Dalton Johnson & Eric Haacker
Dr. Williams
HCOL 40023
11 December 2019


Justification
For our final project we chose to do a music video recounting as many of the quotes, essays, and experiences we’ve had over the semester. Our goal was to use these means to explain what all we have learned during our time in this class. We start with the simple question or realization that the world is changing and it’s up to us to help change the direction, but we didn’t really know how. By mentioning the songs from the beginning of the semester and Leonardo Dicaprio’s documentary Before the Flood, we were reflecting on what we as a human race have done, and are still doing to the earth. We’ve torn down entire rainforests, removed natural landmarks, and commercialized entire plots of land as a result of the growing industry market and the movement towards urbanization. The rest of the song reflects on what we’ve done in the semester that helps establish the answer for what we are to do to fix the problems, and that is we need to be connected. We mention Thoreau’s idea of walking, Abbey’s focus on anthropomorphism, and Wordsworth’s notion of being “lonely as a cloud” to focus on the ways to get connected with the environment and understand the consequences of our actions, or as Leopold put it, to “think like a mountain.” We finished the song with the inclusion of immediate ways to get involved that are directly related to what we have done in the semester, which was helping at the nature center and picking up trash. Even the small actions help as long as they’re done with conscientiously for the environment. 

Overall, our project was to emphasize that the best way to deal with the problem was to recognize that there is a problem. Once the problem has been realized, going out, connecting with and gaining an appreciation for the natural landscape around us is what drives people to push for change and work to better the earth. Using the backing of the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” also subtly nods to the fact it was the pioneer song for the rap genre in the public eye and changed the culture forever, much like the environmental movements of today are catching the attention of the entire world. With a connection to the natural world, we gain a better understanding and gratitude for all it provides us with and we provide it with, and gain that interconnectedness that drives us to help preserve the rapidly depleting wildness in the world today. 

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