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Mia San Angelo

Essay from Sophomore Year

English Literature and Composition Essay: Original

Two Native American authors describe the plains of Oklahoma but slightly differ in the

feeling such a landscape gave them. In the first passage, the writer describes the location in a

nostalgic and story-telling style, while the second passage is more literal and realistic in its

description. The authors both effectively address their purposes through contrasting uses of tone,

diction, and imagery.

In the first passage, it is apparent that the author has a more romantic perspective of the

plains. Though not completely positive, the author is able to paint a picture for his audience.

They begin the passage with, “A single knoll rises out of the plain in Oklahoma”, which sets up

the rest of the passage as a story. The author wants his audience to envision the environment as if

it were a collection of professional photographs: detailed and surreal. With a nostalgic and

content tone, they are able to establish a relaxing story that will take the reader on a journey as if

they were there. They also utilize advanced imagery in order to effectively transport the reader.

When describing the flora and fauna of the plains, he describes how the “tortoises crawl about on

the red earth, going nowhere in the plenty of time”. The author not only describes what the

tortoises are doing, but he also gives them character. Their use of imagery helps the reader get

the sense of what the plains are really like and how they feel. The author’s romantic diction also

serves to meet his purpose when comparing the summers to “an anvil’s edge”, implying that the

heat and lack of necessary resources is sharp and painful. By utilizing tone, nostalgic diction, and
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great imagery, the author was able to transport their reader into a landscape that seems too good

to be true.

The second passage is more literal in its description. The author focuses more on the

negative aspects of the plains with no romantic connection. They start the passage with how in

the summer, “everything had turned bad”. Right off the bat, the reader is able to infer that the

author does not appreciate the environment’s harsh conditions. With literal diction, the author is

able to successfully describe how miserable the Oklahoma plains are. They speak of the former

buffalo herds that rampage the plains, but due to the sun, they were replaced by “an endless

desolation of bones and skulls and rotting hooves”. Their use of imagery emphasizes the dryness

and misery of the plains, which is what they are trying to tell the reader. The reader imagines

dust, intense heat, and tragic death. Their description, unlike the first passage, utilizes a more

dissatisfied tone and a more literal style, which serves to effectively describe the true nature of

the plains.

The differences between the two passages of their tone, diction, and imagery demonstrate

the differences of perspectives and the varying appreciation of the selected area. While the first

author had a more romantic take on the plains and a story-book-like description, the second

author described the misery that it brings. Both excerpts were successful in making the reader see

and feel what the authors do.