#34065

ぬるさんはTwitterを使っています

Malfeasance by Michel Serres is way more critical of humanity than the rest of the works we’ve read in class. He basically says everything we’ve created is waste, and the money (”money is not really excrement, only it’s symbol” pg. 49) we pay for this waste is the reason that pollution is so prevalent. He also talks a lot about appropriation. The apporpriation of property, of wealth, of power... these are all causes of why pollution exists. He also creates an argument separating “soft pollution” and “hard pollution”. Hard pollution is what is generated by releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, causing the greenhouse effect. Soft pollution is more subtle, and is the reason for the existance of hard pollution. It is in billboards, the media, and basically any type of advertising. Soft pollution is what convinces us that it’s okay to pollute because it provides us with comfort and stability. 

As it turns out, the end of the novel has biblical undertones, like the flood in the story of Noah’s Ark. While her home is being flooded, her front yard unrecognizable under the inches of murky water, Dellarobia fears for her safety. However, when she sees all of the birds and butterflies she is overcome with fascination at the ability of these animals to simply spread their wings and escape. The book oddly ends on a positive note despite the negative effects of climate change altering Dellarobia’s entire life. 

I think Kinsolver using butterfly migration as a sign of climate change is really unique. Usually people think of glaciers melting and more hurricanes, but using something beautiful to illustrate something so negative is interesting. The conversation between Ovid and Tina conveys that beauty doesn’t always equate to something positive. This also emphasizes the divide between those who are apathetic towards climate change and those who are passionate about it. Apathetic people, like Tina, only see the superficial side of the butterfly “miracle”. She says it’s beautiful, something rare and amazing. Ovid quickly shits down this notion, indicating that the rarity of the situation is the reason for distress, as it is “evidence of a disordered system” rather than something to be celebrated.

Nevertheless, the butterflies aren’t Dellarobia’s biggest concern yet. She is focused on her children, her marriage, and the oncoming winter. No one has really made a connection between the strange weather Feathertown is experiencing and the arrival of the butterflies, illustrating how a small, rural town is more concerned with farming and making a living than large-scale problems like global warming.

Just kidding, it’s water! He really loves that.

Me & Michael, chilling like a couple of bros. We’ve become good pals after so long.

Here’s Michael from above. He loves his plant light. Look at him bask in it.