Genre: Transcendental Essay

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Transcendental writings were grounded in an understanding of non-conformity and self-reliance with an emphasis on the importance of nature all centered around a air of divinity. There is also a heavy emphasis, overt or not, on the idea of the sublime, a certain abject greatness that one often experiences through interaction with their natural surroundings.

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Objective:

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My goal with this experiment was to combine a selection of the beauty and strength of the Huron River with the strong presence that human control has over it. I chose the transcendental style because I feel like it bet fit the level of respect for the river that I wanted to make the forefront of my piece.

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Sample:

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As the waters erupt from the dam, they flow down what would seem to be the divinely inspired path of the river, until the mighty hand of the powers that be grab ahold and yank the Huron at a 90 degree angle. The city has redesigned the course of nature to fit its master plan for the land. What exists where there should be a river alive with fish and birds and algae, sits buildings and roads and infrastructure…. a distinct lack of life. Man has taken it over for his own use, but when an area is selfishly monopolized by one species, how is that really living? And yet through this action we have created what we believe to be life for ourselves, enjoying the beauty of the rapids and the fun that can go with them. Shooting out in vibrant tubes and boats, blissfully ignoring the reality of what could be, of what SHOULD be. For how can an afternoon spent in laughter and happiness have anything but sunshine lying beneath it? We view the Huron River as a plaything. Something we can take from what we want: aesthetic, fun, interest, but abuse it as what it is intended to be, and conveniently neglect to acknowledge our hand in the change. In our attempts to honor the beauty of creation, we have somehow interjected ourselves into the role of creator. The desire for omnipotence that exists in the nature of the human mind has pushed out the thoughts of other beings and focuses in on the plan for what we see for ourselves and the world in a way that only serves us. But the plan of humans is not the only one that matters. If the river had a voice it would be screaming out to be put back in place, like a child displaced from its mother. If the river had a voice, maybe we would listen. Instead of an entity present and powerful in its own right, we look to the river in a self-serving manner as our connection to the natural world, but what is natural about it anymore? The ecosystem we have destroyed and attempted to rebuild so that our highways have a home? The harsh direction of the concrete that the water flows over now instead of the riverbed so perfectly designed to guide the meandering flows of the current? Or the rapid water that pulses with the anger of a river that has been moved and reshaped? What about this is natural? When a resident of the city wants to be in touch with the beauty of their surroundings, they go to these predesignated areas for recreation, but how can this be natural when we are told what and where natural belongs? The word nature implies an existence separate from humans or human creation, but that doesn’t seem to exist anymore, especially not in Ann Arbor and not with the Huron River. Human desire for control pushes us to the point that we even strive to control the one thing that is fundamentally meant to remain untouched, in an attempt to connect to the world around us. Natural no longer implies the sense of untouched beauty it was intended to convey, but instead demonstrates the strong grip of the societal hand that expertly moves and shapes the pieces of the world to fit their master puzzle. 

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Reflection :

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I had a really hard time writing this sample. Though the initial idea came to me fairly quickly, I was initially really intimidated by this unfamiliar writing style, and I found even just beginning the piece to be the hardest part. Once I got going though, I really enjoyed writing to this and getting to lean into these emotions so strongly. The difficulties I experienced organizing my thoughts for this piece made me want to attempt something far away from this type of piece in my second experience.