Question

Read the following passage from Muir's "Calypso Borealis" and answer the question. After earning a few dollars working on my brother-in law's farm near Portage [Wisconsin], I set off on the first of my long lonely excursions, botanising in glorious freedom around the Great Lakes and wandering through innumerable tamarac and arbor-vitae swamps, and forests of maple, basswood, ash, elm, balsam, fir, pine, spruce, hemlock … Identify and explain the tone of this passage. What specific words contribute to the tone? Then, explain how the tone of the passage would change if the words "burdensome labor" replaced the words "glorious freedom. " Be sure to identify the new tone and explain how the changed words create that tone. Your response should be a paragraph of 3â€"5 sentences.

Answer 1

Identify and describe the passage's tone: The tone is directly tied to the author's mood, which is positive. There's a lot wrong with the world now. But there's also hope that if we work hard enough, the world can and will improve. This is an example of a positive tone.

What words help set the tone? "Botanizing in glorious freedom around the Great Lakes and wandering through innumerable tamarack and arbor-vitae swamps, and forests of maple, basswood, ash, elm, balsam, fir, pine, spruce, hemlock..."

Explain how the sentence would sound if "burdensome labor" were substituted for "glorious freedom." Identify the new tone and how the words modify it: As we go from magnificent to burdened, the tone will be negative. Sometimes it seems like the world's problems are only going to grow worse. That tone is gloomy. It is unlikely to be real. Pessimism implies believing something will never improve, even if the evidence suggests otherwise.

Step-by-step explanation:

This is my opinion.