Theme

This collage is a representation of the theme of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, man versus nature. The left side demonstrates the negative effects that man has had on nature, and the right side shows how nature looks when humans don't intervene. Most of the damage on the left is irreversible; it is natural beauty that cannot be returned to its original state. The SUV and the "Made in the USA" pictures show the causes of some of these problems. North America, and the United States in particular, are guilty of over-logging, polluting the air and trashing a stunning landscape of natural wonders. The pile of coins symbolizes the root of all this destruction: money. In today's world, whoever has the most money has the most power. Companies log old-growth forests that cannot be replaced within this lifetime, simply to earn money. The National Forest Service of the United States spends more money on putting roads through its forests than it does on protecting its trees. The purpose of these roads is to drive tourists to its money-making operations, such as gift-shops, restaurants and resorts. In the process, the Forest Service is obliterating itself; eventually, there will be no more trees for it to hide behind. If humans don't wake up soon and realize the damage they are doing by wasting paper and driving hugely polluting automobiles, there will be no more of the unspoiled wilderness pictured on the left of the collage. These photos will simply become memories of a time when mankind was too arrogant and power-hungry to realize the destruction it was carrying out.

The song that is playing is "Kryptonite" written by Brad Arnold and performed by 3 Doors Down. I chose to add this song onto my website because I think that some of the lyrics add to what I am trying to say about the theme.

"I've seen the world float to the dark side of the moon
I feel there is nothing I can do..."

These words can symbolize the transformation of nature into a polluted wasteland. Many individuals feel that nothing that they can do will ever make a difference, so why bother trying to recycle, drive less or pick up a piece of litter. However, there is a point to doing your part because if everyone did their share, the state of the environment would improve greatly.

"You took for granted all the times I never let you down..."

Most people take for granted the fact that there is nature left to enjoy, and that there are trees still standing in the forest. Unfortunately, if we don't start to cut down on our habits of polluting and logging and elsewise, there won't be. There will be nothing of the beauty we see today for our future generations to enjoy.

This entire song talks about someone counting on another to always be there, and this is much like how today's society treats the environment. People assume that it will never be depleted, and that trees will magically reapper after being logged. The truth is, nature will eventually disappear if we keep on having bad habits like we do now. And then, not even "Superman" will be able to rescue it.