TOW #24 - IRB

One Man's Wilderness is a book compiled by Sam Keith from the journals and photographs of Richard Proenneke. It is a lovely book which explores the beauty of the Alaskan wilderness and the challenges one man must overcome to survive in it. Proenneke uses vivid diction and explores his emotions in his journal to convey the beauty of the Alaskan Wilderness and how he struggles to survive in it. The reader feels Proenneke's emotions, experiences his thoughts, almost as it happens. When describing the sheer beauty of the valley which he occupies, the author says "Somehow I never seem to tire of just standing and looking down the lake or up the mountains even if it is cold. If this is the way folks feel in church, I can understand why they go." (Proenneke 141). He shares his thoughts as if the reader is a close friend, and the emotions that this all instills have a great range from joyous to somber. The book becomes extremely enjoyable due to the reader feeling like they are in an extension of the author's conscience. The author's vivid, yet borderline terse, diction carries the experience even further. When describing his observation of a pack of wolves, he says "Through the spotting scope, I could make out the narrow heads, the erect ears, the long muzzles. I would like to see those green eyes up close... suddenly one bolted nervously and loped down the ice" (Proenneke 129). Even though he condenses his days to the length of a paragraph or two, they never cease to be beautiful. This is the loveliness of the book. This is what makes it truly and profoundly special, how descriptive it is in such a brief amount of space. Proenneke's vision, his description, take this book, in all of it's glory, to the next level, making it one of the most impactful testimonials of all time to the power, and beauty, or nature.