Essay Questions

How does the author use imagery in the book ‘The Land of Little Rain’?

Austin’s book is full of descriptions that depict the senses of sight, hearing, and touch to readers. For instance, Austin talks about the night's stars that emblem holy communion to illustrate how the land is close to its creator. The imagery of hearing is depicted to readers when Austin describes the sound of owls at night. The owls hoot at night, producing sounds that attract prey during hunting. Similarly, the author describes the challenging conditions in the desert when buzzards and vultures die due to lack of water and prey. Consequently, the entire book is full of imagery that paints a picture of the desert, and this aids the reader in visualizing the setting of this book.

Why is the author passionate about the conservation of the environment?

The reader realizes that the author is passionate about nature, and that is why she takes her time to write essays about fauna and flora. Austin insists on the significance of environmental conservation, and she gets annoyed when people go ahead to litter carelessly in the desert. According to Austin, instead of littering the desert, people should throw edible food to be eaten by desert creatures. Taking care of the environment is beneficial not only to animals and plants but also to human beings. Austin explains how people suffer looking for water in the desert because they do not care about environmental conservation.

Are the people dying in the desert because of ignorance, according to Austin?

According to Austin's research, she realizes that people living in the desert are ignorant because they do not understand that water is just a few feet below the ground. However, Austin fails to realize that getting the water to the surface is not an easy task for ordinary citizens who do not have the financial resources. Consequently, the author should blame the desert deaths on the government, which does not help the local people to locate water and drill it to the ground so that everyone can access it.