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.

CULTURAL STUDIES

A is for Africa

By Ifeoma Onyefulu

Genre: General Non-fiction

Synopsis:

               A London-based photographer offers images of traditional life and culture in her Nigerian homeland. Sharp, sun-drenched photos filled with smiles and bright colors create an idealized impression of village life, with little evidence of poverty and only occasional, inadvertent, signs of modern influences--a child wearing a T-shirt, or oil lamps made from recycled milk tins. In an introduction and many of the brief captions, the author suggests that the drums, beads, mud huts, family structures, and other details she captures on film represent Africa in microcosm, a risky sort of reductionism. 

Analysis:
              This children book offers an inviting glimpse of West African traditions. The photographs describe the culture of the people in West Africa. This book shows how the people live together, share the same traditions and beliefs and teaching the young ones about the old customs as they were taught before.

MORAL CRITICISM

Enemy Pie

by Derek Munson

Genre: Novel

Synopsis:

               Enemy Pie was a very good book about a boy who is planning on having a wonderful summer. Everything is going right for him so far until one boy, Jeremy Ross, moved into town. Jeremy Ross had quickly made this boy's first "enemies list" ever. He did things such as laugh at the boy when he was struck out in baseball and didn't invite him over to a trampoline party to which he had invited many of the other children.

The boy needs some advice about what to do with enemies so he talked to his father. Surprisingly his father had experiences with enemies when he was a child and even knew a way to get rid of them. His father's tactics of getting rid of enemies was something called "Enemy Pie".

This made the boy's mind wonder about what could be so bad and nasty about Enemy Pie that it would get rid of an enemy for virtually forever. Thoughts started to go through his head such as, "It'll make his hair fall out or maybe it will make his breath stink!". The only catch to getting your enemy to eat Enemy Pie was you had to spend the entire day with the person and be nice to them like they weren't your enemy.

The boy hated the idea of having to spend the day with his enemy, but he decided that one day with his enemy was much better than having to deal with him for the rest of his life. He goes to Jeremy's house and they start to play. After playing at Jeremy's house for awhile they headed back to the boy's house to play some more and to have supper.

After supper the boy's father brings out desert, which just happened to be the Enemy Pie. The thing was the boy had realized that Jeremy wasn't actually that bad and that they had a lot of fun together. He actually didn't consider him an enemy anymore. He warns Jeremy not to eat the pie because something bad might happen to him, but Jeremy notes that the boys father has already eaten most of his piece of pie.

This did slightly confuse the boy, but slowly they all started to eat the pie. It was very delicious and the best of all it actually worked! The boy had no clue how it worked or what was in the pie, but all he knows is that he had lost his best enemy and has gained a new friend.

Analysis:
             This story shows how people can create false images about how people  really are based on what they currently know or a certain bias.This book teaches children how  to give everyone a chance at becoming friends and not to assume that somebody doesn't like you because of the way  that they acted.

                      The lesson for this is to be always open in making new friends even if they don't think they'll like the person because in the long run you might actually have a lot more in common than you think.