ECL 305’s Lasting Impact

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Currently, I am an environmental science major looking forward to a career in field research. Although I am bound for a career in science, I have a passion for literature, and prioritized finding a class where I could exercise this passion for my schedule this semester. On paper, “Literature and the Environment” sounded like a perfect balance of both of my favorite subjects.

I had never expected adding ECL 305 to my schedule would fundamentally change my understanding of and interactions with the natural world for the rest of my academic and professional career.

Knowing what I do now about terracentrism and the human-established boundary-constructions enabling power dynamics with regards to nature that nurtures both a savior complex and ability to dissociate from personal accountability, the fundamentals upon which I will build my future research paradigms have been questioned and reevaluated.

This course has also instilled in me an interest in blue humanities and further exploration into environmental literature. A big takeaway I will leave this course with is an understanding that literature, and the arts in general, is what makes research and movements in science accessible and absorbable to the public. For that reason, I will continue pursuing my passion for literature parallel to my environmental science course and field work with hopes that I might write some pieces one day that leave an impact.

Finally, and arguably most important, ECL 305 has encouraged me to think critically about any “knowns” I am fed: exploring where the information and beliefs I trust in originated from and what supplemental or contentious information there is available to build upon my understanding. I understand now that it is my personal responsibility to educate myself, rather than simply be educated, because there are broader histories that are often ignored when developing curriculum.

I will be forever grateful to this course for broadening my mind and challenging me to think critically in ways I hadn’t yet considered, and will often recall these takeaways when crafting what I will contribute to the world in the future.

Conclusion

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This class has taught me so much and I do not think I will ever value a class as much as I do this one. When I first signed up for this course, I just wanted to improve my writing skills. But throughout the semester, I learned so much more than I could’ve hoped for. This class has helped me not only with my writing skills but also has helped me to grow my confidence in speaking in classes. 

I never knew how much literature can reveal about the views of the environment in different periods. It was amazing to be able to read such a variety of texts and be able to discuss them in class. I loved learning from my classmates by hearing their interpretations of the media we were talking about. The subject matter of the class was also so fascinating to learn about. I don’t think I will ever be able to read another book or piece of text and not think about how it discusses the ocean and whether it uses terracentric language. I am truly so grateful for all that this class has taught me and the skills I’ve gained from it!  

Week 15 — We Are Mermaids

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This week’s poem, ‘We Are Mermaids’ by Stephanie Burt was super epic. Upon my first reading, I believe the author is trying to say to simply live your life on your own terms and do what makes you happy. In the first stanza, Burt compares the salt of human tears to the salt of the ocean, and in the second line relates both to the concept of sadness, but without sadness there would be no space for happiness. The third line goes on to relate the ocean to birth, which is typically a pretty incredible and happy time in someones life. On top of that, if we trace back the origin of the human race, it came out of the water a long time ago. And to further that, animals are constantly being birthed in the ocean every second of every day. To really hammer in this comparison, the ocean is often referred to as mother nature, which again relates back to the idea of birthing and motherhood. One part that got me super stoked was the part about the thermophiles. Although not entirely the same, it made me think of the extremophiles that we saw living in the radioactive waters in Sirenomelia. The introduction of thermophiles in this poem relates to the idea of being different, and being different does not mean bad, it really just means different. It goes on to say that these thermophiles live in the ocean too, and inhabit the same big old Ocean that mermaids, sharks, and all other aquatic beings do as well. “They are both predators and prey” (Burt, Line 19) means although they are different, they still fit in and actively participate in the food chain. And to be completely honest, if they didn’t exist it would throw off the balance of the food chain in the ocean. “You don’t have to be useful. You are not required to come up with something to say” (Burt, Lines 21-23) reinforces the original claim I made that this poem is about being you for the sake of being you and being happy with that decision. I think she is trying to say that you don’t have to conform or always have an idea, it’s simply okay to be who you are.

Conclusion/reflection:

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ECL 305 has been one the most transformative classes that I’ve ever taken. The first day of class I shared that I wanted to improve my close reading and analysis skills when it comes to interacting with the texts. With each blog post, in person discussion, and essay, I do believe that I’ve been able to meet this goal. Although it will take a lot more dedication on my part to continue to refine my skills, I think this class has given me the tools I need to continue this journey. Literature, just like the ocean, is incredibly vast and I feel like I’m still on a surface level of understanding everything that it has to offer. Other than honing my own understanding, simply being exposed to a variety of ocean centric literature has helped to open my mind and be more receptive to different forms of texts and the past and present histories behind them.

Week 15: What I have learned in this class

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When asking this question to myself, it feels also impossible to answer, as I feel like I have learned so much. When I signed up for this class I hate to say that it was for my requirements, but it was. I will say it also sounded intriguing, although I did not quite know what I was getting myself into. I did not know that this class was going to include mermaids and their rich historical folklore, but it has made this class my favorite that I have taken all year. One of the biggest and most important things I believe I will take away from this class is to never believe that one history is everyones history. I would like to say this is something I have always believed, but this class made it a lot more prominent to me and I have taken a new understanding and appreciation for this. Not only this, but also how important the Ocean is. I have always believed this and hadn’t a great appreciation for its beauty. but now I feel like this has increased drastically. 80 percent of the Ocean is unexplored, a number and statistic that baffles me. A space that vast has more history than we could ever imagine, and this class has helped me imagine that. I learned about the folklore of mermaids from all over the world, how society has so wrongly misconstrued their history and diversity, and also how they are creatures for the Ocean not human entertainment or romanization. I believe that learning about mermaids has not only helped me understand nature, but also how the human narrative is so false and ignorant. Not only all of this, but I also feel that I have improved my critical thinking skills and writing. During the process of our revisions and discovery/close reading papers, I had a hard time trying to discover a solid thesis. I have always seen myself as a decent and sometimes strong writer, but for some reason I kept finding myself stuck. I have been used to already created thesis’s and already ready prompts, that are ready for me to answer. I have never really created my own. This new skill is going to help me further with my English lit classes and for my major, and I am very grateful that our professor and this class helped me learn this. Overall, this class taught me a lot of new things, skills, and ideas to ponder that I have never thought about before. I am more interested in the history of the ocean than I had been before, I have a newfound respect for it, and I also am just more intrigued in this topic of Ocean history versus terrestrial. Thank you so much for making this class a space for us to share our ideas and build upon others, always feeling comfortable to share ideas.

We Are Mermaids

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In the poem, “We Are Mermaids” by Stephanie Burt, different sets of pronouns in the form of ‘we, us, they, you,’ weave throughout the poem to involve the speaker, the audience, and others outside the stage of the text to invite them as a collective into the world of mermaids, a symbol for multitudes, and allows the collective to exist as they are. In the title of the poem ‘We Are Mermaids,’ those who fall under ‘we’ are gathered under the mermaid umbrella with ‘are’ emphasizing the action of simply being. Being a mermaid, like more oceanic ways of thinking, is not constrained to rigid structures that have been imposed on them by society and other terracentric ways of thinking. Instead, mermaids and any other aquatic creatures can occupy any space or even become a part of that space where fluidity and water is found. Whether this is at the bottom of the ocean where benthic water is found, or at the esturaries, where salty sea water and fresh water come together to create a brackish mix, a mermaid can come take up this space. The ‘you’ portions of this poem are particularly powerful and connect back to mermaids as an agent outside of the realm of humanity. The poem tells the reader that ‘you don’t have to be useful, you are not required to come up with something to say.’ In a terracentric world, a humans value originates from what they are able to perform and communicate to the rest of the world. This can be through labor, gender, and other social expectations and norms that make up daily life. However, the second half of the stanza negates and outright rejects this belief. Instead of a grueling day-to-day performance, which many people of marginalized lgbtq+ identities experience, as a mermaid, an individual can simply exist within the solitude and comfort of the sea.

Week 15: We are mermaids

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After reading the poem, We Are Mermaids, I was intrigued with the the language and descriptions used here. The relationship with the Ocean and Mermaids is clear, and it seems to be as if this poem is in the narrative of Mermaids. Not only is this poem discussing the history in the Ocean that they have, but also how they have been there “since before the beginning of tragedy.” With this introduction in the poem, I believe this narrative from the mermaids perspective is highlighting the importance of the Ocean and how it has been here since the beginning of time. Even if humans might not all recognize its rich history and importance, it is there and it is clear to the mermaids and animals who dwell in it. The Ocean is a a beautiful and scary place, which I believe this poem highlights very well. Not only does it emphasize how the Ocean is “life giving” but also how animals and creatures thrive in its mystery, and humans would not be able to. It is hard for humans to understand or appreciate something they cannot connect or relate their history too, a common theme that we have searched in this class. It is hard to want to protect something history when it is not your own, which is what I believe this poem is discussing. Humans cannot appreciate the Ocean the same way mermaids or creatures might, because our history is terrestrial based. I believe this poem is pondering this idea, but also trying to help us explore the Oceans history, or help us see why we might not relate to it, and why we should. This poem was short, but it held a lot of meaning. One line that really stood out to me was “We know the consistent waves, as they ride fortunes helical gears, sacrificing their poise for their careers, need not be the only mode of living.” This could be interpreted in many ways, but I read this as how the Ocean brings and gives so much life to those who dwell in it. The creatures who do, do not take or abuse this gift, as us humans often do on land and abusing its resources. I felt this poem was a great way to emphasize a different narrative and how the Ocean, as we all know now, has a ancient and rich history.

Week 15: We are Mermaids

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I really enjoyed reading this poem because it forced me to reconsider the way that society tells us we have to live. The use of the ocean in this poem creates a peaceful image that encourages readers to slow down in their lives and not feel pressured to be as on the go as society tells us we need to be. The stanza that starts with “You can spend your life benthic, or brackish,” created this image of existing underwater and when I think of being underwater, I think of how quiet everything gets. There is no noise from cars or people, just the sounds of the ocean which are calming. In the ocean, there is only nature and the natural cycles of life. There is nothing that would show “success” in the eyes of society. This stanza made me consider how society puts pressure on us to be successful, but who gets to decide what being successful looks like? Maybe for one person success looks like being content with their life and for another person, it looks like having a certain lifestyle.

The third stanza also made me think of society’s rules or expectations. There is a very specific timeline that society tells us that we need to achieve certain milestones by and this stanza challenges that. The lines that say “sacrificing their poise for their careers, / need not be the only mode of living” make the reader think of their life beyond what society encourages. Working is important and necessary, but there is more to a person’s life than their career. These lines emphasize the need to not sacrifice so much of your life for something that does not reward or fulfill you. We are not bound by the limits that society places on us and this poem reminds readers of that. 

Week 15: Home Sweet Home

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There’s something so–for lack of a better term–poetic about a poem describing an inhospitable land and the kind of creatures that would call it home, especially with the context of the poet Stephanie Burt’s identity as a trans woman and an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.

The setting of the poem describes the underwater sea vents where microbial and aquatic life has adapted to the harsh, sulfuric waters that could kill anything unprepared–or rather, unadapted–for the environment they live in. The phrase, “They love it here” resonates with me because it serves as a sort of reframing for me as I read the poem. This class has taught me so much about narrative, perspective, and the reframing of it. To me, these underwater sea vents are inhospitable. If the pressure from going so deep underwater doesn’t kill me, then the sulfur streams will. But to the thermophiles, the zoarchids, and the eelpouts, this environment doesn’t just give them life–it sustains them. They live in this environment, not just survive. Because they live in this environment, why wouldn’t they love the life that this environment brings? These organisms wouldn’t thrive in a different depth zone than the one they live in now.

But of course, Burt isn’t talking about strange-looking deep sea creatures and hardy microbiomes. Not really. This poem takes on an outsider’s perspective, the perspective of a person who exists on the fringes of society rather than existing in the midst of it, the perspective of someone who is considered freakish to others simply because of their existence, the perspective of someone who lives in an “inhospitable” land, has “adapted” to it, and “thrives” in it, despite this land’s and its people’s marginalization.

It’s a very powerful metaphor for the members of the LGBTQIA+ community who have been ostracized by the cisgender, heterosexual, societal norms for their existences outside of perceived societal binaries but have thrived in their communities and spaces and revel in their differences instead of reviling them.

We are Mermaids

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Right away at the beginning of this poem I get a bittersweet feeling. The first stanza says that the salt comes from tears and is melancholy yet it is the producer of life. The poem begins to describe humans as a tragedy by the following line, “The beginning of a tragedy, when what would become us was just trying to get through the day” maybe because the daily activites of humans causes harm to the environment in forms of carbon emission, dumping, over fishing, etc.

The poem then mentions thermophiles feeding off fumaroles and how they love it at the depths. My interpretation of this is that these organisms love it there because it is far away from humans as that environment alone would kill them with the crushing pressure and the deadly sulfur exposure from the fumaroles.

One interesting part in the end is that the poem changes from using “they” to “you”. Though I am a bit confused on what the ending is trying to say. It talks about living in a deep or salty environment exploring different bodies of water “exploring the estuary, the submerged lip and the congeries of overlapping shores on the green-black water, the harbor, the bay”. Then it mention how we can live with doubt. My interpretation of this is we will all go through different adventures in life and experience tough times and times of doubt, but what matters is that we have the strength to live with or through it. if we can do that then we will be okay.