How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Spreading toward the horizon, this wilderness contains the greatest variety of species in the world. (2.3)
We thought the greatest variety of species in the world was on your average subway train handrail. Grann proves us wrong.
Quote #5
Then there was the threat of hostile "savages" and "cannibals." (6.18)
Grann includes these words in quotes because he is talking about the attitudes of Fawcett's contemporaries to the tribes of the Amazon. You might say their attitudes are "simplistic," "ignorant," or "wrong." On the other hand, there can be elements of truth in stereotypes, and we will see some violent tribes.
Quote #6
"My heart sank," Fawcett wrote in his journals, "and I began to realize how truly primitive this river country was." (8.17)
Here is another way the Amazon deceives Fawcett. He sees it as a beautiful, untouched wilderness. But Western influence, in particular the rubber industry, has transformed it into a dark place, a place that features slavery, murder, and the destruction of native tribes.