What I liked most about Tower’s writing was his sarcastic
mood. I think it complemented his mission to explain the possible rediscovery
of the ivory-billed woodpecker. If nothing else, the humor he uses in his essay
shows us that he’s a normal and sane guy who likes to tell a few jokes. It lets
us identify with him and not want to assume he’s just another ivorybill stalker
looking for the spotlight by claiming to have sighted a questionably extinct
species. We want to believe the funny guys.
However, despite the dry humor and frank dialogue he uses in
his essay he still manages to show his respect towards the bird and the land
they inhabit. Tower speaks of the possible existence of the ivorybill as though
it’s a gift mankind doesn’t deserve. He writes, “Nature had pardoned our
trespasses against it and returned to us a marvel we had tried our damnedest to
destroy.” His effective balance of the two contrasting moods impressed me.
To answer Rachel’s question – if I was in the position where
I thought I spotted what was believed to be an extinct species I wouldn’t want
to say anything for fear of being wrong, but I would feel compelled to. In the
most anonymous way possible I think I would report it, especially after reading
Tower’s essay and hearing what Sparling had to say about the importance of
restoring their habitat. The least we can do now is make sure we give them
their habitat back.
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