Response to Rants

I thoroughly enjoyed reading these rants. As a writer, I often get discouraged when a narrator doesn’t come out and say something they passionately feel. Reading these rants was almost cathartic for me. I say cathartic, but only half mean it because many of the points I agree with and some I was eager to argue.

Between Jack Turner’s “The Abstract Wild”, David Gessner’s “Sick of Nature” and Jamaica Kincaid’s “A Small Place” excerpt, I have to say that my favorite was Gessner’s rant. What I liked most about his rant was his conversational tone. I never felt talked down upon or condescended, but rather like he was talking to me in person. I appreciated his word choice such as “shit” and “bejesus,” words that slip right out in real conversation but are avoided in writing. I also think this piece spoke to me the most. I could follow his desire to “escape” society, to flee to a place of nature and solitude, and then realize the position he actually put himself in and admit to regrets and/or changes in his state of mind. He basically criticizes himself when he makes fun of his fellow nature writers, yet in writing the rant proves to truly care for nature regardless. His rant compared to the others focuses less on a “political” issue and more on the issue of writing genres. I would think any writer would appreciate his approach. It is true that by forcing oneself into a genre “box” limits the wildness in which one can explore and express. More than that though, his rant speaks to the bigger picture of conformity. Don’t be what they tell you. Don’t do what is expected. Be wild. Be free. Be you.

Although I like all of these rants, if I had to pick my least favorite, it would be Kincaid’s excerpt from “A Small Place.” Maybe the reason for which I like it the least makes it, in fact, the best and most effective rant. First, I feel that her choice of the second person was extremely powerful, and at times almost too accusatory. By the end, I was frustrated and felt like I had to defend myself (as a white American who travels a lot). I wanted to write back: “Why can’t I go somewhere to learn, to see the ways and disadvantages others live, to understand, to care, and to come back home a better person because of it?” Not all whites or Europeans fall into the “tourist” category she stereotypes. And thus the point of her rant. I felt what she was saying. I think it needs to be said. She fulfilled the definition of a rant by using such a hostile tone and offending me, her reader. Her exaggerations are on purpose, and I believe they make their point. I am a defensive person by nature, and I’m writing this response after just finishing reading her rant. I am still heated up. Kincaid has done her job.

I can’t end this response without commenting on Turner’s “The Abstract Wild” because I truly loved it, and I felt it provided an entirely different focused rant. I like how he began the essay talking about anger and rage. He defines the words themselves, given in the root and derivative forms which makes the words that much more powerful each time he uses them. He successfully relays example after example of specific environmental degradation being done, so to provoke emotional response from the reader. It’s ironic that his words (or art) evokes an emotional response from me, the reader, even though he goes on about how photographs, movies, zoos, and national parks are not able to evoke the level of emotion needed in order to truly care about the wilderness. His tone is less conversational than Gessner and Kincaid; his voice is more academic and serious. I like how he touches on human characteristics, behavior, and psychology. I’m not sure if his rant would be as accessible to all readers, but appreciate his level of intelligence. It makes me want to think like him. Again, another challenge of the rant well done.