“The Truth about Invasive Species” by Alan Burdick

I believe that Burdick used the approach of surprising his readers in his first sentence, I say this because he starts out saying, “I have seen the future, and it lives in Miami. The suburbs of Miami, to be exact: in the ever-expanding netherworld between the potted plants and subtropical nightlife of South Beach to the east and the tropical plants and deep-rooted wildlife of Everglades National Park to the west.” (Burdick 78). While reading the introduction I was very intrigued and wanted to know how this man has seen the future? Though I did not find it super clear where he was going with his essay, I was interested in understanding more. Then next passage continued in more of a storytelling fashion which was easier to follow as he explained the dealings of Todd Hardwick, an owner of employee Pesky Critters Nuisance Wildlife Control. (Burdick). Burdick expressed the point that “Miami is the through point of the nation’s imported animal and plant trade, and virtually everyone in South Florida, including Hardwick, has a neighbor with a backyard menagerie of lucrative critters on hold for resale.” (Burdick 79).

The thesis of this narrative is in the 5th paragraph of the essay, stating “Nature appears to be entering a new era — the Homogecene, one scientist calls it — wherein the greatest threat to biological diversity is no longer just bulldozers or pesticides but, in a sense, nature itself.” (Burdick 80). I did not love the introductory sentence but feel that Burdick, recovered well when telling more of a story in his next paragraph. I felt he really illustrate the point he was trying to make by stating, “Miami is the through point of the nation’s imported animal and plant trade, and virtually everyone in South Florida, including Hardwick, has a neighbor with a backyard menagerie of lucrative critters on hold for resale. With so many unofficial zoos so close together and so little expertise at maintaining them, animals are constantly escaping into the streets and flower beds, and when someone spots, say, a pesky cougar on the lawn, Hardwick gets the call.” (Burdick 79). This passage really helped understand what is happening in Miami, for those of us who had no clue. The fact of his essay is, nature is becoming so diverse that nature too will be a threat to itself. His thesis clearly expresses the point of the various animals and plant life being imported into Miami and at times wreaking havoc on other species.

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