Statement of Purpose

 

            In the essay, “In Wildness is the Preservation of the World,” Jack Turner wrote, “Reason alone is insufficient to move the will… Philosophical arguments, moralizing, aesthetics, legislation, and abstract philosophies are notoriously incapable of compelling human beings (As quoted in The Great Wilderness Debate, 1998).

            It takes personal experience – sometimes many – for a person to develop a strong relationship with nature. Canoeing is a phenomenon that, while certainly practiced in other parts of the country, has a unique place in the Midwest, particularly in Minnesota with its expansive North Woods and the BWCA. Canoeing allows humans to connect with wilderness, and after they are never quite the same. I wanted to use this opportunity to examine the culture of canoeing and the various aspects of which it is comprised. Canoeing has certainly been a formative experience in my own life, and so to study it is to look back at my own past and experiences.

Works Cited

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