During our trip, I thought that it was really cool to see and experience what I read about as a young child. I never thought once that I would ever see a carnivorous plant in the ~wild~ and never in the winter. Although I think I would have enjoyed it in warmer months so I could see more vegetation and experience the rest of the ~wilderness~. I also thought it was interesting that people who manage the bog were cutting poison sumac that was nowhere near the boardwalk, which I thought the whole point of cutting them was for human benefit, but what is the benefit if they are not reachable to humans? Just some food for thought.
Economy
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
I really liked this quote that was found in this chapter of our reading. I understood it to mean that people who live in society blindly live unfulfilling lives. I completely agree with this quote. Which was a first for me since I really despise Thoreau and everything that he writes. If everyone followed what society told them what was right or what was acceptable, nothing would change. There would be no revolutions of any kind, no need for justice and injustice. Things would just be bland and uneventful. Thoreau probably wouldn’t even be a writer that would be read in countless classrooms. Although this seems pretty favorable, under all his pompous words and views, there are some important messages that can be learned. I find this quote to be very moving, inspiring, and interesting to ponder.
the village
His attitude toward society really through me off. I didn’t like how he described the way the town worked. How men would eat nuts and gossip, things like that. It gave me the vibe that one, he felt superior to them. It made it seem he was judging the town for indulging in popular human pastimes, that he would never be bothered with. Two he treated the description like another description of something he would find in the woods. It was very detached from his own “kind”. He observed them as if they were animals, it gave me serial killer vibes. This passage wasn’t my favorite, it left me feeling quite bizarre. I wonder how he would have described the college.
Are Wooster’s Squirrels spoiled?
when we first got to Johnson woods I was very underwhelmed. In class, there were mentions of how it was a nature park so I pictured something much larger. I was really saddened when we pulled up and it was a small little nature area that forced you to cross a really dangerous street that I felt should have had a slower speed limited due to the fact it is so close to nature and those that call the woods home. It perplexed me why such a small area could be coincidentally be protected for such a long time. I don’t understand how it survived the greed of humans and their thirst for land to plow.
As I got further along in my hike I noticed more of these creatures, gracefully leaping from dead log to dead log. They watched as my friend and I walked along the boardwalk. Showing just the tip of their bodies, concealing the rest with ease. The squirrels of Johnson woods were very curious creatures, although they kept their distance, the only reason I noticed them was because of the rustling of the leaves their little paws made. Watching them navigate the forest with such grace and carefulness made me realize that the squirrels at Wooster had become spoiled with the presence and protection that human presence can provide.
When we returned to the bus I noticed quite a bit of litter, although it was the parking lot I figured since the wooden part was so clean other places would be as well. It made me realize that this place while it is respected and used to become closer to nature, there are in fact people who abuse the space for less innocent things, which made me sad because I realized most things like this will be taken for granted.