"Men sometimes stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and walk away as if nothing had ever happened." (Winston S. Churchill). Human beings tend to act ignorantly when it comes to the painful truth because they believe that avoiding it is easier than accepting it. In this unusual but honest essay, "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp," Joy Williams satirically highlights and explores humanity's despicable behavior toward nature and the harsh truth they fear comes from it. Its emphasis and exploration contemplate the consequences of the callous actions of human beings and the responsibility they must take to convey the message of accepting the truth and changing their ways before it is too late. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. To fully engage readers in listening and understanding her message, Williams offers an imaginary conversation between her and readers. The conversation is about the truth about the actions of humans and how they contribute to the destruction or preservation of nature. He turns attention away from himself and addresses whoever is speaking as "you." Immediately, he begins by blatantly pointing out the selfish “want, want, want” attitude one has towards nature. Williams then proceeds to target the unspoken truth about the thoughts and emotions felt by asking, “Do you feel that?” about nature in general down to the smallest hidden detail, photographs of animals and preserved nature sceneries. It's a way of defining the truth that humans are afraid to admit and face. He outlines phrases that would emotionally affect readers just like when it comes to loving something: “you better be careful because you have a tendency to love it to death.” Williams challenges the reader's thoughts and emotions by presenting the comparison between guilt and remorse where "guilt is not nice" and "remorse is a possibility." Cautiously, he warns readers that both guilt and remorse are just some of the things humans avoid because they bring responsibility, but the difference is that the former weighs less than the latter. Williams considers sarcasm a powerful tool for sending the message. about the people who cause their own harm and about raising awareness about some organizations that preserve nature, a topic that some are afraid to talk about. He mentioned some organizations and people who seem to know more about nature than most ordinary people. Whenever he mentioned them, he would first state their claims or what their project is about and then add a few words or comments that support or contradict it. The topic of the EPA's campaign to ban dinosaurs was one of them. The statement: “You seem to like dinoseb. It has been a popular weed killer even though it has been directly linked to birth defects. You must hate weeds a lot” indirectly delivers what Williams is trying to convey to readers, which is that people cause harm to themselves and their future children. Another display of sarcasm with a hint of truth from Williams was when she said: "sometimes even the stewards get confused." This discusses the roles that stewards or managers have when it comes to pleasing people and fulfilling their desires. Sometimes, humans do not accept the fact that these organizations are making a mistake that can harm nature even more. Williams weighs the detailed description of a human being's apathetic behavior and idiotic dependency alongside their own.
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