Ishmael #1 QQC

Alana Espineli

" Ishmael thought for a moment. 'Among the people of your culture, which want to destroy the world?'

'Which want to destroy it? As far as I know, no one specifically wants to destroy the world.'

'And yet you do destroy it, each of you. Each of you contributes daily to the destruction of the world.'

...

'You're captives of a civilization system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live.' "

(Quinn, 25)

Question: Is the human race aware that they are "captives" that are destroying the planet for survival?

Response: While I do think that people are aware that humanity is destroying the planet, I do not think that the majority of the population thinks of that in such a harsh manner. Ishmael used word like 'captives' and 'destruction.' The use of these words show just how serious this problem really is. The word captive makes the reader look at the problem in a new way. Ishmael truly knows about captivity after being held captive for so long. I do not think that we have to be held captive to this "civilization system." We can break free of our captivity and start to help heal the earth of the damage that has been done to it. And as Ishmael says, we must first figure out exactly what is holding us captive or else we won't get out. When Ishmael says "...contributes daily to the destruction of the world," it shows the urgency in the issue and lets the reader know that their own everyday activities leave an impact on the earth.