For many decades California holds the title as being the best Arcadian environment out there. Starr as well as many other authors have commented on how humans have always had “a respectful closeness to nature”(13), locating and adventuring out into some of the most beautiful places our earth encapsulates. All over California these places are evident from the beautiful redwoods to the Sacramento mountain ranges, the dream of a natural paradise is obtainable. Whether you want to go fishing, surfing, kayaking, or hiking , it is up to you to decide, for many imagining this dream is easy. As we approach the top of the hill shimmering with reflections of crisp green forest trees and wildlife roaming in all directions the quaint bungalow appears. Surrounded by open blue skies and rugged dirt trails this home is among the many hidden treasures that still exist today. The bright and airy porch containing two small white rocking chairs, perfect for a small cup of tea and a good book. As you enter the house the smell of pine and citrus fill the air bringing back memories of last summer’s adventures. Many aspects of California art and Chicano Park in particular expose the dream of a natural Arcadia. While some pieces endorse the dream others threaten the dream, and every once in a while you will find a piece that simultaneously accomplishes both.
The picturesque mural Founding of Mexico City elaborates on the positive side of
the dream of a natural paradise. Located on the ceiling of a large, white gazebo in the middle of the park the lakeside scene creates a dramatic effect differing from its surrounding atmosphere. While the dictionary provides the definition of Arcadia in its most simplest form, McClung has defined it in a more comple...
... middle of paper ...
...ark, San Diego.
Latorre, Guisela. Walls of Empowerment: Chicano/a Indigenist Murals of California. Austin: University of Texas, 2008. Print.
McClung, William Alexander. “Inventing Utopia.” Landscapes of Desire: Anglo Mythologies of Los Angeles. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. 4-9, 19-33. Print.
Orosco, Juanishi. Mandala. Chicano Park, San Diego.
Sanchez-Tranquilino, Marcos. “Murales de Movimiento.” Signs from the Heart: California Chicano Murals. Eds. Cockcroft, Eva Sperling and Holly Barnet- Sanchez. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1990. 84-101. Print.
Starr, Kevin. “California a Dream.” California: A People, A Place, A Dream. Eds. Claudia K. Jurmain and James J. Rawls. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1986. 13-21. Print.
Vargas, De Tony, Aguirre, Vidal, Adame, Felipe. Founding of Mexico City. Chicano Park, San Diego.
Arcadia refers to a Utopian ideal: the idea of harmony with nature and the entire world. The term is derived from a Greek province, which bears the same name. The Province’s mountainous landscape and history of containing a sparse population of farmers later caused the word “Arcadia” to develop into a poetic byword for an idyllic vision of unspoiled natural beauty. The inhabitants are regarded as living without pride and avarice that corrupted other regions of the world. The inhabitants of Arcadia are regarded as living close to nature, uncorrupted by civilization, and being virtuous. In other words they live in a place that many people would consider a paradise.
The setting of the essay is Los Angeles in the 1800’s during the Wild West era, and the protagonist of the story is the brave Don Antonio. One example of LA’s Wild West portrayal is that LA has “soft, rolling, treeless hills and valleys, between which the Los Angeles River now takes its shilly-shallying course seaward, were forest slopes and meadows, with lakes great and small. This abundance of trees, with shining waters playing among them, added to the limitless bloom of the plains and the splendor of the snow-topped mountains, must have made the whole region indeed a paradise” (Jackson 2). In the 1800’s, LA is not the same developed city as today. LA is an undeveloped land with impressive scenery that provides Wild West imagery. One characteristic of the Wild West is the sheer commotion and imagery of this is provided on “the first breaking out of hostilities between California and the United States, Don Antonio took command of a company of Los Angeles volunteers to repel the intruders” (15). This sheer commotion is one of methods of Wild West imagery Jackson
California, what makes this state so wonderful? Well if you were to ask any one east from it they might say it’s a party state filled with surfers and celebrities; where no is poor and everyone drinks wine. However, if you were to pick up Mark Arax’s book West of the West you would find the contrary. Arax goes beyond the clichés that California is known for and shows you, well, what is beyond just the west. Showing the true nature of California and its people, if you are one to think that California is a happy go’ lucky state then this would be the book to read to see the real California.
Enticingly, the Spanish homesteaders came to this land with a passionate objective to develop the land and extract its natural resources for their profit. To this day, the Spanish's activities on this land has brought success and has propagated California to be the leading role in the advancement of new technologies and the creation of motion pictures. Notwithstanding of having this recognition, people seldom discuss on the origin of the land. When the Spanish came, the Indian are the occupants of the area; governing the land and surviving through the natural resources. As history is portrayed by the victor, the destiny of the right proprietor of the land has dependably been untold. Their once serene time has ceased to proceed as the Spanish
This places the reader in recognisable landscape which is brought to life and to some extent made clearer to us by the use of powerful, though by no means overly literary adjectives. Machado is concerned with presenting a picture of the Spanish landscape which is both recognisable and powerful in evoking the simple joys which it represents. Furthermore, Machado relies on what Arthur Terry describes as an `interplay between reality and meditation' in his description of landscape. The existence of reality in the text is created by the use of geographical terms and the use of real names and places such as SOrai and the Duero, while the meditation is found in...
Thomas Moran’s painting captures the essence of the true spirit of the Yellowstone Canyon and overwhelms any viewers who go up to it. With a size of 7’ by 12’ and a mastery display of vivid colors with hues of orange and yellow contrasted with the dark cold colors of the shadows, anyone would be overwhelmed. Under the cool shade, the path extending in front invites the viewer to join the tiny figures in the distance who seem to overlook the grand valley of the canyon below. The view from where those people are in the distance could be quite breathtaking, and this adds to the painting’s value. Moran captured the public and the government’s fascinations with the beauties of America’s Wild West. Moran’s mastery of composition within landscape
From reading the author’s book “Ecology of Fear,” Mike Davis’ main thesis for writing this book was to make readers become aware of the underlying problems and threats which have existed or currently exist in Southern California and how these problems shape the way we live today and in the imminent future as well. Although Davis did not really provide us with any remedies for the problems facing Southern California, this book made it very clear to the readers that problems do still exist, although at times they may sound subtle in nature. Of the numerous problems which do exist in Southern California, I will discuss only a handful of the problems that Davis provided us insight to. In the following paragraphs, the main problems of Southern California that I will discuss about are suburbanization and how it made Southern California lose its natural beauty and the effects of overdevelopment, the wild fires which occur and similarities and differences the rich and poor communities faced in terms of adversity, how suburbanization brought people closer to the wildlife, and how numerous books and movies portrayed Los Angeles as the center for calamities. The culmination of all these problems clearly shows that there are many glaring weaknesses of Southern California that need to be closely examined.
Environmentalist and desert-lover, Edward Abbey in his essay “The Great American Desert” warns readers about the perilous dangers of the American deserts while simultaneously stirring curiosity about these fascinating ecosystems. He both invites and dissuades his readers from visiting the deserts of North America through the use of humor and sarcasm. In this essay, he is rhetorically successful in arguing that the open spaces of the undeveloped deserts are sacred places in need of respect and protection through his clever use of pathos and logos.
From the piece of artwork “Rain at the Auvers”. I can see roofs of houses that are tucked into a valley, trees hiding the town, black birds, clouds upon the horizon, hills, vegetation, a dark stormy sky and rain.
Merchant elaborates on the extent of managing exotic gardens inside buildings particularly the mall to recreate a heavenly atmosphere. She considers the work that goes into maintaining these gardens to keep them pristine, from the expensive water works and pesticides utilized to keep the unclean and destructive nuisances from diminishing the aim for perfection in a desirable atmosphere (p.5). These gardens produce the atmosphere to make people happy and content. The greenery provides the feeling of being outdoors while truly being completely inside. She indicates mall landscaping is inspired by surrounding environments that are
It has never been an uncommon thing for one to retreat to nature in an attempt to ‘find one’s self,’ and somewhat cliché these days is the retreat to nature to ‘find God.’ Hundreds of books, essays, seminars, and retreats devote themselves to helping one understand how to find enlightenment and healing through connecting with nature. It is a phenomenon that transcends religious boundaries—everyone, from Buddhists to Christian Mystics to Quakers, seems to think that the key (or, at least, one of the keys) to enlightenment lies in nature. As one may suppose, this is not a new concept. Throughout literary history, there is a distinct trend of authors praising the virtues of nature, singing of the peace that it brings and the enlightening attributes of these places away from the noise and clutter of the cities. Shakespeare tells of finding “tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, [and] sermons in stone”(Shakespeare); William Wordsworth implores us to let nature be our teacher; Goethe claims that there is rest and respite on the mountain top; and George Washington Carver admits that he tries commune with nature everyday. It seems that from Henry David Thoreau right down to contemporary authors, no generation or writing period has been devoid of at least one prolific author who takes to nature in order to find the answers.
On one side of the conflict, Americans have a passionate relationship with nature. Nature acts as a muse for artists of every medium. While studying nature, Jo...
This chapter explores the idea of landscape in an anthropological construct. Hirsch aims to move away from the western ideals of understanding of landscape, and deconstruct it in an attempt to understand the local interoperation of landscape to prove it is part of a cultural process. Landscape has been used as a “standard framing device” (p1) by those looking from the outside in across anthropological history. Hirsch is looking to explore the landscape through the cultural understandings of the local people. (p1-5)
Fortunately, I wake every morning to the most beautiful sun lit house. I sit on my porch sipping coffee, while I drink in an atmosphere that steals my breath away. Rolling hills lay before me that undulate until they crash into golden purple mountains. Oh how they are covered in spectacular fauna, ever blooming foliage, and trees that are heavy with pungent fruit. Green it is always so green here at my house. Here where the air lays heavy and cool on my skin as does the striking rays of the sun upon my cheeks. I know in my soul why I choose to be here every day. Pocketed in all the nooks and crannies of these valleys and hills are stately homes, rich with architecture resplendent. Diversity is the palate here; ...
The sunset was not spectacular that day. The vivid ruby and tangerine streaks that so often caressed the blue brow of the sky were sleeping, hidden behind the heavy mists. There are some days when the sunlight seems to dance, to weave and frolic with tongues of fire between the blades of grass. Not on that day. That evening, the yellow light was sickly. It diffused softly through the gray curtains with a shrouded light that just failed to illuminate. High up in the treetops, the leaves swayed, but on the ground, the grass was silent, limp and unmoving. The sun set and the earth waited.