53 pages • 1 hour read
Roderick NashWilderness and the American Mind
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1967A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
This text details the history of the American relationship with wilderness, but it begins with an etymological discussion on the word “wilderness.” What effect does this have on your expectation of the remainder of the text?
Nash says that “wilderness had no place in the paradise myth” (9). How does this statement relate to America’s perception of wilderness throughout its history?
How was the conquest of the American frontier a kind of morality play?
Nash asserts that “The development of Thoreau’s wilderness philosophy is most meaningful when juxtaposed to this sense of discontent with his society” (86). How does Nash justify his argument? Do you agree or disagree, and why?
The preservation movement gained momentum once the frontier had been conquered. What lessons does this provide for you as a modern reader of Nash’s text?
How does Nash portray Theodore Roosevelt, and how does this portrayal match and differ from the mythologized portrait of Roosevelt in American culture?
What are the political lessons did Hetch Hetchy teach, and how do environmental causes today still use these lessons?
As the popularity of wilderness grew in the late 20th century into the current time, land management policies developed to control visitation and attendance. What other solutions for this problem might exist that Nash does not mention?
What do you make of the ethics of the wilderness as an import/export market? Should countries that have limited wilderness be able to import nature at the expense of those who export it? Is this a fair system when developing countries depend on the economic incentives that wilderness export offers?
In his Epilogue to the original book, Nash offers a faithful, optimistic view of humanity. To what extent do you share the sentiment that humans will ultimately find ways to ethically coexist with nature or feel that either the wasteland or garden scenarios Nash presents will more likely be the future?
