Reflecting on Dillard and Hogan


            Another set of authors I wanted to discuss is Annie Dillard and Linda Hogan. They both bring up the connections of life and death, and humans and nature. We can agree that Dillard has a bleaker outlook of nature, as she states that “evolution loves death more than it loves you or me.” This contrasts with the belief that nature is nurturing and we should then protect it. According to Dillard, there is virtually no difference between human beings and barnacles as far as nature is concerned. To a certain extent I can agree with this—as a species humans are entirely self-centered and often view nature and its creatures as an “us versus them” kind of thing. However, human beings are also more complex in how we are built compared to barnacles. We often have a view of morality that nature does not account for.
            Hogan, on the other hand, does address the connections of life and death, yet has a more positive outlook than Dillard. As Hogan states, “death and life feed each other. I know that.” Life and death are a part of the life cycle and Hogan acknowledges that without giving off a sense of dread that I got from reading Dillard. Hogan also made me think more about how humans have an effect on nature without us consciously thinking about it. The part with her talking about finding a string from one of her sweaters appearing in the bird nest made me think about what comes off of my clothes and if they have affected the environment around me in some way.
            Additionally, both of these authors made me think about my place in the world in respect to the nature and life around me. Every living thing has its home, but we may not consciously be thinking about our actions affecting those homes. From the stray piece of litter slipping out of a pocket to the emissions of our cars when we go to and from places, everything is interconnected and I am now more conscious of this. Obviously, I was aware of this prior to these readings, but after reading excerpts from these authors I am aware that I need to be more willing to take steps to preserve the world around me.

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