Rhere is no creature with which man has surrounded himself that seems so much like a product of civilization, so much like the result of developemnt on special lines and in special fields, as the honey-bee. Indeed a colony of bees with their neatness and love of order, their division of labor, their public-spiritedness, their thrift, their complex economies, and their inordinate love of gain, seems as far removed from a condition of rude nature as does a walled city or a cathedral town. Our native bee, on the other hand, the burly, dozing humblebee, affects one more like the rude, untutored savage. He has learnd nothing from experience. He lives from hand to mouth. He luxuriates in time of plenty, and he starves in times of scarcity. He lives in a rude nest, or in a hole in the ground and in small communities he builds a few deep cells or sacks in which he stores a little honey and bee-bread for his young, but as a worker in wax he is of the most primitive and awkward. The Indian regarded the honey-bee as an ill-omen. She was the white man's craftiness, his industry, his agricultural skill, his neatness and love of system, his foresight:and above all his eager, miserly habits. The honey-bee's great ambition is to be rich, to lay uo great stores, to possess the sweet of every flower that blooms. She is more than provident. Enough will not satisfy her: she must have all she can get by hook or by crook.

Question

Rhere is no creature with which man has surrounded himself that seems so much like a product of civilization, so much like the result of developemnt on special lines and in special fields, as the honey-bee. Indeed a colony of bees with their neatness and love of order, their division of labor, their public-spiritedness, their thrift, their complex economies, and their inordinate love of gain, seems as far removed from a condition of rude nature as does a walled city or a cathedral town. Our native bee, on the other hand, the burly, dozing humblebee, affects one more like the rude, untutored savage. He has learnd nothing from experience. He lives from hand to mouth. He luxuriates in time of plenty, and he starves in times of scarcity. He lives in a rude nest, or in a hole in the ground and in small communities he builds a few deep cells or sacks in which he stores a little honey and bee-bread for his young, but as a worker in wax he is of the most primitive and awkward. The Indian regarded the honey-bee as an ill-omen. She was the white man's craftiness, his industry, his agricultural skill, his neatness and love of system, his foresight:and above all his eager, miserly habits. The honey-bee's great ambition is to be rich, to lay uo great stores, to possess the sweet of every flower that blooms. She is more than provident. Enough will not satisfy her: she must have all she can get by hook or by crook.

(quote from John Burroughs)

Can someone please tell me what this writing piece is about? I have to summarize it and I have no clue!

comparing human civilization to that of bees

So I summarize it by talking about the differences of the humble bee and the honey bee? So what is it talking about the indian and the white man or is that not important to put in the summary?

Those are simply examples of how humans compare to bees.

Answer 1

The writing piece by John Burroughs is about the comparison between human civilization and the behavior of honey bees. Burroughs describes how honey bees seem to be a product of civilization, with their neatness, love of order, division of labor, public-spiritedness, thrift, complex economies, and their desire for gain. On the other hand, Burroughs compares the native bee, the humblebee, to a rudimentary, untutored savage. The humblebee lives from hand to mouth, indulges in times of plenty, and starves during scarcity. It lives in a simple nest or hole in the ground, has primitive wax-working skills, and lacks the sophisticated traits exhibited by honey bees.

The mention of the Indian and the white man is not the main focus of the writing piece, but rather serves as an illustration of how the honey bee was perceived by the indigenous people. The honey bee was seen as a symbol of the white man's traits, such as craftiness, industry, agricultural skill, neatness, love of system, foresight, and above all, eager and miserly habits. The honey bee's great ambition to accumulate wealth and possess the sweet nectar of every flower represents the desire for abundance and material gain. These comparisons highlight the stark contrast between the two bee species and their similarities to human civilization.