Okefenokee Swamp Passage Ap-Lang 11th grade

In the first passage, the Okefenokee Swamp is described with a wide variety of diction. Its features are mentioned with a neutral tone and simply describe what the place looks like. In the second passage, Okefenokee Swamp is portrayed as an unpleasant setting with many disturbing features. Each passage describes the area with a different purpose and a different view. The first passage from the Encyclopedia Britannica has an objective tone, while the second passage has a detestable tone and is subjective. The first passage is unbiased, as the author presents Okefenokee Swamp with straightforward information. The passage is from an encyclopedia, which implies that this passage is purely informative and does not include the opinion of the author. The author is not influenced by personal feelings because he uses exact measurements while describing the swamp: “Okefenokee Swamp . . . is a shallow, saucer-shaped depression approximately 25 mi wide and 40 mi long”(251). The writer uses descriptive words that portray neither positive nor negative connotations. For example, the author writes, “. . . low, sandy ridges, wet grassy savannas, [and] small islands”(251). When describing the plants and animals, the writer classifies them into “Exotic flowers” and “mammals”; this connotes a neutral tone because classifications of certain species are used for scientific purposes and contain no bias. When the author describes the different types of trees and animals that inhabit Okefenokee Swamp he only provides generic names; descriptions are excluded: “. . . 175 species of birds and at least 40 species of mammals, which include raccoons, black bear, white-tail deer, bobcats, fox, and otter”(251). A prominent segment in the passage is the final sentence, which says, “Alligators are also present”(251). This sentence clearly does not strive to leave a lasting impression on the audience; it is plain and simple, but does emphasize the objectivity of the piece. The