To a certain degree i agree with Leopold, i believe in there with in all the rocks and soil that cover it, a mountain has a soul and it gets hurt by our selfish actions. However it might be more than just deers that hurt it, when they dig out a tunnel through a mountain because they are trying to make a new road that’s part of it, when they excavate part of a mountain because they want to build a hotel with a good view, that’s another part of it. There are just many ways that we hurt mountains more than just killing wolves and i believe mountains not only here the cries of wolves but deep inside they cry too.
Leopold’s purpose of writing thinking like a mountain is to highlight the dangers the mountain faces at the hands of its enemies, in this case that would be humans, deers, livestock etc.
I think his audience was everyone, from the hunters who take pride in killing as many wolves as they can, to the herdsman whose aim is to protect his livestock from the wolves he perceives as the to the policy makers who enact the laws that give the greenlight to the extermination of the wolves.
To my understanding Leopold is trying to put himself into the mountain’s shoes and he’s asking us to see the bigger picture, like how would you feel if they took the only shirt you had off your back and exposed you to the harsh unforgiving elements. The tress and bushes are the mountains lifeline, they’re the only clothes she can wear to protect her from the gashing winds and the constant rain with all the water that comes with it which runs all the way from her peak down to the river streams eroding everything in its way. On the contrary the bushes are the deer’s food of choice and its pointed hooves pierce through the mountain’s skin and the only friend a mountain has got are the wolves who feast on deers and help “control” the cattle population. But its sad when the mountain hears those last cries when the only friend she’s got takes in its last breath.
My group had Kristen, Jaren and Dustin, we shared everyone’s experience on the assignment we were given a day before.
Dustin told us she went to a lake by her house and enjoyed the sight watching the waves and water ripples cruise all the way to the shores and the sound of water reaching the shores playing like music to her ears. It was a different story for Kristen though who preferred to sit on her porch and watch the birds fly from tree to tree and watching the tree branches swinging gracefully.
Whereas we all went outdoors, Jaren decided to do his assignment from a cafeteria, he sat peacefully and watched through the glass windows and wondered where all the birds where at this time of the day.
We all had different experiences and those moments left us pondering, for Dustin she wondered what bird were saying to each other when they sung and made that funny noise, she wondered if they are trying to communicate to us, and for Kristen she wondered how life felt like living under water precisely for the fish, if they had like a common language and spoke to each other.
Overall it was an interesting conversation we had and it was nice getting to know each other.
mutebij 