Now read the following excerpt from Jared Diamond's "The Ends of the World as We Know
Them":
There is a similar story from Iceland. When the island was first settled by the Norse around 870,
its light volcanic soils presented colonists with unfamiliar challenges. They proceeded to cut
down trees and stock sheep as if they were still in Norway, with its robust soils. Significant
erosion ensued, carrying half of Iceland's topsoil into the ocean within a century or two.
Icelanders became the poorest people in Europe. But they gradually learned from their
mistakes, over time instituting stocking limits on sheep and other strict controls, and
establishing an entire government department charged with landscape management. Today,
Iceland boasts the sixth-highest per-capita income in the world.
Consider how each passage approaches the theme of the power of nature, and explain how
each author develops that theme. Be sure to use specific details from the text to support your
answer