Marisa Saia
Professor Gaughan
WSC 002
21 March 2017
The Evolving Perspective of Wilderness
In the beginning, Judeo-Christian tradition shaped people’s ideas of wilderness. It was an area alien to man. They led man to believe that they could not survive in uninhabited land. People, at this time, believed that a drought and the resulting wilderness was brought upon by the Lord as a curse in order to show his displeasure. As stated in the Old Testament, “The ancient Hebrews regarded the wilderness as a cursed land and that they associated its forbidding character with lack of water” (Nash 72). It was believed that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah became salt pits and thorny brush as a penalty for the sins of their citizens. Water and good land …show more content…
The wilderness continued to be seen as dangerous and a potential death factor. Man worried that their human progress would crumble and man would return to savagery. In addition, it symbolized a cursed and chaotic wasteland. As pictured in Men Attacking Wolves by Jean Baptiste Oudry, man is fighting nature. The conquest of wilderness was man’s greatest concern and they believed that civilizing the new world meant illuminating darkness, organizing chaos, and transforming evil into good. They constantly referred to the wilderness in military terms describing it as “an enemy which had to be conquered, subdued, and vanquished by a pioneer army” (Nash 101). It became essential to gain control over nature. Even though biblical stories do not define man’s fear of the wilderness during this time, the use of logic still depicts the wilderness as a form of …show more content…
Nationalists believed that the conquest of wild country led to american pride. Wilderness began to be recognized as a cultural and resourceful basis for national self-esteem. This, in turn, led nationalists to investigate the significances of nature after gaining their independence. America’s nature commanded world jealousy and admiration. Abigail Adams, when on a trip to England, wrote about the differences between the Old World and the New World. She described Europe as having a greater degree of maturity and perfection however the New World had more melodious birds, fresher and sweeter fruit, more fragrant flowers, and people possessing purer manners. Although nationalists were extremely proud of their gift of wilderness, it was not enough. This lack of confidence in nature derived from the realization that other nations are also blessed with such fruitful wilderness. A unique attribute to nature in the new world had to be found in order to regain confidence. This led to the discovery of the wildness of nature their country had, which no other nation could match. Nash states that “because of the aesthetic and inspirational qualities of wilderness [Americans] were destined for artistic and literary excellence” (198). Nature, at this time, has not only become accepted into but has constituted the basis of nationality in the United
Professor Gaughan
WSC 002
21 March 2017
The Evolving Perspective of Wilderness
In the beginning, Judeo-Christian tradition shaped people’s ideas of wilderness. It was an area alien to man. They led man to believe that they could not survive in uninhabited land. People, at this time, believed that a drought and the resulting wilderness was brought upon by the Lord as a curse in order to show his displeasure. As stated in the Old Testament, “The ancient Hebrews regarded the wilderness as a cursed land and that they associated its forbidding character with lack of water” (Nash 72). It was believed that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah became salt pits and thorny brush as a penalty for the sins of their citizens. Water and good land …show more content…
The wilderness continued to be seen as dangerous and a potential death factor. Man worried that their human progress would crumble and man would return to savagery. In addition, it symbolized a cursed and chaotic wasteland. As pictured in Men Attacking Wolves by Jean Baptiste Oudry, man is fighting nature. The conquest of wilderness was man’s greatest concern and they believed that civilizing the new world meant illuminating darkness, organizing chaos, and transforming evil into good. They constantly referred to the wilderness in military terms describing it as “an enemy which had to be conquered, subdued, and vanquished by a pioneer army” (Nash 101). It became essential to gain control over nature. Even though biblical stories do not define man’s fear of the wilderness during this time, the use of logic still depicts the wilderness as a form of …show more content…
Nationalists believed that the conquest of wild country led to american pride. Wilderness began to be recognized as a cultural and resourceful basis for national self-esteem. This, in turn, led nationalists to investigate the significances of nature after gaining their independence. America’s nature commanded world jealousy and admiration. Abigail Adams, when on a trip to England, wrote about the differences between the Old World and the New World. She described Europe as having a greater degree of maturity and perfection however the New World had more melodious birds, fresher and sweeter fruit, more fragrant flowers, and people possessing purer manners. Although nationalists were extremely proud of their gift of wilderness, it was not enough. This lack of confidence in nature derived from the realization that other nations are also blessed with such fruitful wilderness. A unique attribute to nature in the new world had to be found in order to regain confidence. This led to the discovery of the wildness of nature their country had, which no other nation could match. Nash states that “because of the aesthetic and inspirational qualities of wilderness [Americans] were destined for artistic and literary excellence” (198). Nature, at this time, has not only become accepted into but has constituted the basis of nationality in the United