Douglas Journal

The Nature of the Everglades

Quotations by Marjory Stoneman Douglas

“Nothing anywhere else is like them: their vast glittering openness, wider than the enormous visible round of the horizon, the racing free saltness and sweetness of their massive winds, under the dazzling blue heights of space (Douglas 104).”

http://www.saintpetersblog.com/archives/146804

I have never physically seen the Everglades, however this sentence really allows me to have a vivid picture in my mind. Throughout this whole excerpt, Marjory Douglas allowed me to feel like I was at the Everglades, experiencing everything if I were to be there. I can tell, especially with this quote, that Douglas has a strong sense of place with the Everglades. The respect and emotion that is represented in this sentence is fascinating to me. The way Douglas states, nothing anywhere else is like them, shows that this is a place that is dear to her heart. The Everglades appear to be extremely unique in nature. Even though this is her opinion, I can relate to how she feels connected with nature. For me, the feeling of seeing a beautiful sunset on the beach is a feeling unique to the sight of it. This sentence also allows me to think how I take nature, or even being able to see, for granted. If I was not able to sit back and enjoy all of the fascinating things nature has to offer, I would be very upset. From now on I am going to make it a point to embrace nature more often.

“Where the pines are thin, the Indians found their first source of life. There grow foot-tall, ferny green cycads, plants older than this rock, with yellow and orange cones for flowers and great thick roots (Douglas 138).”

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/s/so003.html

The root that is described in this quote is sifted to flour to make a thick watery gruel called “sofkee” that the Indians ate. Last semester, I had to do a presentation on Native Americans so I learned a lot about them. I really enjoy how Douglas states that this was the first source of life for the Indians. This is so powerful to me; the way the Indians survived, using the resources in the wilderness was a challenging experience. Their fight to survive in the wilderness shows strength and courage for the Indians and the sofkee represents the beginning of their survival and life on earth. The sofkee was a way for survival that the Indians cherished and the Everglades essentially provided them with this. The Florida Everglades show years and years of history that makes it special.

“Here in the cypress pools- but for that matter, everywhere in the watery Glades, from lake to sea- lives the Glades’ first citizen, the otter (Douglas 144).”

http://sunnyscope.com/5-critters-florida-everglades/

I loved the section in this excerpt about all of the animals and creatures that encompass the Florida Everglades because I have an emotional attachment to all animals. I picked this quote because the otter was the first citizen of the Everglades. The otter is a wonderful element to the Florida Everglades. The otter enjoys being around all of the alligators and shows a true enjoyment out of living in the Everglades. Just like the otter, many animals call the Everglades their home. The numerous animals described, big and small, are able to enjoy a preserved environment where they can thrive and live in complete peace. As America grows in population, the animals are losing their precious homes. It gives me a peace of mind that the animals in the Everglades have a place to call home.