Final Reflection
Bambi Cumpston
Gender Identity in Environmental Lit
June 4
This class has enlightened me to the idea of ecofeminism, a concept I was only vaguely familiar with before the class. All our books were centered around female characters and their relationships to nature. I really appreciated that all our texts this term were authored by women, and I especially appreciated this class for the amplification of Indigenous women’s voices in literature, which are far too often not heard.
When I read the second chapter of Braiding SweetGrass, I began to cry, because the concept of trees sharing resources equally and acting as one entity within their ecosystem rather than acting selfishly as humans do absolutely melted my heart. That idea alone has been the most inspirational to me this course. Braiding SweetGrass, which painted the process of gathering food and consuming it to be sacred and meditational, has made me more mindful and present in my consumption of food.
Flight Behavior was such an interesting and enjoyable novel to me that I lent the book to my mom immediately afterwards. Not only was Flight Behavior an enlightening reminder of the ways in which global climate change presents not just in the warming of the planet but also in changes in ecosystem and animal migratory patterns, but also it was a beautiful piece of feminist literature. Dellarobia’s journey from relying solely on men’s approval to starting her own independent life is definitely a feminist story, and additionally, I was fascinated by the way that the ideas of birth and offspring were so centrally interwoven into this text. The giving of life is what ties women and nature together, and I think the author was trying to draw our attention to this parallel.
The SeedKeeper inspired me in a piece of my own writing. The rotating of narratives between multiple characters’ perspectives was handled so cleanly and insightfully in this text. I was in a rut with a piece of creating writing I’ve been working on and reading the Seed Keeper inspired me to employ this narrative technique. It successfully got me out of my rut! The Seedkeeper was a heartbreaking reminder of the small-scale details of our carbon footprint. This book explored the ecological damage, as well as the emotional damage, caused by colonialism. But even when exploring such heavy and dark themes as this, the book had a warmth to it all throughout. It felt more full of love than fear. It is a strong piece of ecofeminist literature because it deeply explores the relationship between women and nature and how they nourish and support one another. It is also a piece of just plain feminist literature because it explores complex and loving friendships between women, and how they nourish and support each other as well.
Ecofeminism is a concept I’d like to further explore after this course. I’ve been very interested in all things feminist and in aw of all things feminine for as long as I can remember. If nature has a gender, it is female. Nature is very feminine. It is gentle and soft but strong and lifegiving and nurturing and, one could even say, sensual. Like women, it is often silenced and when it is silenced, it is good at being delicate and quiet. But like women, it is ultimately a powerful force to be reckoned with, and there is power in its silence. Like women, it finds other ways to communicate and exercise its power. The idea of ecofeminism makes me feel a special kinship with nature, a commonality. I’m often riddled with great guilt for being a human in nature, which is necessary, but at a certain point, guilt makes it impossible to grow. It becomes easy to throw in the towel and say, “who cares if I recycle, earth is already going to die.” But this comradery that ecofeminism allows feminists to feel with nature is important and powerful and could be the motivation humans need to take greater responsibility and greater care of our earth. It is a reminder that we must take care of nature where others are neglecting it, and nature will take care of us in return.