FREE ESSAY ON A PLACE WORTH FIGHTING FOR

A PLACE WORTH FIGHTING FOR

A Place Worth Fighting For
Colin Chisholm's emotive plea for restraint in the development of the Squaw Valley ski
area is particularly poignant and compelling. The power of the piece is found in his
dramatic and impassioned scene setting. He cleverly intertwines the imagery of the valley
with endearing anecdotes of the time he and his family spent there establishing a
subconscious link between the two main focuses of the piece. 
By the time Chisholm begins to develop the conflict in the story, the relationship
between the valley and his family has been established. He wants the reader to associate
the fate of the forest with that of his mother and father. On page 79, Chisholm writes,
"…during the time we were losing the meadow, we found out that my mother had
cancer." Chisholm doesn't even expand his explanation of the disease that has invaded his
mother's body. He doesn't have to. He has already described his mother as a beautiful
woman of Eskimo descent and Chisholm's writing powerfully understates the tragedy. 
The devastation of the Squaw Valley region paralleled a time of great sadness in Colin
Chisholm's life and gives him a unique, and compelling activist voice. His advocacy comes
across not as radical environmentalism but more appropriately, as a man trying to
preserve the fond memories of his family. His clever scene setting gives life and
personality to the Squaw Valley region. This personification-of-sorts allows people who
can not relate to Chisholm's love for the outdoors, to associate with the emotions he
felt for his mother's falls and his father's meadow. He is hoping that, at the very
least, these individuals might understand where he and others are coming from in their
pursuit to save Squaw.