Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

1) What is Abbey's general opinion of government and politicsand how does that relate to the environment of the Southwest? Whatdoes he say about the link between powerful, large corporations andgovernment? Does this discussion still seem relevant today or not?Why? Provide at least three different quotes - not in the samechapter - to illustrate your answer. What solutions does Abbeypropose?

2) Why does Abbey equate the Bureau of Land Management with theChamber of Commerce? What is Abbey's general estimation of suchorganizations? Provide at least three different quotes - not in thesame chapter - to illustrate your answer.

3) What is the author's opinion about logging, mining andranching? How does he feel about the actual workers - the realproletariat of ranch hands, cowboys, miners and lumberjacks? Howdoes Abbey reconcile these feelings?

4) According to this book federal agencies interfere too muchwith wildlife. What example does the author provide to support thisargument? Why does Abbey kill the rabbit and what does that"experiement" represent? How well did the author predict thereaction this would have on the reader? What is the natural "J-curve" of animal populations and how does Abbey support allowingthat natural process and why?

5) How are Native Americans portrayed and discussed in thisbook? What does the role or presence of Indigenous groups in thisbook demonstrate about the author's attitudes? What is problematicabout the assumption that the "first man down Cataract Canyon" wasthe man who wrote the July 1869 account of his trip?

6) Desert Solitaire has been criticized as being abiased perspective on the land and nature of the Southwest. Howdoes the book or its messages suffer from any particular bias? Anability/disability bias? A white male bias? A non-Native orethnocentric bias? A leisure class bias? Gender bias? Are thereredeeming qualities in a book that suffers from any bias?