The End of the End of the World by Jonathan Franzen is a book in which the author incorporates two concise stories, one about the exploration of Antarctica and the other about the friendship with Walt after years, Franzen’s uncle, to probe the essence of climate change and the meaning of life and death. Despite living through a tragic life, Walt still holds an optimistic attitude until the end of his life. Such simple but powerful “ordinary humanity” resonates with Franzen and guides him to reflect on his own life and his life pursuits. Antarctica, “a mixture of beauty and absurdity,” reminds Franzen of his love for birds and aspirations for environmental protection. Realizing the fact that humans are still continuing to exploit the ecosystem, Franzen calls for an end to such behavior and encourages “new loves to be born” even in such “a world of dying.”

               As a high school student, I hold a pessimistic attitude toward life. After losing my grandmother years ago, I have come to the conclusion that life is miserable and that whatever we do cannot change the outcome of death. Death with its uncanny nature appears to me as the insurmountable hazard in my life that makes me afraid, makes me timid, and makes me unhappy. Such a way of thinking makes me an unappreciative person toward the beauty of life. Unlike me, Walt, after losing “his daughter, his war buddies, his wife,’’ still holds an optimistic attitude towards life. It is not that Walt is born to have such an attitude but it is because he understands that life is life and the best way to live a life is to find joy even in the hardest times. Just like what Franzen says, “Life is precarious, and you can crush it by holding on too tightly, or you can love it the way my godfather did.” Being a staunch man like Walt may be impossible for me but the energy from his story inspires me to face the darkness of my life and embrace the brightness of my life.

               I have never been subjected to any substantial effect of climate change and from the limited information I heard from the news, I naively believe that climate change is not an imminent issue. Franzen, however, in his article, encapsulates how human activities could influence the ecosystem of the whole earth and how significant it is for everyone to have the awareness of environmental preservation. Not only does Franzen explain the importance of environmental protection, but he also reveals the facade of government that actually exploits the ecosystem when he contends that “as often happens in climate-change discussions when the talk turns from diagnosis to remedies, the darkness becomes the blackness of black comedy.” The issue of climate change has been addressed for years but no practical measures have been taken to solve this issue fundamentally. Furthermore, Franzen enlarges his discussion on the climate-change crisis when he claims that “It may even be true that penguins, in their resemblance to children, offer the most promising bridge to a better way of thinking about species endangered by human logic: They, too, are our children. They, too, deserve our care.” The relationship between animals and humans brought up by Franzen appeals to me as I, an ordinary high school student, have never thought about how I can affect the lives of penguins in Antarctica. Indeed, we should not prioritize our interests all the time and discard any other possible effects on other species. Humans are no different from other species. We, too, are a part of the earth. We, too, live on the earth.