Hunt For Gas Hits Fragile Soil, And South Africans Fear Risks Analysis

Hunt for Gas Hits Fragile Soil, and South Africans Fear Risks by Ian Urbina, and Boundless South Africa by Tankwa Karoo Park are both articles with the same message: conservation. The prior, discusses how the drought took its toll on South Africa and how the people are desperate for rain because “there wasn’t enough water to go around.” Similarly, the latter article describes a journey through Africa, advertising Tankwa Park as “the ideal destination for those seeking the brightest stars in Africa.” Both articles sent the same message to the reader (stressing the importance of conservation and how it affects South Africa), however in contrasting ways. The authors’ methods of delivering the message were different, though. Both used format, literary
They also attract readers and create new meaning. Literary devices were used by both articles, excessively by one and sparingly by the other. In Boundless South Africa, imagery and symbolism were used quite often. One prominent example is when the author stated “Tankwa is the ideal destination for those seeking the brightest stars in Africa,” where they used brightest stars in describing South Africa’s treasures (wild animals, nature, etc.). However, this statement could be taken literally; from the map shown on the article, we see the park is located outside of the city, where there is no pollution, therefore the bright stars could be seen. This statement could be used to support the fact that the park is in the pure, natural, and serene place with no human interference. The symbol of the “ideal place” can be interpreted in many ways, which showcases the author’s brilliance in crafting this sentence. On the other hand, in Urbina’s article, we see little yet strong usage of literary devices. Despite the usage of small descriptors, the article was mostly dry and two-dimensional. However, the author did state multiple quotes containing literary devices. An example is when the author quoted a farmer, “around here, the rains comes on legs.” The main meaning derived from the quote is that rain is very rain. Another stronger example is when the author stated the meaning of Karoo was “thirsty land.” This name
They affect the message by relaying a certain approach, mindset or even bias to the reader. The tone and mood of both articles differed drastically. For example, in Urbina’s article, the tone is somewhat depressing. This is shown through the formality of the article, there is a lack of emotion which creates a subdued, sombre tone. The tone aids the mood, since the mood is sad and persuasive (trying to stop the hunt for gas). However, the other article takes a different approach. It sends the message of conservation through having an excited and enthusiastic tone about nature and how the natural, non-man made things are beautiful and should be conserved.