CALIBAN
You taught me language, and my profit on 't Is, I know how to curse. The red plague rid you For learning me your language! (1.2. 367-369, page 54) |
/ The Tempest
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INTO THE WILD and the PSA Project both had a very deep impact on my understanding and appreciation of nature, and also both related to the American Dream. I think that the connections to the American Dream became very prevalent, especially as we delved deeper into the project and the unit as a whole. This idea of embracing minimalism and casting off modern society, one that we would also touch on in the next unit, seems fundamentally contradictory to the American Dream. Instead of trying to pursue success in society, McCandless is opting to disregard society entirely and focus on really what makes him feel great, which is spending time in nature and in the wilderness. However, I think that the relationship is not as contradictory as one would first expect. As I mentioned in the introduction to this portfolio, I believe that the American Dream manifests differently for different people, and due to the open-endedness of it, McCandless and other minimalists were really still pursuing the Dream, just in a different way. They were all still trying to better their lives, but to them, that didn't include wealth, but included nature and the wilderness. This connects to our PSA as the main focus of our PSA was to really raise awareness about a real issue in nature, and really that linked back to just appreciating nature as it is, which is how McCandless pursued his American Dream.
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