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1 by Bill L. of Washington High School in South Bend, Indiana Barry Holstun Lopez The Naturalist INTRODUCTION Background information Thesis statement BODY First main point: Travels Summary Barry Lopez began his life as the Modern Age drew to a close, making way for contemporary writing. The change from modern to contemporary literature resulted in little variety from the previous period. One of the few fluctuations was that authors expanded the ideas from the past. Unlike previous authors, who gave wild animals the appearance of being ravenous beasts, Barry Lopez shows us animals lives from a scientific and naturalistic point of view. He broadens the insight of the reader by producing a realistic concept of nature, using his experiences and observations to create a persuasive message. Lopez s extensive travels allowed him to experience many different environments. His journeys inspired him and gave him the subject matter that he used in his books. Barry Holstun Lopez was born in Port Chester, New York, on 1

2 Direct quotation January 6, When he was three, his family moved from New York to the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. During his childhood days in California, he formed his first impressions of wild animals through his encounters with them in the Mojave Desert and the San Bernardino Mountains. His parents divorced and his mother remarried in A year later his family moved to New York City. At the age of seventeen he entered the University of Notre Dame. During his sophomore year, he began to travel throughout the United States and Canada. In one of his travels he returned to California, where he rediscovered his love for nature. He felt... exhilarated, brought back to life, by the landscapes of the West (Colby 550). During his summer vacations in his last two years of college, he worked as a wrangler at the Triangle X Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After graduating from Notre Dame, he married Sandra Landers. He began masters courses first in writing and then in journalism at the University of Oregon, but finally decided to write full time. In 1970 he moved to a rural area on the 2

3 McKenzie River in Oregon s Cascade Mountains. In 1985 he Direct quotation started a series of travels. I went to Japan, to northern Hokkaido, and then to the Galápagos Islands, and then to Africa, to Antarctica, and China. These extensive journeys are the context of my work now (Colby 550). Second main point: Works Lopez has produced numerous essays and short fiction books; however, his nonfiction books are the most popular. Through imagery, he paints a detailed picture for the reader. His realistic approach to life in the animal kingdom has brought him national acclaim. His first book, Desert Notes: Reflections in the Eye of the Raven, was published in Of Wolves and Men was his first book to receive major attention. For this book, which focuses on the life of the wolf, he received several awards. Arctic Dreams, probably his most famous book, brought him international acclaim, including the National Book Award for nonfiction. This book deals with many different aspects of life in the Arctic. Barry Lopez s greatest books are Of Wolves and Men and Arctic Dreams. In Of Wolves and Men he appeals to the 3

4 senses and gets readers to think about the future of animals by showing how badly the wolf has been treated in the past. Lopez says Long quotation... if I focused on this one animal, I might be Long quotation able to say something sharp and clear about the way we treat all animals, and about how we relate to the natural world in the latter part of the twentieth century. (Ross 250) In discussing Arctic Dreams, Lopez tells about two incidents that inspired him to write this book. One was the sight, in the midnight light of the northern summer, of a flight of birds and a small herd of caribou crossing a river. The other took place not in the Arctic but in rural Michigan, where he came across the grave of a sailor who had died in an Arctic expedition in (Colby 551) 4

5 Summary From these inspirations Lopez produced a book that contains many different themes, including Arctic exploration, geography, weather, and animal migration and behavior. Third main point: Message Lopez points out in his books the negative effects of humans on nature. As people sought to conquer the land, they Long quotation Author of more than one source found it necessary to drive the wolf from their territories in order to use the land. Throughout the ages people have feared wolves. This fear has given them the desire to wipe out their foe. The combination of the desire to subdue the wilderness and the fear of the unknown has damaged the wolf populations in the lower forty-eight states. Through the killing of the wolf, humans gained the feeling of dominance over nature. There is something deep-seated in men that makes them want to take on the outdoors, as though it were something to be whipped, and to kill wolves because killing a wolf stands for real triumph. (Lopez, Of Wolves and Men 160) As the nation desired more red meat the wolf needed to be 5

6 controlled. In many cases the wolf population was exterminated. From 1850 to 1900 an estimated one to two million wolves were killed. A nation that wanted beef had to control wolf predation had to kill wolves there was no way around that but didn t have to, as it did, kill every last wolf (Lopez, Of Wolves and Men 180). CONCLUSION Summary Barry Lopez uses powerful imagery to show us our forebears mistakes. As the settlers fought for a living in this. rugged wilderness, they ruined native lifestyles, wreaked havoc on the environment, and eliminated many animal populations. His book Of Wolves and Men centers on one animal, the wolf. He hopes that people will see the destruction they have brought on themselves in their desire to overcome the forces of nature, and he hopes that they will change their ways. [W]hat is in my gut as a writer is a concern with the fate of the country I live in and the dignity and morality of the people I live with (qtd. in Indirect quotation Colby 550). In his book Arctic Dreams, Lopez covers the geography, the history, and the bird and animal life in the Arctic. He realizes that technology has radically altered the 6

7 landscape and the animals living on the land. As a superb Final insight naturalist, he has helped all of us realize that we have squandered valuable resources. It is now our choice to make a difference. Works Cited Colby, Vineta, ed. Lopez, Barry Holstun. World Authors New York: The H. W. Wilson Company, Ross, Jean W. Lopez, Barry Holstun. Contemporary Authors. Ed. Deborah A. Straub. vol. 23. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., Lopez, Barry. Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape. Toronto: Bantam Books, Lopez, Barry. Of Wolves and Men. New York: Simon & Schuster,