Response and Rhetorical Analysis of "Climate Wars and Climate Peace"

Heather DelGuercio

September 5th, 2013

WRT 120-40

Response to “Climate Wars and Climate Peace”

 

         In the book Making Peace with the Earth, by Vandana Shiva, the chapter, “Climate Wars and Climate Peace” manifests the very destructive effects of global warming. The chapter was purely informational and was meant to show the readers just how destructive our environment is and what could possibly happen in the future. Shiva explains all of the hardships the glaciers of the Himalayas face as well as the mistake Obama made by not including countries at the UN Conference. Tavalu was adamant that their country should have been involved in the climate change discussion no matter how small they were. Africa’s temperature was predicted to raise three to five degrees Celsius yearly. The chapter forces on presenting the readers with informational facts that are strong enough to make people realize the damage occurring around them.
         This chapter was very informational, but very difficult to understand in one shot. It took me a couple times of reading the passage through to fully recognize everything the author was trying to say. I found this chapter extremely interesting and very eye opening, especially when Shiva talks about the many myths people often hear regarding global warming. The chapter made me think more about the future and the possible dangers that could occur if the current situation doesn’t change. 

Rhetorical Analysis

Author: Vandana Shiva is an Indian environmental activist born in 1952. Her passion for the environment most likely comes from her parents. Her father was a conservator of forests while her mother was an avid nature lover. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in physics then went on to receive her PhD in philosophy at the University of Western Ontario. She also founded the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology.

Title: Making Peace with the Earth

Date of Publication: 2013

Publisher: Pluto Press

Tone, Syntax, Language: The author’s tone is very powerful and passionate as well as descriptive and informational.

Intended Audience: Questioners about global warming and those who aren’t informed about glaciers as well as middle to upper class people.

Context: The chapter assigned is basically informational with the attempt to make the readers more aware of the statistics and numbers regarding the environment. Shiva gives the readers all these false accounts and then explains why they aren’t true showing us that there are some fallacies relating to the topic.

Purpose: The purpose of this chapter is to make the public aware of the consequences of their decisions when if comes to the environment. It also makes readers aware about how dangerous our future will be if we keep up the same routines.

Author’s Process: The author’s process was to inform readers of the climate change occurring and what could potentially happen in the future. It is easy to tell that she researched a lot of her information to provide her audience the most accurate facts. The book was designed for people of all knowledge levels. She wants her readers to better understand the environment in which they live and learn to appreciate and take care of it.

Shiva, Vandana. Making Peace with the Earth. London: Pluto Press, 2013

"Vandana Shiva." thegreeninterview.com. N.p.. Web. 5 Sep 2013.

                <http://www.thegreeninterview.com/vandana-shiva-bio>.