I found it really interesting that in John McPhee's piece "Los Angeles Against the Mountains" the residents of those risking areas see nature as Eden. Mel, one of the residents living in the dangerous area, states that she lives there for 'freedom' and '[the feeling of being] removed from a sense being surrounded [in the city]' (237). The people who live in these areas would rather 'defy nature than live without it' (236). I feel that this goes back to the point that Cronan was trying to make about how we see nature as this untouched, earthly place that is uncontaminated by human technologies (which is somewhat ironic since houses are built around there).
I also find it interesting how McPhee juxtaposes nature as an avenging angel against nature as eden. McPhee gives narratives of what it felt like for families that survived the devastations such as the debris flow and then having residents like Mel describing how its place for serenity, away from the bustle of the city.
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Christina,
ReplyDeleteExcellent point about the juxtaposition of nature as an avenging angel and nature as eden, I didn't even piece that together. However, I don't really see your point of comparing living in nature to Cronan's nature is this untouchable place. For i thought Cronan was getting to the idea that we feel disconnected from nature like we are outside of it instead of everything around us being nature. But I could just be mistaken about you point.
--- Jordan R.