I think I'll laugh

[theladyrose]

The stupidest, worst essay I've ever written:

The Taming of the Wilderness

Wouldn’t it be nice to control the weather so that
you could have perpetual summer? Humans have grappled
with nature since the beginning of the time, doing their
best to control and master it. This desire to conquer
and dominate the seemingly untamable wildness drives
people to climb mountains, explore the ocean floor, and
create lasting footprints on the pristine icebergs of
Antarctica and all over the world. In the novel, The
Orchid Thief, the author, Susan Orlean, examines the
complex relationship between humans and nature and the
ever-changing coexistence between them through the
exploits of the protagonist, John Laroche.

The author introduces the conflict between humans
and the environment through Laroche. Laroche collects
everything from tropical fish to Ice Age fossils. His
sudden fascinations come to represent those of the human
race in general, how easily people meddle with nature
and then forget about it without thinking of the
consequences. Laroche’s story fascinates Orleans
because of the strange juxtaposition of wildlife and
human interference. When explaining how she first met
Laroche, Orlean writes, “In the case of the orchid story
I was interested to see the words “swamp” and “orchids”
and “Seminoles” and “cloning” and “criminal” together in
one short piece. Sometimes this kind of story turns out
to be something more, some glimpse of life that expands
like those Japanese paper balls you drop in water and
then after a moment they bloom into flowers…” (Orleans
6) Nature has a powerful quality of attraction that
fascinates people. Its allure can drive them to protect
and nurture it, or it drives people to conquer and
civilize the wilderness, almost assimilate it to human
standards. Humanity’s desire to domesticate nature can
lead to the realm of the unknown and hidden
consequences. The cloning of endangered wild orchids
could lead to other forms of cloning that might
interfere with the ecosystem. John Laroche’s case with
the orchid represents the human struggle to keep nature
under control but still free and unrestrained.

Orleans describes the melding of civilization and
the wilderness in Florida and the desire for humans to
tame nature. The writer describes Florida as being,
“The wild part of Florida is really wild. The tame part
is really tame. Both, though, are always in
flux…Transition and mutation merge into each other, a
fusion of…nature and artifice” (Orleans 9) Florida
provides a perfect backdrop for Laroche’s orchid
breeding and collecting; he tries to create plant
hybrids, fusing the natural with the synthetic. This
volatile environment inspires people to see how they can
create and integrate human civilization with nature.
Laroche describes his beliefs on his hybrid work as,
“Mutation’s great…you end up with some cool stuff and
some ugly stuff and stuff no one has ever seen
before…It’s the way evolution moves ahead. And I think
it’s good for the world to promote mutation as a hobby.”
(Orleans 17) Laroche creates his crossbreeds not only
for recreational indulgence, but to “play God” (Orleans
17) in terms of creating totally new plants. It’s
natural for someone to enjoy being totally in control of
something; it certainly gives a boost to the ego. Being
in control ranges from creating a work of art to winning
a championship game; no one can dispute your authority
over your specialty, and it makes you totally special.
Control over nature is even more appealing, because
nature seems so unconquerable and untamable and it
affects the lives of so many people.

The sight of the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall
of China, the Coliseum in Rome, and other great ruins
and landmarks strike awe into those who see them. But
even before these existed, humans have been struck by
the majesty of nature. There’s no sight exactly like a
towering snow-capped mountain to inspire wonder. Humans
wish to harness the power of nature’s forces in order to
capture and downsize the fear that its destructive
abilities present. Even the most beautiful of things,
like an immense tidal wave or vibrant flower, poses
unknown threats. But these attempts to tame the wild
pose their own dangers; how much can and should people
really control? The author observes this conflict
through John Laroche’s seemingly innocuous penchant for
orchids and how people can become completely obsessed
with nature. Even the most simple and beautiful of
plants can ensnare the human senses to no bounds.
Orleans explores the mysteries of humanity’s struggle
with nature and its attempt to tame the wilderness, only
to be tamed by it in return.

Comments from Karen, the instructor:
Your essay, “The Taming of the Wilderness,” explores a
theme that most readers of Orlean’s work seem to miss:
the conflict between humans and the environment.
You’ve done an excellent job of presenting this theme
in the chapter, seeing it both in the character of
Laroche and in the setting, the state of Florida.

Your essay contains an excellent thesis: “In the novel,
The Orchid Thief, the author, Susan Orlean, examines
the complex relationship between humans and nature and
the ever-changing coexistence between them through the
exploits of the protagonist, John Laroche.”

Your introduction briefly discusses the broad conflict
between humans and the environment, using these
gracefully written details: “This desire to conquer and
dominate the seemingly untamable wildness drives people
to climb mountains, explore the ocean floor, and create
lasting footprints on the pristine icebergs of
Antarctica.”

You use examples from the text to support your points,
for example, Laroche’s experiments with mutations,
which, of course, are a direct attempt to control
nature. You also point out the civilized and wild
aspects of Florida. The “civilized” parts, such as the
hotels and the golf courses and the fast-food chains,
are attempts to control nature. Paving over grassland
and draining marshes, actions involved in “taming”
Florida, also are attempts to control nature.

You’ve also used quotations as support, and they blend
gracefully into your sentences. You’ve also cited them
by page number, which is great. However, you should
always put such citations at the end of the sentence
rather than interrupting the flow of the prose.

One other minor change I suggest is to remove the
second-person references, such as in this sentence:
“Being in control ranges from creating a work of art to
winning a championship game; no one can dispute your
authority over your specialty, and it makes you totally
special.” The ambiguity and informal tone are out of
place here.

However, this is an excellent essay, well written and
thoughtful, and you should be proud of it. At times,
your prose is not only insightful but approaches the
lyrical, as in this sentence from your conclusion:
“Orleans explores the mysteries of humanity’s struggle
with nature and its attempt to tame the wilderness, only
to be tamed by it in return.” Please let me know if
you have any questions.

HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is what I've got to thank school for....nice formulated style at a touch of a hat that people think is intelligent but is really really stupid.