music with a country singer for an audience's amusement when others were suffering in New Orleans because of the effects of Katrina. The structure of the poem is set up is short stanzas. Almost as if they were lyrics to a song. The final lines in the first two stanzas cut short in the middle of a sentence like a vocalist would while singing a song if he or she wasn't able to fit all of the words in with the music. They would simply stop on a word, and begin with the next once the next movement came in.

A line in the third stanza sticks out above the rest. "Look like this country done left us for dead." It's italicized, showing importance in the poem. Like the title of a song or a chorus that is repeated. The next stanza talks about how the line is the soundtrack and the lyrics are shadow in everyone's throat. Expanding on the song/situation comparison.

Three Snapshots

Arriving at Lake Tahoe

- I woke up in the loft as Sigur Ros' song "Hoppipolla" blared through the speakers of the van. Four of my best friends pressed their faces up against the window. Curious, I did the same. I rubbed the cobwebs out of my eyes to find mountains covered in snow and the most beautiful lake I had ever seen. Summer was good to us that year.

Driving home from Warped tour 2007

- My body ached. I was sunburned so badly that I didn't want to move. I could hear two of my friends in the front seat joking about what they had seen earlier in the day. A song once again coming through the speakers. A song that I still associate with this day. I was in so much pain, but at the same time, this is my fondest memory of that summer.

Trapped in a run at work

- I was stuck in the back of a run. A rottweiler and a great dane, but this time the rottweiler wanted to be my friend. Afraid, the great dane bit my arm and my back. I bled on my shirt. Alone, the timed lights faded to black. I couldn't see a thing, so I crouched in the corner, hearing nothing but the growl and the lunging of the 200 pound dog. With no other options, I called the veterinarian. He sped from his home to get me out.

Questions for Terry Tempest and Williams and Rick Bass

Terry Tempest Williams

1. What I have read of Terry Tempest Williams shows that she has a great appreciation for where she came from. Has she always been so fond of her home?
2. Do you believe that your dreams of an explosion, even though you had actually seen one, were a sign?


Rick Bass

1. What sparked your interest in wolves?
2. How long have you been interested in them?

Mapping - University of Northern Iowa Campus

I spent two and a half years at the University of Northern Iowa. When I was young, I thought I wanted to be a businessman, but as years passed, a life at a desk or in a suit became less appealing. All of the buildings are here. The Curris Business building, McCollum Science Hall, Maucker Union. All buildings that I am proud to say were a large part of my life for the past three years. My friends still roam these halls, but for me, they are a memory. A good memory. This map shows the general shapes of the buildings from a birds-eye view, but what it doesn't show is the wonderful architecture of the buildings, or the interior design. They were always so clean and open. No matter how new you were to the school, you never felt out of place.

Hometown Assignment

Cedar Falls, IA is a home to around thirty thousand people depending on what month it is. During the summer it is home to a significantly fewer amount of people because of the amount of UNI students who go home or go to work internships for the summer.

This image is of one side of our downtown area. It recieved some major renovations six or seven years ago and is now the oldest, but nicest place in Cedar Falls for shopping, eating, attending a play, etc.

I chose this image because I believe it encompasses a nicely sized town with a small town state of mind. We have a mall, a Wal Mart, and countless restaurants, but I feel like it has a very strong sense of closeness and community.

"The Compost" by Walt Whitman

What specific details stay in your mind? Why? How do these small details lead to larger ideas?


The Compost, written by Walt Whitman was a poem about the earth giving back to us in the form of crops, beautiful landscapes, animals, and other gifts even though we don't treat it like we should. We let our waste and decaying organisms run into the ground, but the earth still gives back. I remember this poem being very repetitive, but repetitive in a good way. Many of the sentences were very similar because he was listing different gifts that are given back to us. I believe this style of poem writing adds to the overall effect of the poem. If Whitman were to leave out the extra sentences and only use a few examples, it would be very easy to forget about other areas that are worth mentioning, making the overall poem feel and read as if it was missing something or not very convincing. I believe Whitman did the right thing by adding repitition into his poem because it is a much more interesting and thought provoking read.

100 Word Photo

Northwest Cove of Walden, Ice Breaking Up (Train in Distance)

The black and white photo shows an iced over body of water almost identical in color to the sky, suggesting that it could begin snowing at any point. The crack in the ice spreads all the way down the right corner of the picture. Smoke from the chimney of a train in the background imitates the shape of the train itself, like a snake. Slithering through the countryside over top of the train and its several cars. Trees surround the outsides of the picture. Although thin and slightly bare when it comes to branches, they fill what we would consider to be open space.