USER
The following passage concludes an essay by Edward Abbey about Aravaipa Canyon in New Mexico. Read the
passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you characterize Abbey’s attitudes toward nature and analyze how
Abbey conveys these views. Also follow these rubrics:
Responds to the prompt with a defensible thesis that analyzes the writer’s rhetorical choices.
Responds to the prompt rather than restate or rephrase the prompt, and the thesis clearly takes a position rather than just stating that there are pros/cons.
Provides specific evidence to support all claims in a line of reasoning.
Consistently explains how the evidence supports a line of reasoning.
Explains how multiple rhetorical choices in the passage contribute to the writer’s argument, purpose, or message.
Uniformly offer evidence to support claims. • Focus on the importance of specific words and details from the passage to build an argument. • Organize and support an argument as a line of reasoning composed of multiple supporting claims, each with adequate evidence that is clearly explained. • Explain how the writer’s use of rhetorical choices contributes to the student’s interpretation of the passage.
the response may observe multiple instances of the same rhetorical choice if each instance further contributes to the argument, purpose, or message of the passage.
The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity. • The thesis may be anywhere within the response. • For a thesis to be defensible, the passage must include at least minimal evidence that could be used to support that thesis; however, the student need not cite that evidence to earn the thesis point. • The thesis may establish a line of reasoning that structures the essay, but it needn’t do so to earn the thesis point. • A thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully supports that line of reasoning
Response demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation.
Explaining the significance or relevance of the writer’s rhetorical choices (given the rhetorical situation). 2. Explaining a purpose or function of the passage’s complexities or tensions. 3. Employing a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive.
Once, years before, I had glimpsed a mountain lion in this
canyon, following me through the twilight. It was the only
mountain lion I had ever seen, so far, in the wild. I stopped,
the big cat stopped, we peered at each other through the gloom.
5 Mutual curiosity: I felt more wonder than fear. After a minute, or
perhaps it was five minutes, I made a move to turn. The lion leaped
up into the rocks and melted away.
We see no mountain lions this evening. Nor any of the local
deer, either Sonoran whitetail or the desert mule deer, although the
10 little heart-shaped tracks of the former are apparent in the sand.
Javelina, or peccary, too, reside in this area; piglike animals with
tusks, oversized heads, and tapering bodies, they roam the slopes
and gulches in family bands, living on roots, tubers, and innards
of barrel cactus, on grubs, insects, and carrion. Omnivorous, like
15 us, and equally playful, if not so dangerous. Any desert canyon
with permanent water, like Aravaipa, will be as full of life as it
is beautiful.
We stumble homeward over the stones and through the
anklebone-chilling water. The winter day seems alarmingly
20 short; it is.
We reach the mouth of the canyon and the old trail uphill
to the roadhead in time to see the first stars come out. Barely
in time. Nightfall is quick in this arid climate and the air feels
already cold. But we have earned enough memories, stored
25 enough mental-emotional images in our heads, from one brief
day in Aravaipa Canyon, to enrich the urban days to come. As
Thoreau found a universe in the woods around Concord, any
person whose senses are alive can make a world of any natural
place, however limited it might seem, on this subtle planet of
30 ours.
“The world is big but it is comprehensible,” says
R. Buckminster Fuller. But it seems to me that the world is not
nearly big enough and that any portion of its surface, left unpaved
and alive, is infinitely rich in details and relationships, in wonder,
35 beauty, mystery, comprehensible only in part. The very existence
of existence is itself suggestive of the unknown—not a problem
but a mystery.
We will never get to the end of it, never plumb the bottom of
it, never know the whole of even so small and trivial and useless
40 and precious a place as Aravaipa. Therein lies our redemption.
ASSISTANT
In his essay on Aravaipa Canyon, Edward Abbey constructs an intricate tapestry of emotional and intellectual responses to the natural environment, weaving together a reverence for its enigmatic beauty and a profound understanding of its ecological value. Abbey's masterful use of descriptive language, juxtaposition, philosophical inquiry, and personal anecdote come together to form a compelling argument that underscores the inextricable connection between mankind and nature, positing the natural world as a source of both existential revelation and perpetual wonder.
Abbey manifests his deep affection for nature through an exquisite narrative imbued with an almost reverential curiosity, particularly when he recounts his encounter with a mountain lion. This encounter, characterized by a poignant standstill that epitomizes mutual respect between species, does more than tell a story; it elucidates Abbey's perspective that humans are neither above nor separate from nature but part of a complex and vibrant ecological web. The phrase "we peered at each other through the gloom" conveys a sense of equal footing, while "Mutual curiosity" establishes a common ground of existence.
The writer’s rhetorical strategy implements vivid imagery to paint a picture of the canyon's inhabitants, from the elusive mountain lions to the sturdy javelinas. His affectionate description of the peccaries as "piglike animals with tusks, oversized heads, and tapering bodies" is a warming invitation to view these creatures fondly, and the phrase "omnivorous, like us, and equally playful, if not so dangerous" is a meaningful reflection on shared biological traits and intrinsic value extending beyond human life. This comparison skillfully positions readers to identify with the javelinas on a basic, shared level of existence.
In exploring the ethereal and ephemeral qualities of his interaction with the canyon, Abbey employs contrasting elements to sharpen the reader’s senses. The transition from daytime to night—"stumble homeward over the stones" and "nightfall is quick"—conjures a sense of urgency and vulnerability. This opposition deepens the feeling of nature’s grandeur and its ability to prompt introspection about our place within it. These temporal shifts are not simply observations; they are rhetorical tactics that evoke the fleeting nature of human experience against the enduring backdrop of the natural world.
Abbey draws on philosophical dialogue, referencing Thoreau and Fuller, to further substantiate his argument. Through the lens of their thoughts, Abbey crafts a subtle yet powerful critique of human comprehension. Fuller's premise that "The world is big but it is comprehensible" is gently contested by Abbey, who advocates for a humbler approach to the natural world—one that embraces the "infinitely rich in details and relationships, in wonder, beauty, mystery." These philosophical musings serve to elevate his message that true understanding lies in accepting the intrinsic limitations of our knowledge.
Ultimately, Abbey positions Aravaipa Canyon as a metaphorical vessel for human redemption. The declaration that "We will never plumb the bottom of it" reinforces the notion that by engaging with nature in a considerate and exploratory manner, humans can find solace in the marvelous complexity and uncertainty that it presents. Abbey's argument, therefore, is as much an ode to the splendor of nature as it is a call for humility and continuous appreciation for the "small and trivial and useless and precious" spaces that invite endless discovery and, consequently, self-transformation.
In conclusion, through a symphony of rhetorical choices that include evocative descriptions, personal narrative, philosophical intertextuality, and a pronounced thematic focus on the intersection of humanity and the natural world, Edward Abbey's essay on Aravaipa Canyon transcends a mere account of landscape; it becomes a profound and contemplative experience that ignites the readers' sensory and intellectual faculties, ultimately enriching their understanding of the relationship between humans and the world they inhabit.