I do not know if the passage above is the First or Second, so this answer is for whichever the one included in this question is.
How are the Badlands described?
- The Badlands are described as a scary and dangerous place. It is described as the “Bad Lands” to emphasize that the ‘bad’ in its name is accurate. It is also described using physical descriptors such as dry and desolate. The empty expanse of the Badlands seemed sharp and dangerous to the speaker, which is why it is compared to a place “built as a spite to Heaven.” Foreboding means to feel like something bad will happen, so the description that the Badlands is like an evil child’s creation meant to keep humans out makes sense. The Badlands is described negatively in this passage. The speaker uses similes to compare the Badlands to wicked creations and personification to say that “it does not like or welcome humans.” The Badlands in this passage is dark, scary, and haunting, and the speaker/writer focuses on how they felt and what they sensed from this place rather than giving a detailed description of the terrain.