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A Review Of Julia B. Corbett's Communicating Nature

1833 Words8 Pages

Human lifestyles, the cars used by humans, their need for more farmland and their love for all things plastic are putting a hurt on ecosystems all over the world. According to an online article in The Guardian, human activity, all by itself, could be responsible for the extinction of nearly one-thousand plant and animal species to date--most of them, over the last century (Hance 13). The 2008 film The Happening, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, features Elliot Moore (played by Mark Wahlberg), a science teacher, and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel), and is set in Pennsylvania farmland. A threat to humanity occurs after a series of violent, inexplicable deaths occur across the country and Elliot and friends must escape from the grasp of the invisible …show more content…

Corbett explores and elaborates on how influential everyday communication is to individuals’ perceptions of the natural world (Corbett 30). Corbett, professor in Environmental Humanities at the University of Utah and former reporter, develops her claim by considering all levels of communication, from miniscule and ordinary conversations to communication produced by various outlets that influence public perceptions, such as media outlets, political agencies, and educational organizations (Corbett 40). In the context of the book, Corbett narrows in on land-based ethics as a means to identifying the root causes of humanity’s prevalent treatment of and relationship with the natural world (Corbett 40). Through her analysis of human communication and perceptions of environmental responsibility, she finds that humans are more and more likely to become blinded towards their own faults in environmental upheaval (Corbett 41). Corbett analyzes A Sand County Almanac (1948) by Aldo Leopold and concludes that Leopold makes a case for “land ethics”, as he recognizes that humans have duties and obligations in their treatment of the natural world (Corbett 39). Corbett acknowledges Leopold’s consideration that “human actions should not damage the ‘holistic integrity’ and healthy functioning of entire ecosystems” (Corbett 39). Leopold's philosophy is a case that is expressed in the film The Happening, as Elliot and Alma become sympathetic towards the trees and plants. Corbett makes a strong case for attributing value to entire functioning ecosystems, as the ideology Corbett presents calls for intrinsic value of all biological life (including grasses and trees) (Corbett 39). Corbett includes an example of coastal forests continuing to exist and function autonomously, unless disturbed by some other force (like humans) (Corbett 39). As Corbett so eloquently phrases, “the shift from humans-as-integral to

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