Bland Analysis of Williams' piece

In "The Clan of One-Breasted Women," our class had discussed about how Williams advocated for civil disobedience to pressure the government into solving certain issues (that is, if the government isn't doing anything).  In this post, I would like to elaborate on some textual evidence on how Terry Tempest Williams conveys her attitude of obedience.

When Williams describes the case of Irene Allen as "God-fearing people," she is referring to how Allen said "I am not blaming the government" (930).  Basically, Williams is saying that trying to solve the issue of nuclear radiation by using the government (which Williams claims to have the authority of "God") has proved fruitless because the U.S. government hasn't done much about nuclear radiation.  She emphasizes this point by saying "our government is immune;" it is "immune" to any issues where the government is supposedly responsible (Williams 930).  Williams also says that Mrs. Allen is not the only person to stay obedient to the government by stating "This is just one story in anthology of thousands" (Williams 930).  In fact, Williams clearly includes how her own family practiced "obedience" to the government, and it never solved the danger of nuclear radiation.  Because her mother died from cancer and was obedient, Williams was motivated to "question everything" (931).  In other words, Williams wants to practice civil disobedience because "blind obedience...ultimately takes our lives" (931).  This perhaps explains why Terry Tempest Williams "crossed the line at the Nevada Test Site" because she believes her act of civil disobedience is a step forward in solving the issue of nuclear radiation.