Journal 17

- Reflect on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Articles 

When I was reading Majoiry Stoneman Douglas’s article “The Nature of the Everglades”, I was kind of taken aback. I was because I have lived and traveled throughout Florida constantly my WHOLE life, and have never heard or thought of the Everglades in the way that Douglas described and talked about it them. It was almost like I was reading a love song or poem. I have just always thought of Everglades as a huge swamp that covered a large part of Florida. I didn’t know that there wasn’t any other place I the world like them or that they were called River Glades, but then it switched to the Everglades in the early 1800s.

        When describing the Everglades Douglas talks about every part of them starting with the grass. Here he describes how big the Everglades actually is and how big it is and how there’s saw grass. He talks about the grass as though it is almost indestructible and unstoppable and how the only thing that can really ‘conquer’ it is fire. He then goes on to talk about the waters. Here he talks about how the water is mostly made up of rain water and how the rainy season is long. And he too describes the rainy seasons, and how the water just piles up. Which clearly we all know because we live here and we know that during the summer it rains at least once every single day! Next, he talks about the rock, which holds up the sea water and how it holds a lot for freshwater.  When I originally read this I didn’t know if he was talking about the Florida aquifer but, I took it as if he was. Then he talks about “The River of Time”. Here he talks about different events that have taken place to shape Florida. Lastly, he talks about “Life on the Rock”. Here he talks about a lot of the different species that inhabit the land. He talks about everything from bees and flies to trees, to  dragonflies, to birds, and even talk about Big Cypress Swamp.