Okefenokee Swamp Essay Example

the differentiating nature of the second passage, the passage leaves an impression upon them.One parallel between the two passages is the way in which it describes the wildlife.

The didactic paragraph states simply that there are “175 species of birds and at least 40 species of mammals,” with no further characterization, while the second declares the swamp “home to two hundred and twenty-five species of birds, forty-three of mammals, fifty-eight of reptiles, thirty-two of amphibians and thirty-four of fish—all variously equipped with beaks, talons, claws, teeth, stingers, and fangs…” Such a dramatic and dark—the second passage identifying the animals with their weapons of prey—adds personification to the swamp and its inhabitants.In the same way as describing the swamp as a “home,” the second paragraph uses many other terms to personify the swamp as the creator of the misery it is. Two such metaphors, which work in conjunction with each other, stand out: “mother of vegetation, father of mosquito. ” This small piece of logic aids the reader in identifying the swamp.

While the paragraph describes many of the inhabitants in detail, it doesn’t directly talk about the swamp; however, these two simple phrases give logical insight.Because parents pass their traits onto their children, the idea that the swamp is the “mother” or “father” of all the despicable creatures described allows the reader to associate the traits of those same creatures to its parent, the swamp; indeed, another closely following metaphor, “soul of silt,” gives hint to the underlying and deeply personal nature of the swamp.The four letters of the passage, and indeed another simile, accurately sum up the life of the swamp: “like some hellish

zoo. Personifying the swamp is made easy when the two passages are placed next to each other—the didactic first exists to serve the second in allowing the reader to appreciate the dark and heavy similes and metaphors. It is probable that shock factor was important in the author’s ability to accurately identify the swamp, and both of these literary devices serve that purpose.