The Big Thirst as a Book-Length Argument

Complexity and Worth of the Topic Book-Length arguments tend to be more complex than an article or a short paper. We will be looking at several parts, therefore, to Fishman’s argument. However, before we can look at the argument itself, we must understand why the topic is worthy of a book-length treatment and why the topic may be complex. Consider the following questions: Most obviously, why would water be an important topic to explore when so many other important issues face our world? As Americans, how do we think about water if we do at all? How might exploring water benefit us?

Water Invisibility: A Major Concept For Fishman, the “invisibility” of water is an important idea in his book. Consider the following quote from the book: “The good news is that most of what we know about water isn’t really wrong, because we don’t know that much. The bad news is that the invisibility of water in our lives isn’t good for us, and it isn’t good for water. You can’t appreciate what you don’t understand. You don’t value and protect what you don’t know is there” (4). What do you think Fishman means by this and why might it be important to his rationale for choosing water as the topic for his argument?

The Big Idea As with any argument, we must ask ourselves what the main thesis of the argument is. For Fishman, he’s trying to convince his readers to think about water in a different way and to act in accordance with this new outlook. Why might Fishman think that changing the way we think is necessary to changing our actions, especially concerning water?

Part of the Argument: Chapter 3 Chapter 3 is an important part of Fishman’s argument in which he explores Las Vegas and its approach to and thinking about water. Activity: Form groups of 3-4 people. What does this chapter tell us about water usage in Las Vegas over time and how it has changed and how the city as a whole has changes the way it thinks about water? What solutions to water problems are presented here? How was a change in thought about water necessary for these solutions to be implemented? How does what’s described in this chapter fit in with Fishman’s main thesis? Use passages from the text to support your answers.

One Last Question: As we close our discussion for today, think about one last question: As you continue to read, you will notice that Fishman talks about Las Vegas in several places in this book. Why Might Fishman have chosen Las Vegas as an example to help him support his thesis?