The Art of the Commonplace by Wendell Berry is composed of 21 essays. These informative essays talk about agrarianism, a practice that should be seen today according to Berry. Wendell Berry, an American novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer, was born on August 5, 1934, in Henry County, Kentucky. Being a fifth-generation native of North Central Kentucky, Berry could not stay away from his land. Establishing a connection with the land, Berry found methods of preserving and seeking harmony within nature. Through these practices, he became closer to what is known as agrarianism.
Agrarianism is a social or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, therefore, informing about land reforms or improving the economic status of the farmers. These are the ideas that Berry enhances throughout his essays. Berry believes agrarianism isn't just an idea but is primarily a practice, a set of attitudes, a loyalty, and a passion. Therefore land should be preserved and seen as something sacred. throughout time, the change in cultural, economic, and societal ideologies has played a role in why berry looks down at certain aspects of history and today's world. Making different historical connection and examining many perspectives, Berry believes agrarianism has been slowly getting depicted and is a practice that will challenge today's society. Throughout these essays, Berry explains why the change in cultural, economic, and societal ideologies has turned down agrarianism since the founding fathers till now.
In the first of the 5 section, Berry explains the geography of his hometown in Kentucky, how he started following the practices of agrarianism, and how the idea agrarianism was getting affected in different places. Coming from a country that has many tobacco farms and knows how to be one with the crops, Berry left a job in New York to continue the tradition of crop growing in his family. Berry's family has had a segment of land near the Kentucky River since his great-grandfather emigrated from Ireland. Here is where he first saw the idea of agrarianism but truly understood it when he went back home. Upon studying the people the of his town, and finding the same qualities of kindness, happiness, and stubbornness within everyone, Berry was able to establish the knowledge on how to preserve and maintain the earth. Threw these ideas and the history of his family, Berry was determined to practice agrarianism to its fullest. As Berry reads about the 1797 road-building project, he realizes agrarianism has been turned down since the beginning. Since the building of roads, Berry states that the destruction of land and the violence within the workers, lead to his idea that no one really cared about the land, as well as they wouldn't care about one another. To this degree, Berry states that this pattern has continued as generations of Americans have used resources primarily for commercial gain.
In the second section of the book, Berry speaks about how Americans have tarnished land and dehumanized races, earning profits from both, when there's an alternative. As Berry mentions in this section, wealth equals power, and that's what big farmers owner had over the small farm owners. Berry states that agrarianism was prevented from being practice when big farm owners would take over the small farm owners land, preventing them from taking care of their soil and crops. As a result, Americans would try to do things with the least amount of work possible. The first step taken was these now even bigger farm owner were using pesticides and chemicals to grow crops, destroying the land and preventing crops from growing organically. The second step was using machines, that would harvest the crops causing air pollution. Berry then ties back to the era of slavery where African Americans would be ones harvesting the crop, being the "machines" which would give off profit. The would also be dehumanized in the sense that they didn't have to be paid a lot because they had no source of power, being easy targets for profit. Berry then talks about the alternative, that instead of enslaving people and taking land, we should have accepted these people as free men and given them land. With this aspect, there would be more agrarianism practice, customs, and ideas of different cultures. Therefore the regrets of slavery and contaminating the air wouldn't exist.
The third and fourth section of the book deals with the idea of quicks fixes. Fixes that seem to preserve nature and its people, but still continue to damage it. Berry mentions that as there are many issues such as slavery or using machines, that affect the environment and society, Americans tend to find quick fixes. An example of quick fixes seen today is plastic. Instead of removing plastic, there are men who pick up garbage each month which keeps profits going, supporting Berry's argument. Berry connects with the past stating that since slaves couldn't work forever, eventually getting tired, the demand for more workers was needed. Therefore more minorities were needed, to replace old tires with new one, to keep profit going. As a result of the idea of more profits, machines came along to take the work of the minorities. At this point, Berry argues that instead of having a quick fit, the harm of minorities and land must be stopped. Berry believes there must be equality for all, going back between women and men power, stating all should be presented equally. Berry also talks about the spiritual connection that everyone would have if there was equality and land for all, being one with nature, as his grandfather's once were. With the practice of this idea, we can have health, the idea of being whole. Being whole with nature and people having a spiritual connection within all, in which agrarianism is more of a testament.
The final section of the book Berry talks about the different types of energy, such as spiritual and human energy. Berry believes that the energy of the earth, fire, wind, and water has been turned down in society getting replaced by machines and chemicals. For this reason, Berry believes that natural energy has been destroyed but no just destroyed, wasted. Society has been wasting land with machines and chemicals, therefore, affecting all 4 elements that land provides, the reason behind it, the loss of spiritual connection. Berry mentions that God gave this land to the people, for the land to be preserved and well maintained. As a result, the land was used for bad, depicting gods ideas. Berry then concludes that society has to deal with these effects such as low-quality food and an environment.