Journal #9 Industrial Tourism and the National Parks

All the things started at “snarling whine of a jeep in low range and four-wheel-drive.” I saw the terrible industrial situation and heard the noise from different machines in the National Park under Edward Abbey’s description. The development of society (Industrial Tourism) has already broken the quiet of the basic nature in author’s mind. Simple reasons for that would be pursing the maximum benefit and money. Industrial Tourism makes National Park modernize but losing the real nature of it. According to Edward Abbey said new machines were added in the National Park, the different kinds of problem made by Industrial Tourism like the stress of traffic jam, I can read the unsatisfied emotion of Edward Abbey from the “turmoil of those urban-suburban complexes”. National Park is a holy place to let us embrace the nature but not a place to make money. Society should be developed, industry should be developed, but a truth is suitable industrial development can bring a surprised outcome both nature and society.

Journal # 8 A First American Views His Land

Momaday shows the relationship between Native American and nature, he gives me a chance to further learning about the culture of Native American from their spirit of nature. From the Navajo ceremonial song of celebrating sounds that are made in the natural world, I can read the realization of Navajo that the nature is beautiful and their respect for the nature. I think this would be the Native American’s spiritual value of the nature, also is their trust and belief. I like the way Momaday to show the song “voice above…voice below”, it feels that the voice of human and voice of nature have a good combination, and seems that the sounds in nature more powerful. Nature is where we alive in and where created us. So whatever the culture is, recognition of beauty and respect of nature are a kind of universal idea.

Journal #7 Walden

A lot of deep thoughts exist in Thoreau’s Walden from sentence to sentence. One thing I thought most in Walden is “Our life is frittered away by details. Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity!” It obvious shows that Thoreau pursues the simple living. He wonders that why we live with such hurry and complex of life. I like he uses the boundary of German Confederacy as an example to demonstrate that we concentrate more internal than external, in other word he means that we pay more attention to details than the overall situation. But what I think is simple living is an ideal in our society, because society is changed from simple to complex, simple living existed in history, so we can’t live in history in today’s society. Also in some situations, details are essential factors to decide one thing, so “Our life is frittered away by details” is a little bit absolute.