Natural Influences

In my opinion, the almighty force of Nature shapes everything. When us humans are born, the environment begins to affect us from the very beginning. It is the way we are brought up in different environments that then shapes our personalities. Therefore a writer's portrayal of Nature depends on the writer's birthplace, birthdate, culture, etc. To Chief Luther Standing Bear (from Lapham's Quarterly), America was a tame land; the hills, the plains, and the streams existed harmoniously with the Native Americans. On the other hand, the Englishmen from Europe thought that America was a "hideous and desolate wilderness" that contained many unknown "wild" organisms. Because Native Americans and Englishmen had very different views about the same subject (America), it becomes clear that the environments where people are raised affect their portrayals of Nature.