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.