Expansion vs. Preservation :: essays papers

Expansion vs. PreservationWilliam Sonntag was acclaimed in the 1850s as a painter of the dramatic landscape. In his painting garden of the Gods, Sonntag portrays a family in the time of the westward expansion. The very subtle painting, show by its loose brushwork, captures the shifting atmospheric contrasts of light and dark. Apparent in the painting is a family struggling to survive in nature. In the bum left corner of the painting is a weather beaten shack, the theater of the struggling family. This painting brings out the live of the land mentality, but it too incorporates the idea of expansion. When you think about carriage today, do we really pauperization to expand? Does all this technology really make our lives better? Certainly, Ted Kazinski (aka The Unabomber) doesnt think so. The well known advocate for a revolution against the industrial system, the Unabomber believes the technological era will be a disaster to the gentle race. William Sonntags Garden of the Gods symbolizes expansion, as opposed to the Unabombers belief of preserving ones trustworthy way of life .The Unabombers ideal society would be that of life in the nineteenth century. It would be characteristic of life without TVs to brainwash us with, no scientists and engineers to try to simplify our lives, and no cars to choke our mother earth with. It all comes together in what we see in the Garden of the Gods, hunting for food to feed your loving family, living in a shack made by ones own god effrontery hands, and entertaining each other by storytelling in front of a campfire. Depicted in this painting is a luminous reflection of the solarise on what seems to be rock formation in the background. This symbolizes gods intervention into humanity life, and the spiritual livelihood that is inherent in all of us. It is the heavens that helps us to outperform our everyday obstacles. Conquering new ground wasnt an well-to-do task for umpteen expansionists, confidin g in god is what brought many of these settlers to overcome their fears and hindrances. Even though there are similarities between these two pieces, they shut up have one monumental difference. Expansion is what brings us to new levels. For many of these settlers, land wasnt a necessity they believed they were destined for more land.