Paper 1 Question 1: Amazon Fires

 4/22/19

Dear Mr. President,

It was a horrendous tragedy when the Notre-Dame cathedral caught fire a week ago today.  It is a testament to our world’s goodwill that you raised over one billion dollars within two days after the fire began.

Mr. President, as you hold so much influence and have a captive audience of those around the world, I implore you to bring to light the fires sweeping across the Amazon rainforest.  

The Amazon rainforest produces approximately 20 percent of the planet's oxygen and is crucial for slowing global warming.  Every minute, nearly one-and-a-half soccer fields are destroyed by the raging fires.  Within these areas, many of the 16,000 tree species are being consumed by the flames, making the helpless animals that live in the treetops move, creating a dire situation.

However, this is not the only threat to the Amazon.  Nearly 70% of the deforestation takes place because of cattle farming.  Even worse, since 1970, 800,000 square kilometers have been destroyed by deforestation.

Mr. President, next time you speak to the world, remember this:  Our earth needs you.  The future needs you.  The Amazon needs you.  Please spread awareness.  

Most respectfully,

Kathryn Barry

…

The form, structure, and language of the news report and the letter vary greatly.  However, there are several similarities.  One difference between the two pieces is form.  The original text is a news report, which is designed to inform the public about what is currently happening in the world.  The news report’s audience would consist of those who are interested in the Amazon wildfire crisis and those who are wanting to know more about the issue.  The second text is in the form of a letter to the president of France.  The purpose of this letter is to persuade the president to spread awareness about the Amazon fires.

The structures of the two writings are different.  To begin the news report, a bolded headline is used and hints at “a recent disaster” which has not gained the world’s attention yet.  This sparks intrigue for the reader.  Additionally, at the end of the report, the author uses a bulleted list to identify various facts about the Amazon rainforest and deforestation rates.  This is important as it quickly lists ideas and facts that are shocking to the reader, thus making them more invested in helping the Amazon.

However, in the letter, the piece begins with a date and the salutation of “Dear Mr. President,” which addresses the recipient of the letter.  Additionally, the letter ends with a sign off with the phrase “Most respectfully, Kathryn Barry” signifying the end of the letter and who the letter was coming from.  

Various figurative language items were used throughout the news article and the letter.  For example, personification was used to describe the fires in both pieces.  The author of the news article describes the fires by saying that flames “tore through” the cathedral and the fires in the Amazon “devour” its various areas.  The words and phrases used are meant to have the reader conjure up images and visualize the destructive powers of the fires.  This is meant to engage the audience.

Personification is used in the letter when describing the destructive force of the Amazon fires.  It does this by explaining that the fire “consume[s]” the rainforest and precious plants and animals.  This is intended to evoke a feeling of sympathy from the audience, who is the president of France.  Its intention is to help the president be able to relate to the situation and want to help out.

The news article also uses the metaphor of “the planet’s lungs” to describe the Amazon rainforest.  This is because the Amazon produces “more than 20 per cent of the world's oxygen.”  This metaphor creates a strong comparison between the Amazon and lungs, and in so doing, creates the argument that since lungs are needed to survive, the Amazon is also needed for the survival of the world and our species.  

Colloquial expressions are used in both the news article and the letter.  In the news article, the phrase “emptied their pockets” was used to explain how billionaires paid to help rebuild the Notre-Dame cathedral.  However, this reference is made to create the stark, and somewhat sarcastic, contrast between how people are willing to help rebuild a cathedral but are not willing to help the environment, which is needed for survival.  

The colloquial expression of “bring to light” is used when trying to convince the president to acknowledge and spread awareness about the Amazon wildfires.  It indicates that the president would be bringing this issue out of the darkness of ignorance and providing it with a national spotlight.  

Logos are used in both the news article and in the letter.  Both pieces of writing included the statistics about how “one-and-a-half soccer fields” of the rainforest are being destroyed and how “cattle farming” causes “70 per cent” of the deforestation in the Amazon.  Both of these writings are using statistics to convince the reader that the wildfires in the Amazon are a catastrophic problem and efforts to stop these fires need to be supported.