The Giant Trees

Thèmes abordés

Clyde Macfarlane - Environmental issues - Tasmania - Florentine Valley - Giant trees

Résumé du document

This text is the story of Clyde Macfarlane's Australian gap-year. Clyde is a 23 British anthropology graduate. He wrote this after his backpacking experience in Tasmania for the travel section of the famous British newspaper "The guardian". He went there in order to see the big trees and escape the heat. At the beginning of his trip, he met with TK a Canadian biologist who had been living in the Florentine camp for two years. Actually, the main theme of the article is not only this exceptional trip in Australia, but also the ecological dimension of the exploitation of the forest, which is thereby threatened. We can wonder now, how a singular backpacking experience like Clyde's one, could make us feel concerned by some important environmental issues? We will first see that Clyde had expected to see the big trees but that, finally, he discovered an endangered forest of giant trees. Then, in a second part, we will agree on the fact that a gap year could be really rewarding.

To begin, Clyde Macfarlane decided to spend his gap-year in Australia. After a few months there, he tried to join the Upper Florentine Valley in Tasmania in an attempt to see the giant trees. Indeed, Clyde is a gaper, he tells us he was "on a year out in Australia" when he decided to change course for Tasmania. Tasmania is an island where he wanted to "escape the heat" and "see the big trees", because contrary to Australia, this is "home to a vast virgin forest", where the climate is very wet. Actually, Clyde is a real adventurer: he was progressing, walking in a hostile environment. This first paragraph shows perfectly in which state of mind the narrator is: he is full of determination and freedom. He is going to enter a huge virgin forest, which is so thrilling.

Extraits

[...] To begin, Clyde Macfarlane decided to spend his gap-year in Australia. After a few months there, he tried to join the Upper Florentine Valley in Tasmania in an attempt to see the giant trees. Indeed, Clyde is a gaper, he tells us he was a year out in Australia” when he decided to change course for Tasmania. Tasmania is an island where he wanted to “escape the heat” and the big trees”, because contrary to Australia, this is “home to a vast virgin forest”, where the climate is very wet. [...]

[...] Lines 17 and 18, we can understand that a gap-year also allows us to meet new people, for example, he met TK who was kind enough to give him a ride, and has been living in the camp for two years. TK introduces him the dominant nature he is about to see, he says that he would never “feel as dwarfed as nature as when among the giants of the Florentine Valley”. It shows that the Florentine Valley is really something unusual and amazing. But, the threat hanging on the Florentine Valley giant trees appears well and truly. Indeed, we learn line 32 that trees should be cut to extend the roads into the forest. [...]

[...] The Giant Trees This text is the story of Clyde Macfarlane's Australian gap-year. Clyde is a 23 British anthropology graduate. He wrote this after his backpacking experience in Tasmania for the travel section of the famous British newspaper guardian”. He went there in order to see the big trees and escape the heat. At the beginning of his trip, he met with TK a Canadian biologist who had been living in the Florentine camp for two years. Actually, the main theme of the article is not only this exceptional trip in Australia, but also the ecological dimension of the exploitation of the forest, which is threatened. [...]

[...] So, in some way, a gap year could be really enriching, there is a lot of things to discover, and above all many world issues to be confronted with to understanding how important they are. So, as a conclusion, let us say that, through his trip in Tasmania, Clyde has discovered a new kind of relation between people. He saw the way in which some could really feel concerned by an insignificant issue. Fortunately, he decided to join the protest in order to explore the vast Tasmanian Wilderness. Then, we can absolutely say that a gap year is rewarding, full of emotions and allows to see incredible things like Tasmania's giant trees. [...]

[...] The logging project of roading industrials may endanger the forest and why not, the whole biodiversity of the island. Therefore, some activists decided to protest in living in the trees that they wont be cut and Clyde took part into that, seeing there an exciting alternative to a volunteer project. Firstly, the protest is going on since 2006, when the Forestry Tasmania announced the intention of extending the road into the forest. Eco-friendly people want to protect the environment, that's why they “live in the trees so that they wont be cut down”. [...]