Question

" It is a thorough process, this war with the wilderness— breaking nature, taming the soil, feeding it on oats. the civilized man regards to the Pine tree as his enemy"

Why does thoreau choose to use the "pine tree" as an example of man’s enemy? why not a wild animal?

Answer 1

Thoreau describes the pine tree as an example of men’s enemy because it shows the human disdain for nature.

Step-by-step explanation:

A wild animal would have seemed like a dangerous element, and therefore a proper symbol of an enemy. A pine tree signifies the beauty and resources of nature that Western colonization has turned into a commodity through deforestation.

Thoreau is known as a philosopher of nature and its relationship with humanity and its development.