Perrin's Argument Analysis

The Gulf Oil Spill of 2010 is often called the worst oil spill in US history. On April twentieth 2010 BP oil rig exploded killing eleven people and causing a leakage of about 3.19 million barrels to pour into the gulf. The twenty-two mile long plume not only rested on the surface of the water, but also adhered together and fell to the ocean floor. This largely and negatively affected marine life. The number of average number of dolphin deaths per year went from sixty-three to one hundred and twenty-five in the months following the spill. Reports of shrimp and fish with deformities such as lesions and being born without eyes grew post BP spill. Corals as deep as four thousand feet below the surface either died from oil poisoning or were unable …show more content…
Although Perrin has some ideas that clash with those of Thoreau’s, they do have similar opinions about the beauty of nature. “But St. John’s assumptions are that nature is not in any way sacred, or precious, or to be treasured just because it exists” (646). Perrin, like Thoreau, sees an extraordinary beauty in nature that should not be ignored. Perrin uses the element of cynicism to talk down those who see no beauty in nature, further expressing his great appreciation of the natural world. But, Perrin had an advantage over Thoreau with his less dense language that is more easily accessible to the modern reader. Perrin also has the advantage of having less outdated knowledge about the state of our world. “Again, the sense that nature is so bounteous that we could never possibly run short of anything...there was no more need to be frugal with buffalo than we feel the need to be frugal with ice” (647). Both Perrin and Thoreau saw the importance of protecting nature but, Perrin had more updated knowledge. Although Thoreau respected nature and wanted to preserve it, he seemed to have the belief that nature could “afford forever” (Thoreau, 38). Perrin sees that not all resources are endless, like most Americans thought they were. Just because something appears infinite, like the buffalo, does not mean it is. Because non-renewable resources need to be protected and people cannot just treat them like ice, or air. Humans have to be more careful and frugal with natural resources and this idea is better expressed with Perrin’s contemporary information and language. With his more contemporary language, he is also able to relate to his more contemporary readers. “And that's why the majority of us don't really worry much about