Student Relationship with Vegetation at the UPR

Student Relationship
with Vegetation at the

UPR

Andrea Muñiz
Dr. Brenda A. Camara

INGL 3124-003
22 June, 2017



How would you expect to be the relationship of a
student, from the UPR, with its vegetation?

• Not all students have the same relationship.
• It depends on each student’s perspective.
• There are negative and positive relationships.
• They are a reflection of the outside world’s relationships.



Passion

• Vegetation arouses feelings and brings inspiration to these students.
• They value, respect, appreciate and admire vegetation.

• Examples of these students:
o Students who like to spend time and do their work near trees or
plants.
o Members of “Huerto Semilla”.

• Text to text: “…and Sylvia cannot speak; she cannot tell the heron’s
secret and give its life away.” (Jewett 40).



Indifference

• These students don’t love plants, trees and flowers, but don’t hate
them either.

• Vegetation is not something that they pay much attention or give
priority to.

• For them, vegetation is part of their environment, just there, nothing
more.

• Text to text: The granddaughter took her book from her schoolbag
and opened it. “I killed all the butterflies,” she read.” (Grace 20).
“What your teacher say?”… “You don’t kill butterflies”, that’s what
she said.” (Grace 25).



Abuse

• These students destruct vegetation and don’t let it flourish.
• They don’t appreciate the value of nature.
• They tend to identify with the urban lifestyle and symbolize

industrialization.
• Text to text: “Oh no, they’re stuffed and preserved, dozens

and dozens of them,” said the ornithologist, “and I have shot
or snared every one myself.” (Jewett 20).



Is it how you expected it?

• Student’s relationships with vegetation depend on the
perspective of each, therefore, they are varied with:

• Passion: value, appreciation and inspiring.
• Indifference: not a priority, “whatever”.
• Abuse: destruction

Works Cited

Grace, Patricia, “Butterflies.” Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, 2001.
https://online.uprrp.edu/pluginfile.php/355409/mod_resource/content/0/
Butterflies_by_Patricia_Grace.pdf

Jewett, Sarah Orne, “A White Heron.” A White Heron & Other Stories. Sarah Orne
Jewett, ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1914.
http://www.public.coe.edu/~theller/soj/awh/heron.htm

Muñiz, Andrea. All in one. 2017. Photograph. Institution. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río
Piedras.

Muñiz, Andrea. Girl by the tree. 2017. Photograph. Institution. Universidad de Puerto Rico,
Río Piedras.

Muñiz, Andrea. Guess how. 2017. Photograph. Institution. Universidad de Puerto
Rico, Río Piedras.

Muñiz, Andrea. Half & half. 2017. Photograph. Institution. Universidad de Puerto
Rico, Río Piedras.

Muñiz, Andrea. Killing me slowly. 2017. Photograph. Institution. Universidad de Puerto
Rico, Río Piedras.