Tread Lightly

     Grizzly Man by Werner Herzog was most definitely a unique and engaging documentary. One thing that the movie definitely underscored, in a potentially unintentional way, was that humans are constantly imposing their beliefs/personal agendas onto nature. I gained a deeper understanding of this from the "First Nature" packet, which reviewed how ancient Greeks only painted manicured nature with an aesthetic meant to pacify and how "sacral idyllic" art incorporated religion into landscape. Both Treadwell and Herzog do not transcend this premise whatsoever. Treadwell represents a romantic view of nature similar to Neruda's "Oh Earth, Wait For Me", in which he portrays nature as cleansing and purer than man. In contrast, Herzog shares a view closer to Douris's "Ephesos", where the poet notes the murderous ways of nature.

     Treadwell's view of nature is more relatable to me, personally. (Note: I do not think petting Grizzlies is a particular well-thought-out idea or that the Grizzlies truly benefitted from his presence.) When I look at the way Treadwell related to Ghost (the fox),  I understand his deep connection to nature, because I share a similar connection to animals.  I can, also, relate to Treadwell's need to protect animals; last year, I was unloading mums for Interact when I discovered two or three baby moles. Doug wanted to kill them with a garden tool, but I told him not to. I brought them and fed them for about a week using baby cat formula and a glass eye dropper about four times a day. Also, I think that, because of his manic behavior, people did not take him as seriously as Herzog, even though they both presented polarized arguments. This, to me, shows how people tend to take people with more dark or grave perspectives more seriously, and, in this case, I find Herzog's view of nature to be abrasive and over stated. All in all, I think this movie helped me better understand why I have a moderate view of nature, influenced by both naturalism and romanticism.