Edward Abbey Deforestation

704 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Problems of deforestation on the environment

Deforestation is an emerging environmental problem regarding forest depletion and clearing. Many people show great concern for our rainforest and deforestation in general. A lot of people do not agree with the concept of deforestation. Throughout the years many people have protested against deforestation. One person who advocates to end deforestation is Edward Abbey in his essay “Eco Defense” published in 1995. Edward Abbey was an author and environmentalist advocate born in Indiana and lived from 1927-1989 he earned his master 's degree at university of New Mexico. Forests are required for the wellness of the wild animals, human being and the environment. Deforestation is ruining that. Edward Abbey uses strong language and pathos to effectively …show more content…

For instance in the first paragraph Abby compares the robbery of a home to the destruction of forests.“ If a stranger batters your door down with an axe and threatens your family and yourself with a deadly weapon… he is committing… a crime”. Abbey successfully elicits anger in the readers to strengthen his argument against deforestation. For instance, abbey talks about using tactics and strategy “if someone was home while the person was destroying their house then the homeowner would have the rights bear arm and shoot at him” (Abbey). The types of tactics the author uses to stop the loggers are to put nails in the tree, which is basically saying that anyone can bear arms and protect their home if someone were to attack it. In “Eco-Defense” Abbey writes, “With bulldozer, earth mover, chainsaw and dynamite the international timber, mining, and beef industries are invading our public lands—property of all Americans—Bashing their way into our forests, mountains, and rangelands and looting them for everything they can get away with.”(Abbey). Again Abbey is provoking emotional side of readers to get them thinking. Abbey compares home to the wilderness in order to relate to the readers and evoke emotion from them. The uses of pathos persuades the readers in Abbey’s …show more content…

Abbey informs readers about corruption and also persuades his readers to take action. His tone in the essay is harsh Abbey says “We owe it nothing but the taxation it exports from us under threats of seizure of property, imprisonment, or in some cases already, when resisted, a violent death by gunfire”. Throughout the essay Abbey is informative and persuasive on the defense of “home” and is evoking emotions from the readers. He defines Eco-Defense as “Fighting back” or “sabotage”. Abbey then is persuading the readers to take action illegally by “Spiking trees” that are going to be cut down. Although it is a little extreme Abbey is effective in persuading the audience to take action. There is only one earth, The facts are clear it 's not long before rainforests are destroyed. That is why it is justified when the “Next time you enter a forest scheduled for chainsaw massacre carry a hammer and some nails to spike the trees”. Citizens need to take action on the preservation of the wilderness if we want it to

Show More
Related

  • Shooting An Elephant Rhetorical Analysis

    484 Words  | 1 Pages

    For instance, when Orwell says, “I thought then and I think now that his attack of ‘must’ was already passing off; in which case he would merely wander harmlessly…” he is using logos. He is appealing to the reader's sense of logic and reasoning when it came to Orwell deciding on what to do with the elephant. He presents the conflict within himself of whether or not to shoot the elephant but was ‘peer pressured’ in doing so. This proves that imperialism not only affects the oppressed but the oppressor as well. Orwell also uses Pathos, for example, "The thick blood welled out of him like red velvet, but still, he did not die. His body did not even jerk when the shots hit him, the tortured breathing continued without a pause. He was dying, very slowly and in great agony, but in some world remote from me where not even a bullet could damage him further." This appeals the reader’s emotion of empathy. Orwell imprints the gruesome, pitiful image of the dying elephant, to reinforce the tragedy of imperialism. It also symbolizes one country killing and overpowering the other. Orwell, a policeman, killing the elephant is equivalent to Britain and its imperialistic obliteration of its

    Read More

  • Carson's Ethos Pathos Logos

    456 Words  | 1 Pages

    Pathos – I think it is quite easy to see how Carson uses pathos in her book. Half of the excerpt we received seems to be dedicated to this topic. The first chapter is charged with emotions and communal values as Carson builds a kind of utopian nature scene and then destroys it right before the reader’s eyes. I think this dramatization communicates the powerful message intended, but it does make me wonder how different the feeling of this chapter would be if she used a real world example. Perhaps the pathos would have been stronger because it would let the reader connect to real people and a concrete place. Perhaps the pathos would be weaker because it would not allow Carson to describe all the disastrous effects that she wanted to in such a vivid way. Perhaps the strength of this chapter depends on the reader’s preference.

    Read More

  • Sharon Butlala Stone Faces Analysis

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    How could the reader benefit from reading this essay? The author want to make people realise the importance of nature and wants people to preserve environment by saying trees and animals. The author also wants the audience to realise how the people generations before us use to live without the facilities that we have in today’s world.

    Read More

  • Desert Solititaire Critical Analysis

    1798 Words  | 4 Pages

    He is unable to understand why they can’t leave nature alone. His frustration stems from the fact that so much valuable land is being destroyed, to accommodate the ways of the lazy. It seems as though he believes that people who are unwilling to enjoy nature as is don’t deserve to experience it at all. He’s indirectly conveying the idea that humans who destroy nature are destroying themselves, as nature is only a mechanism that aids the society. In Desert Solitaire Abbey reminds the audience, of any age and year of the significance of the wild, enlightening and cautioning the human population into consciousness and liability through the use of isolation as material to ponder upon and presenting judgments to aid sheltering of the nature he

    Read More

  • Imagery in As I Lay Dying

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Faulkner overwhelms his audience with the visual perceptions that the characters experience, making the reader feel utterly attached to nature and using imagery how a human out of despair can make accusations. "If I jump off the porch I will be where the fish was, and it all cut up into a not-fish now. I can hear the bed and her face and them and I can...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Edward Abbey's 'Industrial Tourism And The National Parks'

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edward Abbey is one of the most unique figures in the environmentalist movement. Much of what he wrote was in opposition to the government, and the way the government protected and interacted with the natural world. Because of Abbey’s blatant criticism of this part of environmentalism, he inspired the militant environmentalist group Earth First!, which often hurts others for the sake of the environment. For this reason, they are on the terrorist watch list. His vision of nature seems to be of enjoying nature alone, without other people or the government intervening. Thus, he drove a gas-guzzling car and littered along the highway in hopes that people would have to move to the cities sooner. He also may have done this as a petty act of rebellion against the government in the form of making the government-owned roads dirty. Still, Abbey is a seemingly contradictory character; however, all his writing and actions somehow support his

    Read More

  • The Damnation Of A Canyon Summary

    2223 Words  | 5 Pages

    He wrote, in part, about the human condition and man’s role in the disregard and destruction of the natural world. In essence, he favored the environment in its natural state and saw the elimination of its beauty as another means of control by the rich and powerful. To Abbey the damming of Lake Powell was a damn thing, not good for anyone or anything except the “upper-middle-class American slob” (99) and he abhorred the technological society that develops at the expense of nature’s environmental resources. This disdain is captured perfectly in the double entendre used to encapsulate the subject laid out before us by Abbey: The Damnation of a

    Read More

  • How Does Edward O Wilson's Use Of A Satire

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    To persuade an audience to support their view, an author must establish their credibility and professionalism or else their argument will be perceived as illegitimate by the readers. Unprofessional statements such as "what's at stake as they busy themselves are your tax dollars and mine, and ultimately our freedom too" (lines 15-17) eliminates the validity of the justification made. The claim that environmentalists consume tax dollars is valid, but since it was presented in a hyperbolic and stereotypical manner, its effectiveness is lost. Exaggerating the effects of environmentalists by proposing that "our freedom" (line 17) is at stake due to the spending of tax dollars is pretentious and therefore decreases the productiveness of the argument as a whole. Stereotypical names given to both sides that are used throughout the passages such as "greens" (line 3) and "right-wingers" (lines 65-66) create a humorous tone that diminishes the credibility of the authors. Humor, a beneficial anecdote in some arguments that adds to the effectiveness when used in moderation, is excessively prevalent in the passages to the extent that both are perceived as absurd. Casual mockery such as the statement "some Bennington College student with a summer job will find an endangered red spider on your property, and before you know what happened the Endangered Species Act will be used to shut you down" (lines 19-23) augments the humorous tone of the passage and eliminates the productiveness of the assertions made. Wilson’s use of satire emphasizes the importance of not only the validity of the points made in justifying an argument, but also the diction used by the author and presentation in attributing to the argument's overall

    Read More

  • Fell Birds Falling

    875 Words  | 2 Pages

    As found in all styles of persuasive compositions, the appeals are vivid and thoroughly present here in the forms of ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos, the use of credibility, authority, and/or character to persuade the audience, is used by Carson where she quotes the Fish and Wildlife Service on the dangers of the use of parathion. This not only displays to the reader that another also feels this way about parathion, but it also introduces a highly credible and authoritative establishment that shares this idea. Logos, the reasoning that the audience finds in the media, appeals to the reader’s common sense where Carson logically explains, “The problem could have been solved easily by a slight change in agricultural practice—a shift to a variety of corn with deep set ears not accessible to the birds…” The reader understands that there are better alternatives and may begin to question the morals of the farmers. Immediately after this application of logos, the tone becomes dark and accusative as Carson implements pathos, influence achieved from the manipulation of feelings, desires, or fears, by presenting the farmers as persecutors. She does this by us...

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Edward O Wilson

    537 Words  | 2 Pages

    He gives an example of a college student that found a red spider. This student, ironically, passes the Endangered Species Act and becomes powerful. This student rose from the bottom because of his “conservationists” beliefs. The example allows the writer to move into a mocking conclusion. He states that these power hungry men and women do not actually know best for the environment as much as property owners do. Just because they state that they are “ all for the environment”, it doesn’t mean that they know

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Deforestation

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Earth is 4.6 billion years old. Scaling to 46 years, human have been here 4 hours, the industrial revolution began 1 minute ago, and in that time, we’ve destroyed more than half the world’s forests.” - Unknown. One major environmental problem in our world is deforestation - what is that, you ask? According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, deforestation is the action or process of clearing of forests. Some consequences of this include a large contribution to global warming and climate change (about 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year), loss of biodiversity especially in tropical rainforests, and the extinction of many known or yet to be discovered species. But, through some Debt-for-Nature Swaps, leaving forests

    Read More

  • Aldo Leopold on The Ecological Conscience

    349 Words  | 1 Pages

    Leopold’s view is a glorified dream at best. While most people do acknowledge the need for some type of ecological consciousness, the one illustrated by Leopold is far from probable. Today’s society is overrun with the desire for speed and convenience, and driven by competition. Asking the busy world to stop, step backward, and work the concerns for such things as soil, rocks, or oak trees into its contracts and agreements is a foolish notion. It has come to be that to most individuals, the sight of a city skyline that is bustling with business and life is just as pristine as the sight of a natural forest.

    Read More

  • Tragedy of Deforestation in Brazil and Indonesia

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deforestation is fast becoming one of the world’s worst environmental/geographical occurring disasters known to mankind, and is due to humankind’s greed, ignorance and carelessness when considering the future of our environment.

    Read More

  • The Controversy of Deforestation

    2612 Words  | 6 Pages

    Deforestation is a widely used term, but one with different meanings. Disturbance deforestation refers to all man made disturbances that alter a forest, these are the most common. This argumentative essay discusses the positive and negative aspects of deforestation. In the first part of the essay the pro arguments of deforestation will be discussed. For example, the issue of Global population and how forests are being used, land use and the ways forests contribute, wood use, forest growth, destruction and the reasons for cutting down the trees. The second half of the essay will cover the issues that are harmful to the environment because of deforestation. Many environmental issues take place everyday; a big question that arises, is if the global economy will ever finds middle on the issue of forest thinning. If deforestation was used only in the most crucial of times, the world might become a better place.

    Read More

  • Deforestation Essay

    1140 Words  | 3 Pages

    The forests around the world a supply a plethora of community amenities and commercial goods , nevertheless forested terrain progressively is becoming transformed to accommodate other uses, including cropland, pasture, mining, and urban areas, which can produce superior private financial returns. The wide array of benefits the forest provides that vanish directly tied to deforestation have resulted in several policies drafted with the sole intention to reduce the frequency of deforestation. This paper has two primary objectives. First, this paper will review and summarize both the preceding and current research on deforestation. Second, it will emphasize the significance of future research and development, as well as other solutions needed

    Read More

More about Edward Abbey Deforestation

Open Document