Question

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this narrative.

Why does the author begin "Oasis: Africa" with a description of the landscape and the hardships the narrator encounters?



to create suspense as the marauders face perilous elements


to introduce conflict between the Effendi and Mohammed


to establish how the setting creates obstacles for the characters


to add a dramatic effect each time the narrator overcomes a difficulty

Answer 1

To establish how the setting creates obstacles for the characters .

Step-by-step explanation:

Ernest H. Griffin's "The Oasis: Africa," tells a thrilling story of a desert journey and how rough and severe nature can be to travelers in a desert. Deprived of the basic necessities especially water, the discovery of an oasis in the desert brought a huge relief to the characters.

The author starts the story by narrating or describing the landscape of the place where they are starting their journey. Normally, settings or in this case, descriptions of the landscape allows the readers to get a sense of where the story takes place. Moreover, the inclusion of details about the hardships that the narrator encounters also adds to this image of what the scene most looks like. And so, this reveals how the setting creates the obstacles that the characters will be met with.