Glen Canyon Essay

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English 1001-05 11 October 2012 Glen Canyon Imagine walking Edward Abbey’s essay, “The Damnation of a Canyon,” a chapter in his book, Beyond the Wall, published in 1971, focuses on the effects that the Glen Canyon Dam has on Glen Canyon, the environment, the people, and the history of the region. He argues that the building of the Glen Canyon Dam and the making of Lake Powell now destroy the beauty that was once a part of Glen Canyon. He believes that the construction of the dam destroyed historical sites, Indian ruins and local wildlife. Abbey argues that, despite predictions that recreations would be cheap once the dam and Lake Powell are finished, it is now even more expensive to enjoy oneself. He focuses a lot on how much of the canyon’s environment has been destroyed. He also believes that sooner or later Lake Powell will become filled with human sewage and inevitably become a solid mass of mud. Abbey does offer alternative methods of power generation such as solar power, which would lessen the demand for electrical power and in turn will cause for the Glen Canyon dam to be taken down. Despite the convincing and heartfelt nature of Edward Abbey’s arguments within, “The Damnation of a Canyon,” it is still very biased and does not include other people’s opinions on the dam. Edward Abbey admits to having a certain biased. He calls himself a “butterfly chaser, googly eyed bleeding heart and wild conservative.” (Abbey, 96) This shows how strong his feelings are for the environment. His target audience is comprised of environmentalists, people that support his opinions and anyone who would care to listen. Abbey has been one of the few people to witness the beauty of Glen Canyon before and after the dam was built, therefore he feels like he is in a position to “evaluate the transformation of the region caused by construction of the dam.” (Abbey, 96) He

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