Contextualizing Narratives

This topic submitted by Jason Harnish, Ryan Pearl, Maggie Perrino, Brian Ross, Randy Young on 4/29/03. [ Rivers Team: Jason Harnish, Ryan Pearl, Maggie Perrino, Brian Ross, Randy Young-Section: Blaisdell/Wolfe]

Contextualizing Narratives
Introduction
The problem our group is addressing is a problem that has plagued our species for too long. This problem is the lack of emotional/spiritual connection we have to the cycles of Earth and the increasingly obtuse ecological understanding humans have in regards to the ÒnaturalÓ world. In order to circumvent the larger cultures constant barrage of attacks on individuals and systems that attempt to increase environmental consciousness our group intends to write a set of narratives. These narratives will be written with the intention of raising the environmental consciousness of the reader.
Our hypothesis is that the narrative format is a strong platform for increasing the environmental awareness of people. Since these texts will be written from a perspective other than the readers, the reader will be forced to empathize and identify with whomever the author marks as the protagonist of the story. If this works, the set of narratives will then also act as mechanisms that increase environmental understanding and empathy. We will study whether our narratives effect oneÕs environmental consciousness by using surveys (see Appendix A) that gauge oneÕs environmentalism. We will have each subject fill out the survey twice, once before they read our narratives and once after; we will analyze the change between these two surveys to see if our stories had any effect. We believe that the first survey filled out will have lower numbers circled, which means that the subject had a lower environmental consciousness before the narratives were read. In other words, we hypothesize that the study will show that our narratives (the independent variable) will increase the numbers reflecting oneÕs connection to nature (the dependent variable).
In order to better gauge the environmental values and where our subjects are on an environmental spectrum, we have decided to break up environmentalism into four categories. The categories are as follows: knowledge of the natural world, attitudes towards the natural world, beliefs regarding the natural world, and finally potential behaviors that improve the natural worldÕs health. Each of these categories has two questions that are used to gauge oneÕs environmentalism. The questions are on a five point scale, and with two questions per facet, each facet of environmentalism, when totaled, are on a ten point scale.
Our group plans to accomplish the task of both xpanding our environmental understanding and create a body of work that acts as a road map leading to environmental empathy for a reader. Though this seems quite optimistic, our group feels that it is still worth attempting. Utilizing the venue of story-telling and our creative talents, our group will at least expand our ability to emulate differing creatures and empathize with organisms of all kind. This study seems extremely relevant because of its difficult task of creating narratives which have the ability to change how one feels and/or thinks about nature.
This project is clearly one of an interdisciplinary nature. Through the use of narrative forms (humanities), incorporation of societal impacts(social systems), and use of bio-diversity studies (natural systems), we will be intertwining and incorporating multiple fields of study into one, more comprehensive, look at the issue at hand. We will be able to use not only the different aspects of each disciplinary approach but will also be able to use the process of interdisciplinary learning we have been educated in so well in our last year and a half of study, that so aptly prepared us for this capstone experience.
Along with the idea of fostering greater spiritual connectedness with the ÒnaturalÓ world around us, we will attempt to use in some cases a mythnocentric writing style that will allow us, as writers and readers of our stories to connect with and understand the nature-humanity relationship in a mythical and more unconscious way. Through the use of a mythos centered writing style, we will be able to foster a deeper, more visceral understanding of the issue; an understanding that can not be verbalized through the typical rationalistic and logical approach that is at the center of most Western thought.

Relevance of Our Research Question
Environmentalism and increasing environmental consciousness has been around for a very long time. Very few have ever claimed to have found a way to integrate the ÒhumanÓ world and the ÒnaturalÓ world and those who have, have yet to see their ideas come to fruition. That is why our group plans on studying methods of giving Americans the tools necessary to empathize and live within a state of equilibrium with the ÒnaturalÓ world. The relevance of our research question is that, hopefully, it will show that the narrative format can be an important conduit to both expressing and distributing an environmental ethic to the American people. Our group hopes to show a way to increase AmericaÕs ability to exist with the ÒnaturalÓ world in harmony.
Below is a list of related sources or sources that have inspired us to some degree to address this problem in the manner we have chosen.

Bass, Rick. ÒOn Wilderness and Wallace StegnerÓ. The Amicus Journal (Spring 1997).
This article responds to the question of whether nature or wilderness has any intrinsic value; that is value outside of providing natural resources. This piece is very important because it provides empirical evidence using psychology and sociology to concretely respond that, yes, the wilderness does have intrinsic value.

Brooks, Bruce. The Red Wasteland: A Personal Selection of Writings about Nature. New York: Library Of Congress, 1998.
This reader is a compilation of writings from a collection of authors who are concerned with raising environmental consciousness. This reader contains authors like Rachel Carson, Italo Calvino and J.H. Fabre. This book contains a lot of useful examples of how to write a scientifically significant fictional narrative.

Byrnes, Patricia. Environmental Pioneers. Oliver Press, 1998.
Byrnes writes a holistic summary of the American environmental movement. The book focuses on eight major environmental figures. It provides a large portion of information about environmental psychology and anthropological studies are used to juxtapose results in America with other cultures.

Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962.
CarsonÕs monumental text, Silent Spring, has inspired many to rethink and revise how they feel about the environment and how they treat it. Rachel Carson was a visionary for the environmental movement early on and was at the forefront of causing many early environmental changes. Her use of narrative-style intertwined with scientific reasoning influenced many readers.

Clark, John. The Anarchist Moment: Reflections on Culture, Nature & Power. (MontrŽal: Black Rose Books, 1984). "What is Social Ecology?". Our Generation, 1992.
An anarchist perspective is one often overlooked within an environmental discourse. Our group reference this book because in order to have a truly well-rounded narrative style, we need to include more than just conservative and liberal environmentalism. This article provides many facts and statistics and shows the significance any form of systemic economy has on an ecological system.

Commoner, Barry. The Closing Circle: Nature, Man, and Technology. New York: Knopf, 1971.
This book offers a distinct look at the interconnectedness of nature, man and technology. Commoner examines what he calls the ÒTechnological ProblemÓ with man. This book is especially important in understanding how to weave a believable narrative about an environmentally and human friendly world.

Commoner, Barry. Energy and Human Welfare: The Social Costs of Power Production Vol 1. New York: Knopf, 1975.
Another Commoner book, Energy and Human Welfare provides statistics and data about how much energy is gained from damming and the effects it has on both the humanÕs surroundings and the ecosystemÕs health.

Cronon, William. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists & the Ecology of New England. New York: Hill & Wang, 1983.
This amazing text gives a beautiful linear history of how the environment has been effected by the different forms of civilization. This text grants our group more knowledge about differing perspectives and adds a much needed dynamic to our narratives.

Devall, Bill, and George Sessions. Deep Ecology: Living as if Nature Mattered. Salt Lake City, UT: Peregrine Smith Books, 1982.
Devall is a classic ecology writer who has a way of causing dissonance in any reader. He writes in his book Deep Ecology about how one should live in harmony with nature. He lays down a firm thesis about why, how and when humans should live as a part of nature rather than apart from nature.

Diamond, Irene, and Gloria Orenstein, eds. Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1990.
These three authors convincingly argue for a complete annihilation of the current lens the dominant culture view nature through. The three argue that women have been oppressed for thousands of years and that because of many matriarchal religionsÕ focus on nature, nature has been oppressed as well. This text will aid us in writing from an ecofeministÕs perspective if we so choose.

Fort, Bruce. (1998). ÒAmerican Slave NarrativesÓ. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/wpa/wpahome.html
This website had references to numerous slave narratives from American history. Our group felt it necessary to look at how other authors in the past have used narratives as a transformative venue so that we may refine our skills at mimicking their efforts (in relation to environmental empathy).

Gaudet, Marcia. (1999). ÒGaines' Fifteen Narrators: Narrative Styles and Storytelling Technique in A Gathering of Old MenÓ. http://www.crt.state.la.us/folklife/main_misc_gaines_old_men.html.
This useful article by Gaudet espouses the numerous styles an author could use when writing a narrative text. Although somewhat longwinded, the articleÕs fifteen styles are extremely relevant.

Gilliam, Harold. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Bay: The Struggle to Save San Francisco Bay. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1969.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Bay is an excellent piece of environmental writing that describes the struggles that thousands of people went through in order to save a dying ecosystem. This text is an imperative piece of evidence for our study, showing that nature does have value and that we are apart of it.

Hippolyte, Michael. (1995). ÒNonlinear Writing StylesÓ, http://users.rcn.com/mash.interport/nonlin.html.
This website was used by our group to develop our ability to write a non-linear narrative. We feel that in order to portray the differing consciousnesses that our narratives will tap into, we will need to test out diverse writing styles.

Manes, Christopher. Green Rage: Radical Environmentalism and the Unmaking of Civilization. Boston: Little, Brown, 1990.
ManesÕ book outlines the history of radical environmentalism across the globe. His book focuses on the goals of such groups and how they go about reaching those goals. This book contains many useful facts and grants us a view into a perspective we may write about.

Rossiter, Marsha. (2002). ÒNarrative and Stories in Adult Teaching and LearningÓ. http://ericacve.org/docgen.asp?tbl=digests&ID=126.
Narratives have always held a strong grip on educators according to this website. This site is another web-based program to encourage the use of narratives in certain settings (in this case an educational setting). Our group found this useful because of its considerate support for the use of narratives as a means of shifting paradigms.

Wong, Paul T. P. (2001). ÒTransformative narrative therapyÓ. http://www.meaning.ca/articles/presidents_column/Transformative_narrative_therapy_sept02.htm.
Paul Wong is a psychologist who has written many texts revolving around the idea of narrative as a transformative agent in therapy sessions. This website reviews and discusses some of the efforts that Wong endorses. Our group found this to be quite intriguing and illuminate some of the possibilities of the narrative style.

Our research relates to a much larger issue than just writing fictional narratives or scientific study; the larger questions that we hope to address throughout our study are as follows: How can story-telling be used to foster a higher level of environmental consciousness? To what degree can humans be expected to empathize with species so dissimilar to themselves?
These questions will all be investigated throughout our research and, hopefully, some answers will be reached. This study relates to a vast body of study and disciplines, although the core theoretical foundation will be environmentalism/environmental ethics, nature psychology, and literary theory.

Materials And Methods
The materials we will use throughout our project include the fish-shocker, nets, buckets, a pad of paper and writing utensils, lost of creativity, the aforementioned books and a computer. The fish-shocker will be used to send electric currents through the body of the precious fishes. After they have been successfully electrocuted to a point of stunned, we will use our net to swipe their soft bodies from the water. Once in our net, we will place them in the bucket that will be filled with water because we would hate to see the fishes we have just fried via electricity to lack the ability to breath, being that we are a nice group of individuals. Finally we will record the fishesÕ species using our handy pad of paper and writing utensil.
After studying the fishes and performing our research on people who live in the Four-Mile Creek area, we will begin writing our narratives from the perspectives that our groups chooses. We will also need the surveys and the subjects to fill out the surveys and read our narrativesÉso in that sense our subjects are materials.
Our research team plans on interacting in a very fluid manner. Although we have delineated roles to members of the team, if a member wishes to perform different tasks, we have come to a consensus that these changes would be allowed. The roles of specific group members are that each member is responsible for at least one narrative written from a perspective unique to an organism (taking into account societal factors for humans). Also, all members are required to attend the research that sends us out to the Four-Mile Creek area. The group is a team and will perform all research as a group.
The statistics we will use in our scientific analysis are those gathered from the census taken on what sorts of organisms live in the Four-Mile Creek area. These will more than likely just be a chart of the different organisms and how they fit into the Four-Mile CreekÕs circle of life. We will also use StatView to analyze our data gathered from the surveys. We will use the statistical analysis programs provided with the StatView software.

Timeline
Feb. 12th Ð Typing ÒProposalÓ
Mar.16th -Mar. 20th Ð Go out to Four-Mile Creek and take inventory of organisms present
Mar. 25th - Mar. 30th Ð Research and attempt to piece together life cycle of Four-Mile Creek.
Apr. 10th - Apr. 20th Ð Type up ÒcreativeÓ narratives of chosen organisms and gather data using surveys (see Appendix A).
Results
As stated earlier, our group gathered data before and after to see what, if any, changes in environmentalism occurred. After presenting our narrative to a total of ten subjects (which means a total of 20 surveys filled out), our group was able to pinpoint common trends in the ability of our stories to implement environmental frameworks within the lives of the readers. The results, like the survey, were broken down into four categories. The knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and potential behaviors were the categories. Again, the results are on a ten point scale with ten being the highest degree of environmentalism and one being the lowest.
The following results are all tallied from before a subject had read our writings. In the knowledge category, the mean was 6.6; in the attitude category, the mean was 7.2; in the belief category, the mean was 7.3; in the potential behaviors category, the mean was 5.7. When taking the mean of these four numbers, thus getting the overall environmental awareness of our subjects, we found the number was 6.7.
After the subjects had read our narratives, we had them refill out the survey to see what had changed. In the knowledge category, the mean was 7.9. This means that our subjectsÕ knowledge of the environment went up on average a total of 1.3 points. In the attitude category, the mean was 8.1. This means that our subjectsÕ attitudeÕs toward the natural world were improved by a total of .9 points. In the belief category, the mean was 8.6. The difference between this category before and after was 1.3, meaning that the subjectsÕ environmentalist beliefs about the natural world went up a total of 1.3 points on average. In the final category of potential behaviors, the mean was 6.6, showing a mean difference of 0.9. When adding all four numbers together and dividing by the 4 (the amount of numbers), the average environmental quality of our subjects was 7.8. This means that our narratives increased oneÕs environmental awareness a total of 1.1 points.
The difference between the numbers, according to our calculations was significant in all aspects except in the category of potential behaviors. As shown by the table of p-values (see Appendix D), the p-value for the mean difference in the knowledge category was .0063, in the attitudes category it was .0100, in the beliefs category it was .0224, in the potential behaviors category it was .0543.
Although we allowed for subjects to write down responses to our narratives, no subjects actually decided to write down anything. Therefore, the more qualitative end of our study has no real data.
Attached to this report are the data sheets, which includes a table of means (Appendix B), a bar graph (Appendix C), and a table of P-values (Appendix D).

Discussion And Conclusion
Before talking about what the differences show, we first would like to note what the p-values mean in regards to our dataÕs validity. All of the p-values were significant enough except the potential behaviors category. The p-value for potential behaviors is .0543. Although it is a number very close to .05, it is still more and therefore cannot be considered significant enough. This means that the mean differences in this category may be due to chance. The other differences between the means in all the other categories, however, are significant enough to need an explanation further than pure chance, and, therefore, we will try to explain why there was a shift.
The greatest change between the means was in the categories of knowledge and beliefs. Both yielded a mean change of 1.3 points. This means that on average our subjectÕs environmental minds had grown a small amount by reading our stories. This shows the degree to which stories can expand oneÕs knowledge base and belief system. Although the stories only displayed a small impact on our readersÕ minds, we feel that people who are more capable and talented authors could have much larger impacts. Furthermore, we feel that given the impact our stories had on college age students and the fact that at earlier ages, subjects can be affected and their opinions and ideas changed more dramatically, using these stories to increase environmentalism among younger people would be even more effective.
In the other two categories, attitudes and potential behaviors, the change was smaller (0.9). We feel that these two categories did not change as much because they are more immediate and surface-level environmental facets. What we mean is that oneÕs attitudes and behaviors are things that they feel and think at those moments are, more than likely, will not change due to one story. It takes more time to impact oneÕs overall attitude and how one will act and react in or to the world. Since our stories did not take too much time to read, they could not impact oneÕs overall lifestyle. On the other hand, oneÕs beliefs can have subtle shifts due to inferences made by our stories. For example, JasonÕs story, ÒDreaming Real,Ó drops hints about how intricate and significant the life of one small fish is by giving the fish a name, family, culture, mythology, and struggle. This allows for the story to act as a Trojan Horse (to use Monique WittigÕs term) for environmental values.
The bar chart (see Appendix C) visually represents the minor shifts in environmental awareness. As one notices from examining the chart, the changes are small; however, our group would like to emphasize the importance of small changes especially in oneÕs environmental awareness. Just because our narratives did not drastically change what oneÕs whole life has created so far, does not mean they were not effective. Rather, our group feels that the study shows the extraordinary ability that stories and storytelling has to shape and play a significant role in reshaping oneÕs paradigm regarding important issues.
The overall shift in environmentalism and environmental thinking/behaving was 1.1. What our group feels this means is that oneÕs environmental awareness can be influenced by narratives, however they are not the end-all solution to the environmental degradation that occurs in certain areas of the world.
To conclude what all this data means, our group thinks that the future of environmental awareness is not focused solely on narratives and storytelling, though they play an important role in the continuing of an environmental justice paradigm (EJP). What we have discovered through our research is that the EJP requires a multi-pronged structure of reaching the people of the world. Because people have entire histories of past experiences informing them how to think, behave and feel, the EJP needs to address people in multiple ways to penetrate such empirical minds.
In regards to how the disciplines used interacted with each other to inform our study, we feel that the combination of humanities writing styles combined with scientific data gathering methods created a very well rounded and informed study of environmentalism, which is a social concern and in many ways a social science concern. The intersections of these disciplines allowed us to broach the issue of biota health in a way that we were able to connect with it, using narratives, analyze it, using scientific data analysis methods, and in small ways change it, using social science issues. We feel our data confirmed our hypothesis although it is definitely not a resounding answer. The numbers were rather low and do not definitively prove or disprove our hypothesis.
One important question our group has is, it ethically proper to manipulate peoplesÕ beliefs using narratives and fictional writing. Although it occurs, is it wrong of us to intentionally set out to reshape peoplesÕ thinking. Our group basically designed our stories to act as subtle beacons of environmentalism inside the head of our readers. If we were to redo our study, our group would have the surveys marked so we knew which ones went to whose stories because we wanted to know whose writing was the most effective at reshaping oneÕs environmental awareness. Not knowing left us questioning, is poetry more effective, is an animals or fishes perspective more effective or is a humans more relatable and, therefore, more effective. This also leads us to our suggestion at improving our study for the future. Now that we know fictional writing does play a role in reshaping oneÕs mind, what type of fictional writing is most effective for what type of person. Would a female be more influenced a humans or animals perspective more; Would an African-America be most influenced by a poem or a story (etc. etc.)?
On the whole our study proves that writing, particularly fictional writing, plays an important and needed role at expanding oneÕs awareness of issues regarding the natural world. Although it may not be the best or most efficient, it indubitably has an impact n its readers, ethically or otherwise.

ÒRecycled DreamsÓ by Maggie Perrino

Once upon a time a family of humans went on a camping trip. They each packed their things: boots and jackets and sleeping bags, and set off for the campsite. The little car, overly full with pots and tent poles, tooted down the highway toward their destination. When they were only a few minutes off, the family stopped at a small convenient store to buy food supplies for the weekend of camping. This is where I come into play. HI, IÕm Ringer! I am one of those sets of plastic rings that you find around a six-pack of soda pop. Well it just so happened that this particular family of campers picked me (and my soda family of course) to go on their camping trip. I was taken up to the register and wedged on a small conveyor belt between some cheese and some chocolate bars. Then, after this slightly claustrophobic experience, I was stuffed into a paper bag. I could see that being bought wasnÕt all it was cracked up to be, but I had hope that things would turn out okay.
They seemed like nice enough folks and I was terribly excited to be off the store shelves. I knew I would miss my soda family terribly when drinking time came, but I had faith that weÕd all meet again after being recycled.
Yes, my dearest wish is to be recycled! I want to bring new life to another soda family! Or maybe my plastic will be used for something new and different like a milk jug or a plastic bag or a cup!! If I were any of those things, I feel like I could really help people. Oh the possibilities seemed endless on that summer day when I finally left the convenient store and headed out for a new life with a family of humans.
We reached the campsite quite quickly, since it was not that far from the main road. Once there, I was placed in a cooler with the other perishable items. Night was falling and I could the faint crackling of a fire through the cooler lid and the giggling of family members as I imagined them roasting marshmallows and drinking cocoa. So I put my soda family to bed, and then hunkered down for the evening myself. I was excited for the next dayÕs lunch or dinner, and dreamed of quenching the thirst of the family and then that big recycling plant in the sky.
I was awoken with a start the next morning. A big shoe first kicked the cooler and then the lid. It rumbled and shook until the lid popped off. I could see the father of the human family and his little girl rummaging around the site packing up gear and backpacks- we were clearly going somewhere. He reached in and grabbed me up, placing me in a smaller cooler with some sandwiches and a few cans of beer. After a few moments, and I imagine a bit more packing, the father picked up the cooler and we were on our way. In the hands of the little girl was a miniature rod and some bait. We were going fishing.
In the banks of a small but swiftly flowing creek we settled in for a day of fishing. Immediately one of my sodas was taken from the cooler. I watched as the small girl open the can and held it to her lips. She nursed the soda for a better part of an hour, and when she was done I heard her say, ÒDaddy what should I do with the can?Ó And then with his reply horror struck me, ÒOh just throw it in the water dear, no one cares.Ó I never heard such a sad thing in my life. I knew now that no recycling plant was in my future and each of the members of my soda family would soon be pitched into the creek. I became tearful, or perhaps it was condensation from the cooler, at the thought of my poor little can drifting aimlessly down creek with no real hope of rescue.
And so the day continued on in this way. Each of my cans, except the last, which was tossed carelessly into the nearby woods, was thrown into the water as though a trashcan or recycling bin were too much effort. I couldnÕt help but think of what a sad state these humans must be in if properly disposing of a small amount of trash was too much to ask. I watched as the man chucked my last can in the creek. I began to wonder what would become of me just as his hand reached in and grabbed me. He turned to the little girl and said, ÒWeÕll just toss the rest of this stuff here so we donÕt have to carry it. DonÕt worry, no one really cares.Ó And so I, the last of my soda family, was thrown into the creek with some newspaper and plastic sandwich bags to float through the scenery, to be little for others to scoff at, never to be recycled.
As I hit the water all my dreams of recycling were dashed. I could only think of what lie ahead. As I rode the swift current of the creek I saw many different kinds of fish and frogs and plants. I saw my first can stuck on the branch of a small log that had fallen into the stream. Some small bugs of some sort seemed to be marching in and out of it. It made me glad for a second to think of the insects sipping up the residue of sweet soda pop. But the feel was very soon destroyed as I saw my next can. It must have floated into a small pool where schools of fish reside, for a small fish had gotten itself hung up on the tab and then cut itself on the sharp rim. I floated by in horror, thinking that it should not have been the future for a soda pop can.
And so it went for the rest of my drifting. One had washed up on the shore and was now being played with by a squirrel. The fifth can I saw just as I floated by. It had filled with water and sunk to the bottom, stuck there against a rock. The sixth can I never saw again. I believe it continues to float with the water, maybe to the sea. I however became entangled in some plant leaves and came to rest in a small pool of clear water. It is a place where fish swim everyday and smaller creatures scuttle about the rocks on the bottom. But I do not see it anymore.
A stayed tangled in the leaves for some days, thinking about my soda family and dreaming of recycled plastics. The scenery was beautiful, much nicer than the convenient store and I was in some respects happy. My greatest sadness came from knowing that I was not a beautiful part of this scenery- I was litter. But time passed and I grew accustomed to my surroundings. The birds would fly over and dive at the fish, and deer would come and water at the stream. On one particular day, a deer came right into my pool to drink some water. It seemed in an awful hurray and didnÕt look very carefully where it was drinking, and before I had time to realize what had happened the deer had slurped me up and began to c

Next Article
Previous Article
Return to the Topic Menu