since each prompt has multiple questions, feel free to focus on the questions that most pique your interest. You are not required to address all of the questions for a given prompt.

1. At the end of the story, Davis discovers Eva May’s pendant at the origin point of the fire. Based on the evidence throughout the story, which character do you believe is responsible for the arson and why? Additionally, why does Davis choose to hide this critical piece of evidence from Bob Lindblad [the fire inspector from the forest service]?

2. “When This World Is All on Fire” takes place in near-future America where the effects of global climate change have progressed significantly. Sanders highlights not only the ecological consequences, but in particular points to the human consequences [e.g., a refugee crisis] as well as intense racial tensions on the Cherokee reservation. In particular, Sanders observes (through the eyes of David) that “Now, it looked like the sort of thing they used to show on the news, in countries you’d never heard of. The refugee camps in Kosovo, during his long-ago army days, hadn’t been this bad” (p. 164). What do you think is the overall message of this piece? What role might the idea of “third world” catastrophes visiting the “first world” play in conveying this message?

3. In this story, the central character (Davis) is a police officer representing the Cherokee Nation’s sovereign tribal government. Throughout, Sanders makes a point of highlighting how Davis’s social and political status changes as a result of his racial/ethnic identity and location. Additionally, Davis acts as a liaison between various government officials, citizens of the Cherokee Nation, and non-citizens. What role do you think government (at the tribal, state, and/or national level) plays in this story? Why do you think Sanders chose to present this story from the perspective of Davis?

4. One of the key character relationships developed in this short story is between Davis and Eva May. What did you make of their relationship? Where do you think that Davis’s pursuit of this relationship falls along the spectrum from “protective” to “stalking”? What do these characters’ interactions reveal about a potential relationship between authority and gender?