To call your work an almanac is to tie it to the agricultural tradition. When i visited my best friend's grandmother's farm in Missouri two years ago, they had a copy of the Farmer's almanac and they used it to know on which exact date they needed to castrate their baby bulls. Almanacs are also a quirky collection of data whose common link is earth utility. Leopold's book follows in this tradition, i.e. it provides American and local Wisconsonian history, biological processes, scene descriptions, etc. The title also suggests Leopold is writing an almanac for his own place, and this suggests a thorough understanding of the importance of local knowledge. Cass Curl
1. The title of A Sand County Almanac relates to the nature Leopold is immersed in and describes. ‘The shack’ that Leopold and his family spend time at is on an old Wisconsin sand farm. Leopold has written a sort of almanac about this rural sand county. An almanac by definition is “an annual publication containing a calendar for the coming year, the times of such events and phenomena as anniversaries, sunrises and sunsets, phases of the moon, tides, etc., and other statistical information”. Leopold structures his novel with the according to the months, which each separate into a chapter. By describing what happens each month Leopold creates an almanac that tells of important “events and phenomena” that are associated with the nature he is observing and interacting with. The additional title of And Sketches Here and There also reflects the relaxed, conversational tone Leopold evokes throughout his novel.
The title suggests a collection of knowledge related to “Sand County”, Leopold’s sand farm in Wisconsin. The dictionary definition describes, “an annual publication including weather forecasts and other miscellaneous information arranged according to the calendar of a given year.” This is particularly telling as it offers another explanation of his seasonal arrangement of the essays. Another way though to describe the almanac, would be: “a book of local knowledge.” Leopold’s Almanac is essentially a piece of our collective history.
To call a written work an almanac suggests statistical information that could be useful to a farmer or other land-person. However, the stories narrated in the first person give it a very personal tone, almost as if written for his own pleasure, or to annotate monthly occurrences in the style of a journal. Going through it I actually thought it felt more like a journal, though with an ecological purpose, and so it seems to me that an almanac is just a journal of the land. Bringing the personal first-person narrative into it, along with Leopold's real personal experiences with the land, seems to attest to how one could implement a land ethic into daily life.
One of the definitions of almanac is a collection of facts about a region. When I read the definition, I thought of a tide chart which gives the high tide and low tide on any day of the year, and the different phases of the moon. This book is Aldo Leopold's almanac of an area in Wisconsin near the great lakes. There is a section in the April chapter that talks about the sky dance of the woodcock in which he describes his land as having more sand than the surrounding properties. Sand is a big component to the land in that area, and influences what kind of vegetation and animals live there. This is probably why they called it Sand County. Aldo gives a collection of facts about this area; some for each month of the year. What I liked is that these facts are not written dryly and just chronologies or statistics, but personal experiences of his surroundings. These are the facts that are important to him and that he has gotten to by using his observation of phenomena which are happening around him and which he values.
The title suggests the importance of two things: 1) valuing a land regardless of its economic potential; 2) understanding the needs of the land in regards to universal natural processes. Leopold stresses the importance of visualizing landscape through an ethical perspective rather than an economical one. An ethical perspective requires the viewer to imagine the philosophical relationship between humans and the environment rather than one that is built upon a material and profitable business association. A contemplative and mindful relationship with the environment is established when we as humans admire the processes of nature and value it for what it is rather than for the ways it can benefit our lives. The idea of an almanac suggests that there is some kind of inherent order to the processes of nature that we as humans must follow if we want to maintain an ethical relationship with the environment. The impatience and greed of humans are what make us believe that we can "outsmart" nature by implementing technologies that satiate our need to have everything right away even if it's achieved through unnatural means.
In employing the term almanac in the title of his work, Sand County Almanac Aldo Leopold suggests that his work includes statistical facts and data about the environment as well as his personal attachment and connection with Sand County. In many ways, he derives the notion of "land ethic" which is defined as "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise" out of his personal responsibility in maintaining, conserving and preserving the land that he inhabits. He uses the term to show that he not only understands his personal connection to the land but also in that he has a complete understanding of the nature of the environment and the needs that the land requires despite it the fact that there may not be any economic value to the land. In short, Sand County Almanac is a way in which Leopold records a place that is significantly important to him and his knowledge and grasp of the needs of such a place.
I think that the title suggests that his work acts as a reference for useful or interesting ideas, facts, or data related to the environment. In addition, when I think of Almanac, I think of various experts in a certain field publishing a collection of their findings to be used as a reference. It reflects his personal feelings and connections with the land in Wisconsin(Sand County). All of the information he provides demonstrates that land is a priceless community that should be loved and respected for all that it can offer us. Leopold stresses how essential it is for us to put conservation above economical gain. These economic motives put value on animals that actually have no economic value (Substitutes for a Land Ethic).
In Aldo Leopold’s “A Sand County Almanac”, Leopold offers us the opportunity to reconnect with the land by providing extensive local knowledge in a way that is meaningful and personal, like a diary. The use of almanacs can be traced back centuries to a time where man’s knowledge of the mechanics of the world was only beginning but was not used for exploitive purposes, rather to center man’s life around the cycles of the Earth. The term ‘almanac’ suggests Leopold is telling us through his own detailed personal accounts of Sand County how to reconnect and once again respect our land.
The reference to a farmer's almanac implies that there was a careful consideration of the way in which nature is in constant transition. Almanacs are collections of knowledge based on a changing natural world, encouraging humans to work with and alongside nature and its pace. There is a folk element in an almanac, a sense that this knowledge accumulated over time through simple observation, rather than imposition.
1. An Almanac is defined as a publication full of different facts “useful and interesting”. The title Sand County Almanac, then, leads us to believe this work is a book of useful facts about Sand County. We are expected to read the work and use the facts about Sand County, not just glance over the words and enjoy them as fictitious or useless. He connects us to this Wisconsin land, and because it is an area so personal to him, we are invited to transplant his ideas of land ethic to our own personal areas. Thus, for example, instead of reading about his notion that we “Value in any activity that reminds us of our distinctive natural origins and evolution…” and think of it as an abstract notion, we are meant to view it as a fact in an almanac, especially with regards to its utility aspect.
An almanac is like a calendar that displays the times of events or other important information. The Sand County Almanac starts off by going through each month of the year and from this we can see this calendar of events that occur in Leopold's Sand County. The title of the book suggests that when we read, we will experience the cycle of events that happen in a year in Leopold's point of view.
In order to understand the significance of "A Sand County Almanac," the title can be broken into two parts: "Sand County" and "Almanac." I will comment first on "Almanac." An almanac in layman's terms is a yearly record of notable events and happenings during a calendar year, which is exactly what Leopold does. Part I, subtitled A Sand County Almanac, is exactly such an almanac, further subdivided into months of the year as it is. The other part of the title, "Sand County," is meant to emphasize the local and regional phenomena. Only someone with local knowledge would be able to notice the little details and slight changes of everyday life. By specifically calling out Sand County by name, Leopold focuses the reader on the importance of the region. Essentially, this book, and largely the first part of it, is Leopold's account of events and happenings in an area named Sand County.
To start off, an Almanac is an annual publication of information about a certain region. It includes, weather forecasts, planting dates, and other information that is specific to that certain region. Sand County is the area that he discusses for the first part of the novel when it is separated into the different months. He has created his own personal and detailed almanac. And unlike other almanacs it is not just a list of facts but includes his opinions and discoveries he has made while living in this region. It is closer to the heart of Sand County because it comes from someone who has and is still living there.
An almanac is a book compiled each year-- it is rooted in agriculture, for it has been used for centuries by farmers as an aid in cultivating a thriving farm. By calling his book A Sand County Almanac, Leopold situates it among other almanacs, which have traditionally included factual information such as weather forecasts, etc., but instead, his almanac is descriptive and personal. A Sand County Almanac is Leopold's own observations of Sand County, his own vibrant descriptions of the wildlife and living organisms that surround him, and the very literal environment around him. By calling it an almanac, he gives the word a new meaning; it is not just an objective book of facts, but a living, breathing organism of its own-- just as nature cannot be reduced to mere mathematics and scientific data, neither should an almanac.
The title "Sand County Almanac" implies that it is an almanac, written by Aldo Leopold, of Sand County. More specifically, it is a compilation of what Leopold has experienced and witnessed yearly in his regional home of Sand County. As he is an inhabitant of the region, he is more understanding and keen of what occurs day by day. I am currently writing a phenological journal of the Knoll for one of my other courses, with my thoughts on what occurs there, so I could say that I am writing a miniature almanac of my own on the Knoll.
Aldo Leopold's book, "A Sand County Almanac" suggests that the book is compiled of data regarding Sand County, Wisconsin. Since Leopold is considered to be the "foremost conservationist of our century," this almanac implies that the book contains information about the environment that we take for granted. By shedding light on the environment our understanding of the land and the connection the land has to the inhabitants will be greater.
An almanac is traditionally a informational book which documents a specific regions natural cycles, in other words, understanding the land, the ecological system, weather patterns and so forth. Leopold employs the term to clue the reader that his book will be about the land. A conscience and acute observation of it over time, his first-hand experiance and perspective remove the fact-telling style of almanacs and instead formulates a different kind of man-enviornment relationship that reaches beyond economic and material extraction to a symbiotic connection.
The word almanac suggests that the book deals with the sequence of natural events that occur throughout the year in Sand County. In the first part of the book, Leopold goes through each month of the year and describes the various events that take place in Sand County regarding animal and plant functions. For example, the first event he describes is how, at the spring thaw, the skunk comes out of its den and drags its belly through the snow in search of running water. Leopold also describes events in an almanac way when he cuts down the oak tree in his yard. Here, he goes backward in time as he saws through the tree's rings and takes account of every year and the significant events that happened in them. By titling his book an almanac, Leopold is able to share the past and future natural occurrences of Sand County and is giving others a new way of looking at the environment and its personal calendar of events.
The word 'almanac' deals with a timeline and how-to-guide to different aspects of nature. Specifically, "Sand Country Almanac", sand country is referring to the sand farm in Wisconsin. His version of an almanac provides a sequence we must take to change our relationship with the environment. He offers ways to integrate ourselves into the community and when we invite new laws and regulations to keep in mind not only the benefit of ourselves but to also be conscious of the impact it has on the land. If we take what the almanac has to offer, our relationship with the land will prosper.
Leopold and his family have spent time in the lives living in a “shack” on an old Wisconsin sand farm, and this is an account of local Wisconsonian history, biological processes, scene descriptions, etc. of this place. It is essentially a collection of natural history of a place he knows very well. The title suggests that Leopold is writing an almanac of this place he knows and this suggests an education of the importance of local knowledge.
An almanac is a "an annual reference book of useful and interesting facts relating to countries of the world." Through this title, the reader thinks that the book will just have facts about a Sand County. Within his writings, Leopold writes in detail about his life on a "shack" in Wisconsin. The beginning is broken up into months, where he states some interesting facts on what happens in nature within each month. Even though his writings has facts like an almanac, he has a more personal connection to the environment than a regular almanac would, thus his writings seem more journal like.
An almanac is used to see changes in weather and predict good times to grow crops based on moons. Farmers use almanacs to know when to plant (they also use to use it in the loo) By titling the book San County Almanac--he connects his work to the land where he lives. It suggests the significance of his time in Wisconsin and his local knowledge. He becomes so knowledgeable that he is able to make his own phenomenon's in this work. He is a local, writing down local knowledge. A conventional almanac would spew facts and predictions--however this 'almanac' is more personal, which also shows a greater connection to the land.
An almanac can be used to reference facts that one may not often hear about or just know casually. I think the title refers to a way of being able to connect to the world and nature. I interpret this as his experience, and how he feels his knowledge is in fact "local knowledge" sine he is an "almanac" of his time, and of his experiences.
25 comments:
To call your work an almanac is to tie it to the agricultural tradition. When i visited my best friend's grandmother's farm in Missouri two years ago, they had a copy of the Farmer's almanac and they used it to know on which exact date they needed to castrate their baby bulls. Almanacs are also a quirky collection of data whose common link is earth utility. Leopold's book follows in this tradition, i.e. it provides American and local Wisconsonian history, biological processes, scene descriptions, etc. The title also suggests Leopold is writing an almanac for his own place, and this suggests a thorough understanding of the importance of local knowledge.
Cass Curl
1. The title of A Sand County Almanac relates to the nature Leopold is immersed in and describes. ‘The shack’ that Leopold and his family spend time at is on an old Wisconsin sand farm. Leopold has written a sort of almanac about this rural sand county. An almanac by definition is “an annual publication containing a calendar for the coming year, the times of such events and phenomena as anniversaries, sunrises and sunsets, phases of the moon, tides, etc., and other statistical information”. Leopold structures his novel with the according to the months, which each separate into a chapter. By describing what happens each month Leopold creates an almanac that tells of important “events and phenomena” that are associated with the nature he is observing and interacting with. The additional title of And Sketches Here and There also reflects the relaxed, conversational tone Leopold evokes throughout his novel.
The title suggests a collection of knowledge related to “Sand County”, Leopold’s sand farm in Wisconsin. The dictionary definition describes, “an annual publication including weather forecasts and other miscellaneous information arranged according to the calendar of a given year.” This is particularly telling as it offers another explanation of his seasonal arrangement of the essays. Another way though to describe the almanac, would be: “a book of local knowledge.” Leopold’s Almanac is essentially a piece of our collective history.
To call a written work an almanac suggests statistical information that could be useful to a farmer or other land-person. However, the stories narrated in the first person give it a very personal tone, almost as if written for his own pleasure, or to annotate monthly occurrences in the style of a journal. Going through it I actually thought it felt more like a journal, though with an ecological purpose, and so it seems to me that an almanac is just a journal of the land. Bringing the personal first-person narrative into it, along with Leopold's real personal experiences with the land, seems to attest to how one could implement a land ethic into daily life.
One of the definitions of almanac is a collection of facts about a region. When I read the definition, I thought of a tide chart which gives the high tide and low tide on any day of the year, and the different phases of the moon. This book is Aldo Leopold's almanac of an area in Wisconsin near the great lakes. There is a section in the April chapter that talks about the sky dance of the woodcock in which he describes his land as having more sand than the surrounding properties. Sand is a big component to the land in that area, and influences what kind of vegetation and animals live there. This is probably why they called it Sand County. Aldo gives a collection of facts about this area; some for each month of the year. What I liked is that these facts are not written dryly and just chronologies or statistics, but personal experiences of his surroundings. These are the facts that are important to him and that he has gotten to by using his observation of phenomena which are happening around him and which he values.
The title suggests the importance of two things: 1) valuing a land regardless of its economic potential; 2) understanding the needs of the land in regards to universal natural processes. Leopold stresses the importance of visualizing landscape through an ethical perspective rather than an economical one. An ethical perspective requires the viewer to imagine the philosophical relationship between humans and the environment rather than one that is built upon a material and profitable business association. A contemplative and mindful relationship with the environment is established when we as humans admire the processes of nature and value it for what it is rather than for the ways it can benefit our lives. The idea of an almanac suggests that there is some kind of inherent order to the processes of nature that we as humans must follow if we want to maintain an ethical relationship with the environment. The impatience and greed of humans are what make us believe that we can "outsmart" nature by implementing technologies that satiate our need to have everything right away even if it's achieved through unnatural means.
In employing the term almanac in the title of his work, Sand County Almanac Aldo Leopold suggests that his work includes statistical facts and data about the environment as well as his personal attachment and connection with Sand County. In many ways, he derives the notion of "land ethic" which is defined as "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise" out of his personal responsibility in maintaining, conserving and preserving the land that he inhabits. He uses the term to show that he not only understands his personal connection to the land but also in that he has a complete understanding of the nature of the environment and the needs that the land requires despite it the fact that there may not be any economic value to the land. In short, Sand County Almanac is a way in which Leopold records a place that is significantly important to him and his knowledge and grasp of the needs of such a place.
I think that the title suggests that his work acts as a reference for useful or interesting ideas, facts, or data related to the environment. In addition, when I think of Almanac, I think of various experts in a certain field publishing a collection of their findings to be used as a reference. It reflects his personal feelings and connections with the land in Wisconsin(Sand County). All of the information he provides demonstrates that land is a priceless community that should be loved and respected for all that it can offer us. Leopold stresses how essential it is for us to put conservation above economical gain. These economic motives put value on animals that actually have no economic value (Substitutes for a Land Ethic).
In Aldo Leopold’s “A Sand County Almanac”, Leopold offers us the opportunity to reconnect with the land by providing extensive local knowledge in a way that is meaningful and personal, like a diary. The use of almanacs can be traced back centuries to a time where man’s knowledge of the mechanics of the world was only beginning but was not used for exploitive purposes, rather to center man’s life around the cycles of the Earth. The term ‘almanac’ suggests Leopold is telling us through his own detailed personal accounts of Sand County how to reconnect and once again respect our land.
The reference to a farmer's almanac implies that there was a careful consideration of the way in which nature is in constant transition. Almanacs are collections of knowledge based on a changing natural world, encouraging humans to work with and alongside nature and its pace. There is a folk element in an almanac, a sense that this knowledge accumulated over time through simple observation, rather than imposition.
1. An Almanac is defined as a publication full of different facts “useful and interesting”. The title Sand County Almanac, then, leads us to believe this work is a book of useful facts about Sand County. We are expected to read the work and use the facts about Sand County, not just glance over the words and enjoy them as fictitious or useless. He connects us to this Wisconsin land, and because it is an area so personal to him, we are invited to transplant his ideas of land ethic to our own personal areas. Thus, for example, instead of reading about his notion that we “Value in any activity that reminds us of our distinctive natural origins and evolution…” and think of it as an abstract notion, we are meant to view it as a fact in an almanac, especially with regards to its utility aspect.
An almanac is like a calendar that displays the times of events or other important information. The Sand County Almanac starts off by going through each month of the year and from this we can see this calendar of events that occur in Leopold's Sand County. The title of the book suggests that when we read, we will experience the cycle of events that happen in a year in Leopold's point of view.
In order to understand the significance of "A Sand County Almanac," the title can be broken into two parts: "Sand County" and "Almanac." I will comment first on "Almanac." An almanac in layman's terms is a yearly record of notable events and happenings during a calendar year, which is exactly what Leopold does. Part I, subtitled A Sand County Almanac, is exactly such an almanac, further subdivided into months of the year as it is. The other part of the title, "Sand County," is meant to emphasize the local and regional phenomena. Only someone with local knowledge would be able to notice the little details and slight changes of everyday life. By specifically calling out Sand County by name, Leopold focuses the reader on the importance of the region.
Essentially, this book, and largely the first part of it, is Leopold's account of events and happenings in an area named Sand County.
To start off, an Almanac is an annual publication of information about a certain region. It includes, weather forecasts, planting dates, and other information that is specific to that certain region. Sand County is the area that he discusses for the first part of the novel when it is separated into the different months. He has created his own personal and detailed almanac. And unlike other almanacs it is not just a list of facts but includes his opinions and discoveries he has made while living in this region. It is closer to the heart of Sand County because it comes from someone who has and is still living there.
An almanac is a book compiled each year-- it is rooted in agriculture, for it has been used for centuries by farmers as an aid in cultivating a thriving farm. By calling his book A Sand County Almanac, Leopold situates it among other almanacs, which have traditionally included factual information such as weather forecasts, etc., but instead, his almanac is descriptive and personal. A Sand County Almanac is Leopold's own observations of Sand County, his own vibrant descriptions of the wildlife and living organisms that surround him, and the very literal environment around him. By calling it an almanac, he gives the word a new meaning; it is not just an objective book of facts, but a living, breathing organism of its own-- just as nature cannot be reduced to mere mathematics and scientific data, neither should an almanac.
The title "Sand County Almanac" implies that it is an almanac, written by Aldo Leopold, of Sand County. More specifically, it is a compilation of what Leopold has experienced and witnessed yearly in his regional home of Sand County. As he is an inhabitant of the region, he is more understanding and keen of what occurs day by day. I am currently writing a phenological journal of the Knoll for one of my other courses, with my thoughts on what occurs there, so I could say that I am writing a miniature almanac of my own on the Knoll.
Aldo Leopold's book, "A Sand County Almanac" suggests that the book is compiled of data regarding Sand County, Wisconsin. Since Leopold is considered to be the "foremost conservationist of our century," this almanac implies that the book contains information about the environment that we take for granted. By shedding light on the environment our understanding of the land and the connection the land has to the inhabitants will be greater.
An almanac is traditionally a informational book which documents a specific regions natural cycles, in other words, understanding the land, the ecological system, weather patterns and so forth. Leopold employs the term to clue the reader that his book will be about the land. A conscience and acute observation of it over time, his first-hand experiance and perspective remove the fact-telling style of almanacs and instead formulates a different kind of man-enviornment relationship that reaches beyond economic and material extraction to a symbiotic connection.
The word almanac suggests that the book deals with the sequence of natural events that occur throughout the year in Sand County. In the first part of the book, Leopold goes through each month of the year and describes the various events that take place in Sand County regarding animal and plant functions. For example, the first event he describes is how, at the spring thaw, the skunk comes out of its den and drags its belly through the snow in search of running water. Leopold also describes events in an almanac way when he cuts down the oak tree in his yard. Here, he goes backward in time as he saws through the tree's rings and takes account of every year and the significant events that happened in them. By titling his book an almanac, Leopold is able to share the past and future natural occurrences of Sand County and is giving others a new way of looking at the environment and its personal calendar of events.
The word 'almanac' deals with a timeline and how-to-guide to different aspects of nature. Specifically, "Sand Country Almanac", sand country is referring to the sand farm in Wisconsin. His version of an almanac provides a sequence we must take to change our relationship with the environment. He offers ways to integrate ourselves into the community and when we invite new laws and regulations to keep in mind not only the benefit of ourselves but to also be conscious of the impact it has on the land. If we take what the almanac has to offer, our relationship with the land will prosper.
Leopold and his family have spent time in the lives living in a “shack” on an old Wisconsin sand farm, and this is an account of local Wisconsonian history, biological processes, scene descriptions, etc. of this place. It is essentially a collection of natural history of a place he knows very well. The title suggests that Leopold is writing an almanac of this place he knows and this suggests an education of the importance of local knowledge.
An almanac is a "an annual reference book of useful and interesting facts relating to countries of the world." Through this title, the reader thinks that the book will just have facts about a Sand County. Within his writings, Leopold writes in detail about his life on a "shack" in Wisconsin. The beginning is broken up into months, where he states some interesting facts on what happens in nature within each month. Even though his writings has facts like an almanac, he has a more personal connection to the environment than a regular almanac would, thus his writings seem more journal like.
An almanac is used to see changes in weather and predict good times to grow crops based on moons. Farmers use almanacs to know when to plant (they also use to use it in the loo) By titling the book San County Almanac--he connects his work to the land where he lives. It suggests the significance of his time in Wisconsin and his local knowledge. He becomes so knowledgeable that he is able to make his own phenomenon's in this work. He is a local, writing down local knowledge. A conventional almanac would spew facts and predictions--however this 'almanac' is more personal, which also shows a greater connection to the land.
An almanac can be used to reference facts that one may not often hear about or just know casually. I think the title refers to a way of being able to connect to the world and nature. I interpret this as his experience, and how he feels his knowledge is in fact "local knowledge" sine he is an "almanac" of his time, and of his experiences.
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