Analysis of Edward Abbey
Patrick McGihon
P-1
2-10-11
A.P. Analysis
Edward Abbey’s attitudes toward nature are clearly characterized through his description of the Aravaipa Canyon in New Mexico. Abbey views nature as this magnificent and mysterious concept in life that will forever be unknown, or not entirely comprehensible. His purpose is to show the audience that nature is full of wonder and that there are so many things still to be discovered. He does this by describing the Aravaipa Canyon with intense detail and providing personal experiences for the reader. He is able to grab the reader’s sense of imagery through great adjectives while he displays his knowledge and theories of the canyon and nature as a whole. Abbey begins the essay with a personal encounter that he had with a mountain lion years ago. He writes that when he had met face to face with the beast, that everything had stopped and he was one and the same with the lion. As they “peered at each other through the gloom,” Abbey felt a sense of “mutual curiosity.” This phrase gives the reader an idea of Abbey’s encounter and how he interpreted it, and how it shows that he is one with the lion, and nature. He then says that he “felt more wonder than fear.” These two abstract concepts are very contrasting. The average person would likely feel fear, but not for the author. He continues to portray his idea of being one with nature by showing his “wonder” in the mountain lion. Following this, Abbey writes how he lost track of time at this moment, saying how five minutes felt like one minute. This tells the reader that when Abbey is in nature, everything else doesn’t seem to exist. In the next paragraph, the author does a superb job in panting a picture of the nature that Abbey loves by describing wildlife. He writes of the Sonoran whitetail and their “little heart-shaped tracks.” He then describes the javelina by saying they are “piglike animals with tusks, oversized heads, and tapering bodies, they roam the slopes
P-1
2-10-11
A.P. Analysis
Edward Abbey’s attitudes toward nature are clearly characterized through his description of the Aravaipa Canyon in New Mexico. Abbey views nature as this magnificent and mysterious concept in life that will forever be unknown, or not entirely comprehensible. His purpose is to show the audience that nature is full of wonder and that there are so many things still to be discovered. He does this by describing the Aravaipa Canyon with intense detail and providing personal experiences for the reader. He is able to grab the reader’s sense of imagery through great adjectives while he displays his knowledge and theories of the canyon and nature as a whole. Abbey begins the essay with a personal encounter that he had with a mountain lion years ago. He writes that when he had met face to face with the beast, that everything had stopped and he was one and the same with the lion. As they “peered at each other through the gloom,” Abbey felt a sense of “mutual curiosity.” This phrase gives the reader an idea of Abbey’s encounter and how he interpreted it, and how it shows that he is one with the lion, and nature. He then says that he “felt more wonder than fear.” These two abstract concepts are very contrasting. The average person would likely feel fear, but not for the author. He continues to portray his idea of being one with nature by showing his “wonder” in the mountain lion. Following this, Abbey writes how he lost track of time at this moment, saying how five minutes felt like one minute. This tells the reader that when Abbey is in nature, everything else doesn’t seem to exist. In the next paragraph, the author does a superb job in panting a picture of the nature that Abbey loves by describing wildlife. He writes of the Sonoran whitetail and their “little heart-shaped tracks.” He then describes the javelina by saying they are “piglike animals with tusks, oversized heads, and tapering bodies, they roam the slopes