Dec 3, 2009
Ishmael and The 11th Hour Compared
In “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn, Ishmael informs us how people treat their world carelessly through “the deterioration of the ozone layer, the pollution of the oceans, the destruction of the rain forests, and even human extinction and it pacifies them” (Quinn 44). We are able to relate this information from Ishmael to “The 11th Hour” because we are told multiple times that humans tend to not care about their environment or they are uneducated therefore they do not seek information. As Ishmael continues, he shares that, “they put their shoulders to the wheel during the day, stupefy themselves with drugs and television at night, and try not to think too searchingly about the world they’re leaving their children to cope with” (Quinn 44). “Ishmael” can be directly related to what “The 11th Hour” was trying to convey to the audience. We, as citizens of this world, have a tendency to overlook the importance of our environmental issues which leads to us being consumed in materialistic things. What is interesting about Ishmael’s insight is that “Ishmael” was published in 1992, seventeen years ago. Even though this novel was published in 1992 and “The 11th hour” was released in 2007, this just proves that environment issues what be evident for quite some time. Although the issues have been there, citizens have been uneducated about the environment and even did not have the interest to find out. Ishmael gives the reader a great point to ponder and hopefully his thoughts have constructed the readers react positively because the issues are real and need attention before it gets too late.
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Lyndsay, comparing the two productions and their creation dates was a very interesting way of drawing the connection and similarity. However, I think that "Ishmael" is a call to action in order to prevent destruction of the environment. Where as in "The 11th Hour," the directors create a film calling viewers to action against the already progressing environmental troubles.
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In "The 11th Hour," the directors state hundreds of facts provided by numerous respectable scientists. They place an emphasis on known evidence and attempt to appeal to the viewers as an attempt to make them realize the importance of the situation.
I would like to add a few similarities that I noticed between "Ishmael" and "The 11th Hour." The thing that struck me most in "Ishmael" is when Ishmael said that the reason for man's destruction of the earth is that we learn from "trial and error." He says "Trial and error isn't a bad way to learn how to build an aircraft,but it can be a disastrous way to learn how to build a civilization." This reminded me a lot of the 11th Hour because it discussed where our society has gone wrong. It is not just in the way we use our resources, but in the mind set that we hold. I think the main similarity between these two stories really lies there in the mindset of society and how it has affected our world. Had we built civilization on the idea that we only had a few tries to get it right: only few recourses to use wisely, the world as we know it would be completely different. Though both stories use a different course of action in getting us there, they ultimately lead us to the same place. Where mankind has gone wrong is in the mentality that all of Earth is our to keep forever.
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