"Classic and Contemporary Images"--Web questions Chapter 1: "How Do We Communicate?"
Amos Bad Heart, View of Chiefs
Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, Nineteenth Century
Thomas E. Franklin, Firefighters
raising the flag at Ground Zero, 2001 MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. In "The Cult of Ethnicity," Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. claims, "Group separatism crystallizes the differences, magnifies tensions, intensifies hostilities." Look at the drawing by Amos Bad Heart. How might the group represented by Bad Heart's drawing respond to Schlesinger's essay? How would you persuade Bad Heart that Schlesinger's view was correct, or vice versa? Next, consider Franklin's photograph. What group is represented by the three firefighters? How does this image inspire you to respond to Schlesinger's concerns? Do you think that the events of September 11, 2001, have succeeded in creating "one people" out of a multiethnic society? Why or why not? 2. "The Maker's Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts," Donald M. Murray's essay, notes: "Words have double meanings, even triple and quadruple meanings. Each word has its own potential for connotation and denotation. And when writers rub one word against the other, they are often rewarded with a sudden insight, an unexpected clarification." Do images also have "double, even triple and quadruple meanings"? As you look at Amos Bad Heart's drawing and Thomas E. Franklin's photograph, what double, triple, or quadruple meanings can you find in the images? How might people of different backgrounds see the images differently? What denotations and connotations do you think each image possesses? What aspects of each image makes it more (and less) effective? Why? When you look at the images side by side, do you feel that you receive "a sudden insight, an unexpected clarification"? What is the effect of the juxtaposition of these images? Do you think that they have more (or less) power together than each has separately? Why or why not? WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. The drawing by Amos Bad Heart and the photograph by Thomas E. Franklin show images of people who are members of a group or a society under attack. The Indians in Bad Heart's drawing were at war with the U.S. Army during the period depicted in the drawing, and the firefighters in the photograph are standing in the ruins left by a terrorist attack. Think of a personal experience when your views, your family, your body, or something else important to you was being attacked. What caused the attack? What were the consequences? Write a brief essay explaining the situation and its effects on you. 2. Both images depict people in the United States, but the Indians in Amos Bad Heart's drawing probably viewed themselves primarily as members of a tribe or of an Indian nation, while the firefighters in Thomas E. Franklin's photograph probably see themselves primarily as Americans, even though all of them are white men and probably New Yorkers. Do you ever experience tension between your identity as an American (or resident of the United States) and your identity as a member of another group based on another quality (race, ethnicity, nationality, religious or other belief, sexual orientation, political views, and so on)? To which identity to you feel greater loyalty? Why? Do you ever feel pressure from others to alter the way you identify yourself? Write a brief essay in which you explain how you identify yourself and why that identification is important to you. Chapter 2: "What Is an Argument?"
Francisco de Goya, The Third of May, 1808
Eddie Adams, Police Chief Brigadier General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executes a Viet Cong officer, 1969 MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. In "The Penalty of Death," H.L. Mencken argues that the death penalty is cruel because people "long for a swift and unexpected end." Look at the painting by Francisco de Goya and the photograph by Eddie Adams. How "swift and unexpected" are the executions depicted in these images? Does either image seem to offer support for Mencken's point of view? Why or why not? Does looking at the images after reading Mencken's essay affect your opinion of Mencken's argument? If so, how? Is wartime execution, as depicted in these images, significantly different from capital punishment for crimes committed away from the battlefield, and if so, is it fair to consider Mencken's essay in conjunction with these images? What leads you to your conclusion? 2. Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" eulogizes soldiers who died fighting for the North in the American Civil War and asks "that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain." After looking at the painting by Francisco de Goya and the photograph by Eddie Adams, do you think that Goya and Adams are trying to ensure that the people shown being executed "shall not have died in vain"? Why or why not? Do Goya and Adams share a "devotion to a cause"? If so, what is it? Does it differ from the cause to which Lincoln refers? Why or why not? WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. Part of the visceral impact of the painting by Francisco de Goya and the photograph by Eddie Adams comes from the way the artists focus our attention on the person being executed. Think of a time when you tried to influence another's perception of an event by the way you described or presented the event. What caused you to try to influence that person? Were you trying to deceive or to enlighten? Did your presentation of the event succeed in influencing the way the other person perceived it? Write a brief essay explaining the circumstances, your attempt to control the perception of the event, and the effect on the other person. 2. In the painting by Francisco de Goya and the photograph by Eddie Adams, the apparently dispassionate executioners carry out their plans to kill an enemy. Have you ever considered a person or group of people to be your enemy? Could you ever be dispassionate about that person or group? What was the issue that led you to become enemies? Did you resolve the issue, or even want to? What did it mean to you to have (or be) an enemy? In a brief essay, analyze the way the experience of having or being an enemy affected you. Chapter 3: "Does Education Change Over Time?"
Zoology lab, Oberlin
College during the 1890s
Tom Stewart, Food science lab, University of Maine during
the 1990s MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. In "Unplugged: The Myth of Computers in the Classroom," David Gelernter notes that computers make students less interested in reading texts and more interested in looking at pictures and video. Do you think this statement is true? If so, is it disturbing, as Gelernter argues? After looking at the photographs of the Oberlin College lab in the 1890s and the contemporary lab at the University of Maine, do you find that they convey some information more effectively than text would be able to do? If so, what information do they convey well? What kind of information is not conveyed effectively by these photographs? Under what circumstances would you agree with Gelernter that text should be more important than pictures, and under what circumstances would you argue with his conclusion? How would you make that argument? 2. Susan Jacoby's essay "When Bright Girls Decide that Math Is ‘a Waste of Time'" says that "the world does not conspire to deprive modern women of access to science as it did in the 1930s." Look at the photograph of the Oberlin College laboratory in the 1890s. If what Jacoby says is true, does this photo present a distorted view of the past? Why or why not? How might you explain what you see in the photograph? Jacoby also notes that "[s]cience and math epitomize unfeminine braininess." Does the photograph of the University of Maine laboratory make any kind of argument about what Jacoby describes? After reading Jacoby's essay, how do you interpret this photograph? WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. The photographs of college students at Oberlin College and the University of Maine both depict laboratories. If someone were to photograph you in a college setting where you can often be found, where on campus would you be photographed? Why is this setting typical of your college experience? Who else would be present in this photograph? Why? Do you go to this setting for instruction, contemplation, relaxation, or something else (or for a combination of reasons)? Write a brief essay in which you discuss the place where you find yourself most often during your college life and explain how this affects your education. 2. Because female students were not accepted into many American colleges at the time, the women in the photograph taken at Oberlin College can be seen as having overcome the obstacle of their gender by appearing in the picture at all; the modern photograph suggests (whether accurately or not) that women are now accepted in scientific careers. What kind of obstacles did you face as you prepared to attend college? Might the same kind of problems affect you in the future? Are any of these obstacles caused by the perceptions or prejudices of other people? If so, how do you deal with this problem? Are the obstacles facing you more or less severe than those faced by others? Why? Write a brief essay explaining the obstacles standing in the way of your success and discussing how you manage them. Chapter 4: "How Do We Respond to Social Events?"
Pieter Brueghel
the younger, Rustic Wedding
Vanessa Vick, Photograph from a contemporary wedding reception MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. "We're social animals, deeply fond of companionship," writes Barbara Kingsolver in "Stone Soup." After reading her essay, look at Rustic Wedding by Pieter Brueghel the Younger and at the photograph of a modern wedding. How do these depictions of wedding celebrations centuries apart show people as "social animals"? Does there appear to be a difference in the two celebrations? If so, what is the difference? Do you think that weddings and other milestones are celebrated differently in modern American culture than in the past or in other cultures? Why or why not? Are our expectations for marriage different today, given the culture that Kingsolver discusses? If so, how? 2. In "Family Values," Richard Rodriguez observes, "The genius of America is that it permits children to leave home, it permits us to become different from our parents. But the sadness, the loneliness of America, is clear too." Look at Brueghel's painting and the wedding photograph. Do these images make Rodriguez's statement more convincing? Why or why not? How does his essay affect your view of people who are different from their parents in the relationships, careers, and lifestyles they choose? How might these depictions of wedding celebrations affect people whose choices are significantly different from those of their parents and culture? Why? WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. After looking at Rustic Wedding by Pieter Brueghel the Younger and at the photograph of a modern wedding, which celebration looks more like a wedding you would like to attend or have for yourself? Why? What do you think a wedding celebration should be, and what should it celebrate? In a brief essay, explain how you would want to celebrate a commitment to a life partner and why this celebration would be important, or explain why you would reject such a commitment and/or celebration. 2. Rustic Wedding by Pieter Brueghel the Younger emphasizes the community where a wedding is taking place--the bride and groom are not the center of attention. The modern wedding photograph, on the other hand, emphasizes the bride and groom, who are pictured standing apart from the other people present. Do you consider your membership in your culture or community to be of primary importance in your life, or do you see yourself more as an individual than as a member of a group? Do you feel that you share the traditional values of your parents' community and culture? Why or why not? Have you ever begun a career or serious personal relationship that conflicted with traditional values of your community or culture? Write a brief essay explaining the place of tradition in your life and discussing the biggest conflict you have experienced in dealing with the traditional values of your family or community. Chapter 5: "How Do We Become Americans?"
Alice Austen, Immigrants
arriving at Ellis Island
Associated Press, Illegal immigrants crossing the border
between Guatemala and Mexico, 1999 MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. In "National Prejudices," Oliver Goldsmith argues, "We are now become so much Englishmen, Frenchmen, Dutchmen, Spaniards, or Germans, that we are no longer citizens of the world; so much the natives of one particular spot, or members of one petty society, that we no longer consider ourselves as the general inhabitants of the globe, or members of that grand society which comprehends the whole human kind." Does living in the United States, a nation composed mainly of immigrants, make people feel more like "citizens of the world" than the Europeans feel in Goldsmith's essay? Why or why not? Look at the photograph and X rays of immigrants. Do people attempt to immigrate to a new country because they want to be "citizens of the world," or are they seeking to become "natives of one particular spot" such as the United States? Why? Do you think that immigrants to the United States suffer because Americans tend to hold the kind of "national prejudices" Goldsmith describes? Why or why not? 2. "Immigrants and Family Values," the essay by Francis Fukuyama in Chapter 4, claims, "The real fight, the central fight, then, should not be over keeping newcomers out: this will be a waste of time and energy. The real fight ought to be over the question of assimilation itself: whether we believe that there is enough to our Western, rational, egalitarian, democratic civilization to force those coming to the country to absorb its language and rules, or whether we carry respect for other cultures to the point that Americans no longer have a common voice with which to speak to one another." Look at the photograph and the X rays accompanying this chapter. Do the images indicate that the fight over modern immigration often involves "keeping newcomers out"? Why or why not? Do you think that the American treatment of immigrants threatens to "carry respect for other cultures to the point that Americans no longer have a common voice with which to speak to one another"? Why or why not? Do you think that Americans have more or less respect for immigrant cultures today than they did at the time of the classic photograph? How does this affect what it means to be an American? Explain your answer. WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. The images of immigrants in the photograph and the X rays show people attempting to make a new life in a strange place. Have you ever had the experience of leaving your home or some other familiar place to travel somewhere distant for a long period of time (whether as an immigrant, a college student, a worker, or a tourist)? What did you miss most about the place you left behind? Why? Write a brief essay discussing how you felt about leaving a familiar world. 2. In the classic photograph, the immigrants arriving at Ellis Island come off the boat in a public place, looking hopeful. In the modern images, the immigrants are silhouettes hidden inside a truck that is smuggling them across the border. What experiences have you had with recent immigrants to the United States, or as a recent immigrant yourself? Do you see immigrants primarily as hopeful new arrivals or as desperate fugitives from their homeland (or do you have another view)? What gives you this impression? Where do most of the immigrants you encounter come from? How do your feelings about the immigrants that you see around you affect your opinions? Write a brief essay discussing an experience with an immigrant or group of immigrants, or an experience you have had as an immigrant, and explaining how it has affected some aspect of your feelings (your feelings about being American, about immigration, or about U.S. culture, for example). Chapter 6: "Is There Too Much Money in Politics?"
Thomas Nast, The "Brains" That
Achieved the Tammany Victory at
the Rochester Democratic Convention, 1871
Ann Telnaes, Soft Money Raised, 2000 MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. According to Niccolò Macchiavelli in "The Circle of Governments," a popular government is eventually bound to fall under the leadership of a monarch, "for it soon [runs] into that kind of licence which inflicts injury upon public as well as private interests. Each individual only consult[s] his own passions, and a thousand acts of injustice [are] daily committed, so that, constrained by necessity, or directed by the counsels of some good man, or for the purpose of escaping from this anarchy, they [the people] eventually [return] anew to the government of a prince." Look at the political cartoons accompanying this chapter. What do these cartoons suggest about popular government in the United States? Do the cartoonists see a danger to popular government? If so, is the danger they see like the problem suggested by Macchiavelli? Do you agree with the point the cartoonists are making? Why or why not? What solution would you suggest? 2. Describing Robert E. Lee in "Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts," Bruce Catton writes, "Lee stood for the feeling that it was somehow of advantage to human society to have a pronounced inequality in the social structure. There should be a leisure class, backed by ownership of land; in turn, society itself should be keyed to the land as the chief source of wealth and influence." What opinion do you think the political cartoonists in this chapter have of the connection between wealth and influence? Does the influence of wealth contribute to "a pronounced inequality in the social structure"? Why or why not? Do you think the United States has a "leisure class" today, and if so, does this group influence politics more than other groups do? Explain your answer. WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. Both of the political cartoons criticize the role of money in politics by connecting money and obesity. Many Americans have extremely negative feelings about "fat," in spite of the increasing obesity of the U.S. population. Have you ever been overweight? If so, did you feel that others judged you because of your body size? Have you ever judged another person differently because of the person's weight? What caused you to have this reaction? Does youth culture, or American culture in general, give Americans permission to treat fat people badly? Write a brief essay discussing an experience with an overweight person--whether yourself or someone else. What effect(s) did this experience have on you and on the other people involved? 2. Both political cartoons suggest that money is a bad influence on politics. Have you ever experienced difficulty because of the bad influence of money? What were the circumstances? How were they resolved (if they have been)? Do you think it is possible to have too much money? Write a brief essay explaining how the influence of money was problematic in your situation and what you did to solve the problem. Chapter 7: "Will Workers Be Displaced by Machines?"
Diego Rivera,
Portion of a mural from the Detroit Institute of Arts
George Haling, Photograph
of a Chrysler assembly line MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. Comparing "the Market" to a new religion in "The Market as God," Harvey Cox writes, "In the Market religion, [...] human beings, more particularly those with money, own anything they buy and--within certain limitations--can dispose of anything as they choose." In the mural by Diego Rivera and the photograph of the modern assembly line, how does "the Market" appear to be dealing with human workers? Do you think that "human beings, more particularly those with money," see human workers as disposable? How did you arrive at this conclusion? When you see such images, do you feel more empathy for the workers or for the owners of the factory? Why do you feel this way? Do you think that "the Market" really does allow wealthy people to "dispose of anything as they choose"? If so, is this necessarily a bad thing? Why or why not? 2. In "Los Pobres," Richard Rodriguez explains, "If tomorrow I worked at some kind of factory, it would go differently for me [than for his father]. My long education would favor me. I could act as a public person--able to defend my interests, to unionize, to petition, to speak up--to challenge and demand." After reading Rodriguez's essay and looking at the Diego Rivera mural and the photograph of the Chrysler assembly line, what conclusions can you draw about the workers visible (and not visible) in the images? Would better worker education have prevented the mechanization of the assembly lines? Why or why not? Do you see mechanization as an advance or as a threat? Why? Under what circumstances might an educated workforce benefit from technological advances? Under what circumstances would such a workforce be wise to resist new technology? WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. Look at the assembly-line images accompanying this chapter. Have you ever worked at a repetitive task like that performed by the workers and computers in these images (such as factory work, work in a fast-food restaurant, or low-level office work)? What made you accept the work? Did you find it rewarding in some way? Why or why not? If you left the job, why did you leave? If you still have this job, why do you stay? Write a brief essay about the costs and benefits of working at a job involving repetitive, mechanical movements. 2. In Diego Rivera's mural, the workers appear to be expending great physical effort in the factory. In contrast, the computers in the Chrysler assembly line eliminate the need for human sweat and strain. What technological device do you rely on that reduces your need to expend effort? Why do you use this device? What would your life be like without it? In a brief essay, compare and contrast life with your favorite "modern convenience" and life without it. Chapter 8: "How Do We View Angels and Devils?"
Angel and mortal,
Islamic art from India
Jacob Epstein, St. Michael and the Devil, Coventry Cathedral MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. Letty Cottin Pogrebin's description of her mother in "Superstitious Minds" mentions her mother's "amulets and incantations" and argues that these "superstitions gave her a means of imposing order on a chaotic system." Look at the Indian painting of an angelic messenger and the sculpture from the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral. Does either of these images strike you as "superstitious"? Why or why not? How are superstition and religion different, in your view? Do you see them as alike in any way? Do you think that modern people see religion as "a means of imposing order on a chaotic system"? If so, does it work? Does either of these images suggest the imposition of order on chaos? Explain your views. 2. In "The Rival Conceptions of God," C.S. Lewis notes, "If you are a Christian, you are free to think that all these religions, even the queerest ones, contain at least some hint of the truth." After looking at the Indian painting and the sculpture of St. Michael and the devil, do you think that these two conceptions of angelic beings "contain at least some hint of the truth" (whether or not you define yourself as a Christian)? Why or why not? Do the two images seem equally truthful (or untruthful) to you? Explain your answer. Do you think it is possible to consider a religious image powerful, truthful, or moving even if you do not believe in the religion? Why or why not? WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. The classic and contemporary images of angels depict a human receiving guidance from an angel and an angel protecting humankind from a demon. Have you ever had an experience of being watched over, guided, or otherwise assisted in unexpected ways? Did you attribute the experience to a religious or supernatural phenomenon, or did you think it had a more rational explanation? How did this assistance benefit you? Why was it unexpected? Did it cause any changes in your behavior? Why or why not? Write a brief essay in which you explain how you understood this experience and its effects. 2. Coventry Cathedral was built to replace a cathedral destroyed by enemy bombs during World War II, and the sculpture depicts a conquering angel. Has art ever helped you get through times of stress or tragedy? What artwork(s) have you found most comforting, invigorating, or powerful? Why? What about the art made you feel better? In a brief essay, describe a work of art that helped you deal with a difficult experience or time in your life. Chapter 9: "What Do Gangster Films Reveal about Us?"
Edward G. Robinson
in Little Caesar, 1930
Al Pacino in The Godfather, Part III, 1990 MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. In "The Gangster as Tragic Hero," Robert Warshow says that "the gangster--though there are real gangsters--is [...] primarily a creature of the imagination [...] he is what we want to be and what we are afraid we may become." Look at the stills from Little Caesar and The Godfather. What attraction, if any, do the characters played by Edward G. Robinson and Al Pacino hold for you? Did film gangsters change significantly between 1930 (when Little Caesar appeared) and the 1970s (when the first two Godfather films were made) or between the 1970s and the 1990s (when the third Godfather film was made)? After reading Warshow's essay, do you think that the author--who died in 1955--would still hold his views after seeing more recent gangster films? Do you agree that film gangsters still represent "what we want to be and what we are afraid we may become"? Why or why not? If you feel that film gangsters do not represent your fears and desires, what film characters do? 2. In "Loose Ends," Rita Dove says that "the influence of public media on our perceptions is enormous, but the relationship of projected reality--i.e., TV--to imagined reality--i.e., an existential moment--is much more complex. It is not that we confuse TV with reality, but that we prefer it to reality." Dove argues that stories we see on television "offer an easier tale to tell" than real life does. As you look at the stills from gangster films, would you agree that such images--and the films from which they are taken--satisfy us more than reality? If so, why do you think this is the case? If not, why would you argue for finding real life more satisfying than film fiction? Do people generally prefer stories that tie up loose ends and give characters their just desserts, as Dove claims, or do they prefer reality, in which anything can happen? Would you really want life to resemble a television show or a gangster film? Why or why not? WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. Look at the stills of Edward G. Robinson and Al Pacino in their famous roles as movie gangsters. Do these images seem very familiar to you (even if you have not seen the films)? Have you ever had a relationship with characters in a film, a television show, or a book that made you feel that you knew them better than people whom you saw regularly in person? What made the fictional characters so real for you? Why do you think you wanted to "know" them so well? Write a brief essay exploring your relationship with a fictional character who was or is more familiar than a real person to you. 2. The stills from the gangster films show the violent death of Little Caesar and the imposing, threatening demeanor of the Godfather behind his desk. Are crime and violence really a large part of American life? Has either ever been a part of your life, however tangentially? Contrast a personal experience (or an absence of personal experience) of crime and/or violence with a depiction of crime or violence you have seen in a popular film or on the television news. Does this media portrayal reflect your reality? Why or why not? Chapter 10: "Where Is Science Taking Us?"
Flemish School, The Movements of the Sun and Moon, Fifteenth Century
J.
Hester and P. Scowen, Photograph of gaseous pillars taken from the Hubble Space
Telescope, 1995 MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. In "Can We Know the Universe?" Carl Sagan says, "The search for rules, the only possible way to understand such a vast and complex universe, is called science. The universe forces those who live in it to understand it. Those creatures who find everyday experience a muddled jumble of events with no predictability, no regularity, are in grave peril. The universe belongs to those who, at least to some degree, have figured it out." To what extent does finding out about outer space help people to live in the universe? As you look at the 15th-century chart of the earth-centered universe and the photograph from the Hubble Space Telescope, what important things can you think of that humans have figured out in the past 600 years? How has this increased knowledge helped people to survive? Do you think that people who do not care about science face "grave peril"? What does Sagan mean by this, and do you agree with his assessment? Why or why not? 2. In "The Bird and the Machine," Loren Eiseley observes, "I read now that there are machines [...] that can crawl about like animals, and that it may not be long now until they do more things--maybe even make themselves [...]. And then they will, maybe--well, who knows--but you read about it more and more with no one making any protest, and already they can add better than we and reach up and hear things through the dark and finger the guns over the night sky." After reading Eiseley's essay, look at the 15th-century Flemish chart and the Hubble Space Telescope photograph. What kinds of things did Eiseley expect from machines in the future when this essay appeared in 1946? Do you think he would consider the image from the Hubble Space Telescope an example of a good or bad use of the latest technology? Why? Do you share Eiseley's pessimism about whether machines should be able to "live"? Should humans consider the earth the center of our universe, even though it is not the center of our solar system? Explain. WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. The images that accompany Chapter 10 show the dramatic strides humans have made in perceiving space. In the 15th century, people did not understand that their vantage point on the surface of the earth affected their perception of what was happening in the heavens; today, better technology allows us both to perceive more of what is actually out there and to recognize the limitations of any perspective based on (or near) earth. Think of an occasion when your perspective prevented you from understanding the truth about a situation. Were you too close to the subject? Too far away? What allowed you to get a more accurate perspective? Was learning the truth about the situation rewarding? Why or why not? Write a brief essay explaining your "perspective problem," the change that clarified your perspective, and the results. 2. The old Star Trek series called space "the final frontier," and the image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the vastness and strangeness of the parts of the universe we are now seeing for the first time. Have you ever visited a place to which you felt no other human being had been before, or which you felt no other human being had ever accurately seen until you came along? What was this "frontier," and why did you feel that way about it? In a brief essay, describe the "frontier" you encountered and how it affected you. Chapter 11: "Are We Destroying Our Natural World?"
John Frederick
Kensett, Along the Hudson, 1852
Michael Brophy, Powerline, 1998 MAKING CONNECTIONS 1. In "The Obligation to Endure," Rachel Carson enumerates dangers to the environment, noting, "There is still very limited awareness of the nature of the threat. This is an era of specialists, each of whom sees his own problem and is unaware of or intolerant of the larger frame into which it fits. It is also an era dominated by industry, in which the right to make a dollar at whatever cost is seldom challenged." After reading her essay, look at the paintings by John Frederick Kensett and Michael Brophy. What do the two paintings have to say to a modern American about the natural landscape around us? Do you agree that environmental problems are exacerbated by our living in "an era dominated by industry"? Why or why not? How do you feel about Carson's statement that Americans are too apt to focus on their own problems and be "unaware of or intolerant of the larger frame"? Do you think that either painting suggests or refutes the idea that Americans do not pay enough attention to the world beyond their own lives? 2. Barry Lopez mentions vandals who destroy ancient archaeological sites in "The Stone Horse," describing them as people whose "self-centered scorn, [whose] disrespect for ideas and images beyond their ken, create the awful atmosphere of loose ends in which totalitarianism thrives, in which the past is merely curious or wrong." Do you see, as Lopez does, a connection between a disrespect for history and a disrespect for the natural world? Why or why not? Do you think a knowledge of history helps to nurture respect for the environment? Look at the paintings by John Frederick Kensett and Michael Brophy. How is nature acknowledged in these works? How is the past acknowledged? Does either picture imply a critique of the sort that Lopez levels against the vandals? If so, what is criticized? Explain your answer. WRITING FROM THE IMAGES 1. The paintings by John Frederick Kensett and Michael Brophy suggest changes that have affected the American landscape in the past 150 years. In your lifetime, have you observed changes in the environment around your home, school, or some other location where you spend considerable time? What was the change that pleased or disturbed you the most? What do you think caused it? If the change was negative, could you have done anything to stop it, and is there anything you can do to make a difference now? If the change was positive, do you see a need to ensure that positive changes continue? What can you do to help? Write a brief essay arguing for or against an environmental change you have personally observed and explaining what you and others should do about it. 2. The painting by Michael Brophy emphasizes modern technology's impact on previously unspoiled places, a change made necessary by American consumption habits. Have you ever made a conscious effort to conserve a resource (whether for environmental, financial, or other reasons) or otherwise tried to limit your impact on the environment? What is the most difficult thing you have ever decided to do in order to conserve resources and/or be "environmentally friendly"? Did you feel that your efforts made any difference, either to you personally or to a larger cause? Why or why not? Alternatively, have you ever resisted a call to conserve in some way? Why did you resist? What reasons were given for the need to conserve, and how did you counter them? In a brief essay, be persuasive as you explain both your reasons for choosing (or rejecting) a conservation effort and the impact of your decision. |
2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education