Undoubtedly, the human race has become more conscious about our surroundings due to the destruction we have subjected it to as a result of our urban and industrial culture. Through examining the deceptively profound texts, ‘The Wilderness Next Door’ and ‘The Estuary,’ we are able to explore man’s relationship to nature.
With our technologically-driven and advanced society and fast-paced lifestyles, we often find it difficult to take a moment to unwind from our busy agendas and reflect on the world that surrounds us. In ‘The Wilderness Next Door,’ the author (Kennedy Warne), is heavily critical of society and comments on how people are too absorbed and focused on their own lives, failing to notice the nature that envelops them. Upon reading …show more content…
In Text B, Fairburne warns us that ‘the walls of the small house will collapse on us’ - that is, our destruction and negligence of nature will, ultimately, become our downfall with nature emerging victorious in the battle for our survival. But, we are coincidingly faced with an internal conflict. If nature is permanent and everlasting, should we care for it? Shouldn’t we revel in the boisterous yet upbeat mode of life that only lasts for a finite set of time? In contrast, in Text A, we are not compelled to act by a sense of fear and impending doom rather we are inspired by Warne’s strong connection with nature and his appreciation for his environment (particularly as he uses famous locations found within New Zealand). We are mesmerised by the beauty that we find ‘a few metres away’ if we are willing to take a step back. We are graced with ‘a moment of visual symmetry’ wherein the ‘harbour bridge aligns perfectly with the distant Rangitoto’ - a subtle allusion to what can be achieved when man lives synergistically with nature. But past the ‘big coathanger that glows golden against the dark sobriety of the volcanic cone,’ lies the real, inherent beauty of nature. It ‘traps sediment, drives food chains, stores carbon, and buffers the land.’ Nature does so much to accomodate for us and the life that exists around us, yet we do nothing to reciprocate this love that it shows us. Truly, as Warne comments, ‘these are treasures hidden in plain
With our technologically-driven and advanced society and fast-paced lifestyles, we often find it difficult to take a moment to unwind from our busy agendas and reflect on the world that surrounds us. In ‘The Wilderness Next Door,’ the author (Kennedy Warne), is heavily critical of society and comments on how people are too absorbed and focused on their own lives, failing to notice the nature that envelops them. Upon reading …show more content…
In Text B, Fairburne warns us that ‘the walls of the small house will collapse on us’ - that is, our destruction and negligence of nature will, ultimately, become our downfall with nature emerging victorious in the battle for our survival. But, we are coincidingly faced with an internal conflict. If nature is permanent and everlasting, should we care for it? Shouldn’t we revel in the boisterous yet upbeat mode of life that only lasts for a finite set of time? In contrast, in Text A, we are not compelled to act by a sense of fear and impending doom rather we are inspired by Warne’s strong connection with nature and his appreciation for his environment (particularly as he uses famous locations found within New Zealand). We are mesmerised by the beauty that we find ‘a few metres away’ if we are willing to take a step back. We are graced with ‘a moment of visual symmetry’ wherein the ‘harbour bridge aligns perfectly with the distant Rangitoto’ - a subtle allusion to what can be achieved when man lives synergistically with nature. But past the ‘big coathanger that glows golden against the dark sobriety of the volcanic cone,’ lies the real, inherent beauty of nature. It ‘traps sediment, drives food chains, stores carbon, and buffers the land.’ Nature does so much to accomodate for us and the life that exists around us, yet we do nothing to reciprocate this love that it shows us. Truly, as Warne comments, ‘these are treasures hidden in plain