The narrator of the movie Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog and the subject of the documentary, Timothy Treadwell, have conflicting ideas on man’s role/relationship with nature. Though these men both admire and appreciate what nature is and what it has to offer, they have very different opinions on how we should interact with it. It was very interesting to listen to the differences in opinion between Herzog and Treadwell. I think the fact that Herzog was criticizing Treadwell's actions but Treadwell was not able to explain/defend himself made me more apt to take Herzog's "side".
Herzog, the narrator, often uses a critical tone and offers many arguments against Treadwell’s actions. Herzog seems to adopt the view of many scientists who have experience with wild animals, like bears. Herzog is a more analytical, sensible person about the idea of humans living with bears. He seems to be taking more of a “left brained” approach in that he is not allowing his emotions and desire to “love the cute bears” overtake the logical thinking to leave deadly animals alone.
Treadwell’s life is built around his own selfish desires even though he is saying he “does it for the bears”. I think it is ridiculous for him to try to make up for what he is lacking in his life by attempting to fill this void with “love” from a deadly, wild animal. I do not agree with this approach to fixing his problems. Overall, I initially agreed with Treadwell in some ways in the beginning of the film because I, too, think bears are cool and want to help them. As I watched more, however, I began to resent the clear disillusionment in Treadwell's thinking. It seems so obvious to me that Treadwell is being selfish and trying to cover up that deep down, he knows what he is doing isn't actually benefitting the animals he is supposedly “helping”.
In my opinion, Herzog has a more sensible approach and well thought out arguments against Treadwell about how it is appropriate for humans to interact with nature.
I liked how you started your post with how both men see the beauty of nature and appreciate what it has to offer but that they have conflicting views on how to interact with it. Interesting how you thought you took Herzog's view because you couldn't hear Treadwell's defense, I relate to this as well. I think if Treadwell had heard what Herzog had to say about him, his explanations could have swayed my opinion. I love how you incorporated what we learned in class about right brain/ left brain into your blog post. I think this explains why Herzog and Treadwell have such different opinions on the treatment of nature. Herzog definitely has a more logical approach than Treadwell. I agree with your views on Treadwell. At the beginning of the documentary, I thought it was cool what he was doing with the bears. Then, I realized his actions were selfish and saw Herzog's point of view. I really liked reading your post! Do you think you would ever take a trip to a different area to study an animal in a less invasive way? If so, where would you go and what animal would you study?
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