In the “Letter to President Pierce,” the author is explicit that the white man’s colonization has interfered with the social order of the land being colonized. The modernized world’s view on the environment is very different from that of the natives. For instance, the white man takes any piece of land just like any other “one portion of land is the same to him as the next.” On the contrary, the native people differentiate every piece of land for its purpose. First, the native people have pieces of land that they regard as holy since they are used as places of worship. Every piece of land serves a specific purpose hence cannot be taken for any activity other than one it was designated for. The social setting of the white man has no regard for a calm, quiet place with the cool feel of nature. In fact, the white man has built cities in the name of modernization hence pollution to the environment. “There is no quiet place in the white man’s cities.” Therefore, the ways of the white man are not in accord with those of the native people he colonizes. The colonial subjects of the white man have more value for wildlife than he does. “The Indian prefers the soft sound of the wind itself cleansed by a mid-day rain.” The white man has a biased economic perspective of the environment. In essence, the changes brought about by colonization have significantly affected the life of the native people.
In my point of view, the author has a firm argument, which I concur with in regards to the antagonizing views of the white man and the native people. The climate change in the world all over has been brought about by industrialization. It has had a negative impact on wildlife to the extent that some parts of the world have been become inhabitable for some species. In some cases, wildlife, such as lions, has begun to lose their natural fur. For instance, the lions in the Kenyan game reserves have lost the fur around their neck due to the drastic climatic changes in their respective geographical areas. Humankind is complimented by wildlife since this is in line with God’s purpose of creation. In addition, man was given the responsibility to take care of wildlife. It would be very disheartening to lose the beauty of our wildlife since we would have no nature parks to visit during vacations, which we have always visited in the past. “If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beast also happens to the man.”
We ought to take care of our environment since the pollution emitted to the atmosphere has consequences that we will have to bear. Climate change first hit the industrialized world with a significant rise in temperature as compared to the developing world. The most important thing is to bear in mind that future generations depend on us. “It matters little where we pass the rest of our days; they are not many.” Thus, we should ensure that we have measures in place to preserve our wildlife for the benefit of the future generation.
I usually reminisce the beautiful waterfall and birds singings during my childhood holidays at my grandparents. However, today it all is no more due to the clearance of land for agriculture. I still narrate the memorable days with nostalgia to my childhood in my urban residence to my children.