Alison Hawthorne Deming details the progression of the environmental essay throughout history, beginning in the 19th century, that is. She describes the different techniques and perspectives of those who have written environmental essays in the past, including, Thoreau, Emerson, Darwin, Catlin, and Leopold. Deming argues that what writers of the past had is no longer available to us, that is, the things the observed, like Catlin's bison, no longer exist, or exist in a much different state. However, the writers of the past, like Catlin, witnessed the world around them, and gave their voice to paper. Today, the world is changed, and is changing, but we can still witness, and lend our voices to the environmental essay. But it goes beyond the page - we must not change only the shape of the environmental essay itself, but we must challenge ourselves to reshape our minds, reshape not only how we write about the environment, but also how we think about it.
Deming states: "The
future of the environmental essay lies in making new connections and feeling
our way beyond the constraints of the polarized arguments (nature versus culture,
science versus religion, aesthetics versus politics, jobs versus owls, them
against us) that plague our public life. It’s a time for making
connections across the borders that separate us, rather than standing on
respective sides and firing salvos."
This statement goes beyond the essay. The terms of the survival of the Earth - the home of mankind - have hanged, and are changing still. The season is dire, and a new frame of mind is required to see this new and changed world, to witness how it is changing, and to realize how to present this view to a new readership. It cannot be done alone, it must take the force of many, for the Earth is a populous place, and we are all at risk.
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