ECO-CRITICISM

Man and nature:or, Physical Geography as modified by Human Action

By George Perkins Marsh

Genre: Book

Synopsis:

                

                        Man and nature; or, Physical geography as modified by human action is a book written by George Perkins Marsh in 1864.
It is one of the first works to document the effects of human action on the environment and it helped to launch the modern conservation movement. Marsh argued that ancient Mediterranean civilizations collapsed through environmental degradation. Deforestation led to eroded soils that led to decreased soil productivity. Additionally, the same trends could be found occurring in the United States. The book was instrumental in the creation of Adirondack Park in New York and the United States National Forest. Gifford Pinchot, first Chief of the United States Forest Service, called it "epoch making" and Stewart Udall wrote that it was "the beginning of land wisdom in this country."

Analysis:
            
                This book tackles about the human impact on the natural world. It shows how  humans rule over nature. This book just proves that humans were one of the most significant agents of the nature's change especially because of the new technologies that we are using nowadays for globalization and to promote economic growth. It just shows how the humans raze entire forests, reclaim land from the sea, and change the course of rivers, all in the name of progress. These all results to the devastation and destruction of plants, animals, and natural resources. All these results will reflect to us humans. We will be the first who will suffer because of these activities that we, humans had made.