The Jig The Nudge, And The Local Ecology Summary

Although Leopold’s love of great expanses of wilderness is readily apparent, his book does not cry out in defense of particular tracts of land about to go under the axe or plow, but rather deals with the minutiae, the details, of often unnoticed plants and animals, all the little things that, in our ignorance, we have left out of our managed acreages but which must be present to add up to balanced ecosystems and a sense of quality and wholeness in the landscape.

As Professor Foster explained the core of the needed ecological revolution is in viewing the world ecologically, which involves recognizing that modern human societies are ecosystem-dependent and thus rejecting the assumption that societies are “exempt” from the forces of nature. The wrong conceptual thinking that our technology and economic system can find solutions to our problems, recalls the Midas Effect in which Gold (THE CAPITAL) becomes more important than Life (Human beings and Planet Earth), where “the logic of capital accumulation runs in direct opposition to environmental sustainability” (The Ecological Rift, Foster,

The nineteen-chapter, two part book starts off with a brief introduction. This introduction sets up the first part of the book, where the

In the USA, members of society strive for the goal of success, largely measured in terms of wealth and material possessions. The means of reaching this goal are through talent, ambition and effort. Unfortunately, Merton argues, little importance is given to the means of achieving success. The result is an unbalanced society where winning is all and the 'rules' are not very important.

Finding an introductory paragraph that hooks the reader can be troublesome, but throughout the course, I have spent considerable time developing that technique. The body of my arguments each exhibit strong support for the thesis. In addition, my conclusions summarize the papers without restating unnecessary information. Overall, my comprehension of the basic format of an argument has proved to be a valuable asset.

In the book excerpt by Firoozeh Dumas, “The F-Word”, Dumas uses several techniques to hook her readers and keep their interest in her piece. It was her style, however, that did most of the work. Dumas' article has a very strong single argument that she works toward throughout her entire piece. She claims that the English language could do with a bit more “spice”, as she calls it (Dumas). Though this argument is only listed only twice in the excerpt, it is the underlying foundation of every humorous story as well as every painful moment. Throughout the excerpt, Dumas has paired together the use of her style with how she builds ethos in the reader's eyes. This creates a very good way to convey the argument, however it still lacks certain strengths. Had she written in a slightly more formal tone and included more evidence, she could have kept her humor and continued to build on her ethos by appealing to a more professional group. The use of an easy going conversational style in Dumas' excerpt helps to portray her claim in a way that most readers will be able to identify with, however, the style does not work well in appealing to a professional setting due to the lack of empirical evidence.

No individual can arrive at the threshold of his potentialities without a culture in which he participates. Conversely, no civilization has in it any element that the last analysis is not the contribution of an individual. Where else could any trait come from except from the behaviour of a man or a woman or a child? (253)

American culture is known around the world for many things, but two of the most influential values in my life have been developing a strong work ethic along with the competitive spirit that can be found in virtually every aspect of American life. Whether it is creating a quality product or just completing a hard day’s work, as Americans we are taught that we have accomplished something to feel good about if we have given maximum effort. This belief was largely in contrast to previous cultures who had regarded hard work as a curse (Hill, 1996). In American culture, the desire to pursue your dreams meant that you also had the ability to attain them if you were willing to make the necessary sacrifices. That motivation compelled people to work

‘The sheer popularity’ of stimulating nature or using nature as ad space ‘demands that we acknowledge, even respect, their cultural importance,’ suggests Richtel. Culturally important, yes. But the logical extension of synthetic nature is the irrelevance of ‘true’ nature— the certainty that it’s not even worth looking at. (Louv lines 9-19)

From two perspectives, we see a world plagued by the ignoble aspects of human nature. Through one set of eyes we are shown the global ecosystem imitating the opening motions of a mass extinction, through another we see the inevitable and hellish effects of culturalized greed. In both cases we are treated to the observations of an aggrieved observer, but the means by which these observers show us their perspective on the world are by no means identical. Here we will explore the strategies, expressions, argumentations, and appeals of two authors with intertwining stories to tell.

This "back and forth" feeling of the essay is present non-stop, and it keeps the reader interested in the outcome of the discussion as well as the journey towards the outcome, filled with thought-provoking investigation.

Here, in the United States, the “American Dream,” is a popular belief. There is a strong relationship between hard work and success. In this perfect scenario, those who put in multiple hours are on the road to success and can move up the social ladder. Thus stating, one could be thrust into the lowest of the social status, and with some hard work, one can elevate into the world of the social elite. As a demonstration to this global view of the United States, immigrants from all over the globe have made the excursion to the “land of opportunity” in beliefs of better education, employment, government, communities, religious freedom, and lives for not only themselves but the generations that come pursuing behind them. All of this survives based on a game of social stratification – a diagram on how to successfully obtain the American dream. This observation of social class is based on many mechanisms, some of which is bestowed to people at birth, and not rewarded for hard work and dedication. The class system at play in the United States has become incredibly complex – it no longer has the fundamental class values of our forefathers. Those trying to move up in the social ladder of America are often caught replication the actions of the rich and famous, but this alone cannot make them part of the higher social class. Some think that there are simple rules to follow to climb higher into another social class ladder, but there is more to being upper class than just talking the talk or having the right identity.One way to look at class is the model developed by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt's article, “Shadowy Lines That Still Divide,” in The New York Times. They assert that “one way to think of a person’s position in society is to imagine a hand of cards. Everyone is dealt four cards, one from each suit: education, income, occupation and wealth, the four commonly used criteria for gauging class” (Scott and Leonhardt 27). While being sure on these four criteria, a basic understanding of a person’s predicted class can be made. While this model works fine for providing an elementary level of perception, it must be recognized that a person could rate well on this scale and still be in a different class than those

The social problem that Lee sheds light upon in this article is that our culture (western) has social structures that

What are the main ideas or key concepts that the reader must understand in order to understand the author’s argument? (100-150

These few lines will be extensively discussed and analyzed in the remainder of the book as the topics for chapters two through five.