Aldo Leopold was a well-known professor, forester, and naturalist who has been called the “Father of Wildlife Ecology”. It is said that he knew more about America’s wildlife than anyone else of his time. Aldo grew up in Iowa, but also had the opportunity to work in the southwest during his time with the Forest Service. Though he had always been interested in the natural world, Aldo’s respect for the interconnectedness of nature grew during his time here. He later taught the philosophy that people cannot hurt one part of the web of life ecosystem without the rest of the web being affected. This ideal is outlined in his essay “Thinking Like a Mountain”. The reaction to “the other” has served as one of the predominant themes for this class. After reading the non-fiction essay “Thinking Like a Mountain” consider this theme one final time for this class. Then choose from one of the prompts below: Throughout the semester, we learned about bildungsroman. How does Leopold’s essay function as a “coming-of-age” experience? Specifically, what does he learn? Lastly, how is this knowledge tied into the concept of respect for “other-ness” (someone or perhaps something we don’t understand)? Compare his experiences to any two of the stories, poems, and/or film(s) we discussed this semester. Whitman begins “Song of Myself” with “I celebrate myself, and sing myself,/ And what I assume you shall assume,/ For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (1-3). Thinking back to themes you witnessed in “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”, “Song of Myself”,” Maus, District 9, and finally “Thinking Like a Mountain”, discuss how each shares the common theme of mutual respect amongst all living things. Using evidence from “Thinking Like a Mountain” and any two of the other four stories mentioned above, explain your angle. Ultimately, how do the three tie together? Once you have chosen a prompt, write a long response (250-400 words). Your answer does not have to be in essay format (in other words, it can be a long paragraph or a few paragraphs, with no formal introduction or conclusion).
