Refuge An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry...

Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams Refuge; An Unnatural History of Family and Place, by Terry Tempest Williams, is a thought-provoking, sentimental book that explores both the unnatural and the natural events that take place in her life. The deception and lies of the reports presented by the United States government, which lead to the fall out of atomic bomb testing in Utah in the 1950s and the rise of the Great Salt Lake and its effect on bird’s serve as the backdrop of this book. As Williams struggles to deal with the ramifications of her mother’s terminal cancer, she seeks sanctuary at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Her family and their well-being is a major priority in her life. When†¦show more content†¦This refuge is home to thousands of bird species. As William’s mother health deteriorated, she found solace at the bird refuge. Her intimacy with the birds has too strong of a hold over her. She becomes unrealistic about the application of the fate of the birds in relation to her reality with her mother. For example, when she returns to the refuge and finds the burrowing owl’s nests have been destroyed she gives the middle finger to a group of men and says, â€Å"This is for you- from the owls and me† (Tempest, 13). Her reaction to what happened to the birds is over exaggerated. These birds will naturally migrate to a new area. Williams is taking the situation too seriously. She tries too hard to find a connection between what is happening to the birds and the rising level of the lake and what is happening to her mother. As Williams states in an interview with David Summer, â€Å"Our body, the body of earth-theirs is not separation. That was for me, the revelation in Refuge- when I realized my mother’s h ealth and the health of the desert were the same story† (Summer, 7). The health of the desert is a natural event that occurs in nature- lakes flood. What had happened to her terminally-ill, cancerous mother is a very unnatural event. Williams’ mother had cancer. The likely source was from the atomicShow MoreRelated Terry Tempest Williams Refuge Essay examples1926 Words   |  8 PagesTerry Tempest Williams Refuge In Refuge, Terry Tempest Williams weaves together her experiences and relationships with family and nature, two major themes of Refuge, as well as two apparently important aspect of Williams’ life. The book is the story of the destruction of her family and the nature surrounding her, but it is these places that are being destroyed are the same places where Terry Tempest Williams finds comfort before, during and after cancer started to consume her life. I believeRead More Nuclear Power and Testing Essay examples2337 Words   |  10 Pagesfallout’s victims. In her 1992 book Refuge, Terry Tempest Williams claims she â€Å"cannot prove her mother, Diane Dixon Tempest, or [her] grandmothers, Lettie Romney Dixon and Kathryn Blackett Tempest, along with [her] aunts developed cancer from nuclear fallout in Utah ( Tempest 286,);† however, scientific tests, although hard to conduct in this circumstance, have proved a strong correlation between fallout exposure and cancer within the downwind population. However, Williams’ chooses not to highlight thisRead MoreThe Clan of One-Breasted Women by Terry Tempest Williams Essay1876 Words   |  8 PagesThe Clan of One-Breasted Women by Terry Tempest Williams In our current society it is established that faith is equated with a type of blind acceptance of all that the church or institution stands for. Having faith is still viewed as a wholesome characteristic, though it is more and more becoming correlated with negative connotation that is commonly attached to a thoughtless, dogmatic approach Ââ€" an absolute obedience of all tenets regardless of conscious thoughts and appeals. In a similar regard