For my final essay, I am going to sort of combine my ideas from discovery 2 and a blog from week 13. I want to focus on how both Emmett and Nye and the reading on African water spirits rethink the relationship between humans and the environment, especially through the idea of water as something alive. I’m planning to use close readings from both texts to show how each one gives water a kind of identity. I’ll use Emmett and Nye’s line about managing behavior and the examples of water spirits who “personify the source of water” to show how these ideas challenge the mindset of controlling or using nature. My argument will be that both texts suggest environmental problems come from culture and imagination, not from nature itself. By treating water as a being we’re in relationship with, these offer a more ethical and sustainable way of thinking about environmental responsibility.