Skip to main content

For homework, please read pages 65-111 (Chapters 11-18) of Island of the Blue Dolphins.

 

Respond to the following prompt on the forum (250 words minimum):

It is as if Karana speaks to the sea, confides in the cliffs, whispers to the wind- and to the yellow-eyed gray dog, the fearsome enemy that she tames to friendship, Karana reflects “Because of this I was not lonely. I did not know how lonely I had been until I had Rontu to talk to.” (Ch. 16 p.97) Describe how Karana interacts with her natural environment. What is your relationship to the natural world?

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

I think my relationship to the nature is bad. I live in a big city called Beijing. Beijing is very far from nature because there's no free animals, no strange bugs, no paddy fields.... I think i didn't even been close to nature. And according to my  experience, I don't like nature. I don't like flies ,mosquitoes(most people don't like them too) and animals because I usually have no idea of weather they are angry or sad or scared... whe I meet them, I will think they are going to attack me. 

She commendable used the resources on the island. She used the woods to fix her canoe; she used some special plants to cure her wound; she found some berries can caught some fishes to be her food; she used bindings and whale ribs to made fence. She can use resources on the island to make tools and weapons to live. Also, she found a cave which she could hide when Aleuts came to the island. That's how she used the natural environment to live. 

 

I think my relationship to the natural world is just like a stranger. Now I lived in a city, most things here was nearly made by human. Even I had travel to many places, but I don't have a chance to live in the nature. And I believe that I don't have the ability to stay with nature like Karana. 

Karana uses the natural word to survivor (sleeps on the huge rock and so on) and also makes the natural world play the role of her friend. Speaking to the natural world may let her a little bit far away from the loneliness. She makes the most use of natural because she is always living there and she’s quite familiar with it.

Unlike Karana, I always feel like that I’m a long-missing child of nature – although I come from her, I’m quite strange to her. This kind of feeling came to me when I once went to climb a mountain. That mountain had many animals such as snakes in it. I needed to take a long stick with me to protect myself. I was really scared at the beginning. However, after protect myself from a snake successfully; I paid more attention to the wonderful sight and the fresh air which I couldn’t have in my city. When I returned to my city, I was happy to be home because I was safe again. However, I don’t like that my living speed became faster again and it seems nobody care the noisy world (with the noise which cars and many other man-made things make but not the sound of leaves flashing and birds’ songs).




I would rather say that Karana is a craftsman of nature than she takes advantage of the enviroment. She collects water from the spring, gathers her food in her basket, uses rocks and ribs to make weapon and fence. It seems that she use only the materials in nature to make a living, so she lives a green life. She usually only collects abolone, shellfish and roots, and she makes weapon to protect herself from the wild dogs instead of hunting the kelps and dolphins. So she also devotes to protecting the eco system. With her help, she builds a home right in the nature, while the village used to be seperated from the nature. She is like a porter, properly transfers the resources, meanwhile she also lives a comfortable balance between nature and herself, she is also an artist.

 

My relationship to the nature is not that close. I think my IQ is not as high as a nerd, but I always stick at home like a nerdy guy. I get in touch with nature when I need to, like when I feel dizzy I get out for a walk. But I think nature is never away from me. Humans use millions of years to fulfill indoor environment, such as using windows to keep out cold or using light bulbs to make our home bright. More importantly, we can use modern facilities to communicate with nature. When we are sick, just drive to the hospital and enjoy your herbal medicine. When we are sick of tap water, just drive to the supermarket to buy some mineral water. When we want to enjoy seafood which only could be enjoyed by the people living near the coast in the past, just go to the fancy restaurant. When we want to travel, just use modern transportation to get to the place you want, like anywhere.  In all, if nature is in your mind, you are surrounded by it, if not, just keep it in your mind. 

Add Reply

Post
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×