Up in Arms

Douglas Adams tells us about the obsessive passion of the conservationists of Mauritius in terms of war because it is a war to conserve endangered animals. There is always something that is hindering the conservationists from doing their job. It may be the government, or poachers, or tourists, or the simple fact that the animal is dying off much quicker than they can do anything about it. Adams says that the conservationists are, “like surgeons working just behind the front line” (183). They work hard to take care of these animals to preserve them for future generations just like in a war, those who fight and aid the fighting are working to preserve and ideal or a country for future generations. Also, the comparison to a surgeon is comparing the conservationists to those who are merely aiding in the fight. They are doing the best they can to give the endangered animals everything they need to continue the fight for survival without them. Also by describing the passion of the conservationist in terms of war shows the readers just how passionate the conservationists are. Most readers know of war; they may not have fought in a war but they know someone, or know someone who knows someone that has fought. The readers also know why people fight; the readers know pride in their country and the obsession that it takes to defend that pride. Adams is appealing to this feeling in the readers, this pride in their country to help the reader relate to the conservationists. By relating to the conservationists, the readers may feel more inclined to help and to become a part of the war. This is a book of awareness. Adams does not come right out and say that it is, because the main focus of the book is really the travel and all the problems encountered by Adams and Mark. However, Adams does not make the animals the main focus of the book because we have all heard it before. The sob stories about the dying animals on TV no longer catch our attention. Conservationists are looking for another way to get people to get active and help. Thus Douglas Adams writes Last Chance to See as a humorous way to show us that by not helping conserve animals we are actually aiding in their demise and by comparing the obsession shown by conservationists, Adams is trying to get the reader to relate to the conservationists in an effort to get everyone ‘up in arms’ to save the planet.