Thomas Berry is a ecological philosopher who writes the history of the North American in the various chronological stages in his article called the North American Continent taken from his book, The Great Work: Our Way into the Future.
He begins his article by portraying the remarkable geographical features presently in North America. He then goes on describing the effect of European settlers on the indigenous native Indian, and their spiritual attachment with their land. Furthermore, he discusses and emphasizes on the exploitation of land and wildlife by the settlers. .
Berry strongly urges and focuses on the following main points: a). The effect of the European settlements in North America. b). The present environment issues and conflicts due to the modernization phase of North America. .
He uses various examples to get his view across about the European settlements. Like for e.g. he describes the rituals or ceremonies followed by the various tribes like Orenda, Navaho, and Iroquois. He than discusses the exploitation done by the settlers. He says, "The first of the creatures to become extinct was the auk, a defenseless bird in New Found Land. Found in unbelievable abundance through out several centuries these birds had nourished thousands of sailors. Yet the drive to exploit beyond what nature could sustain was such that the great auk had disappeared by the mid- nineteenth century.".
Berry keeps a very narrow but comprehensive approach toward his essay. The use of word "exploit" has been greatly emphasized in his essay, because of which it could be understood that Berry concentrates and demands a more conservative environment from people as a naturalist. He progresses through the original time line of events very quickly but steadily, elaborating on all the main points effectively.
