Article of the Week #1 "Forever Wild"

      “Forever Wild” written by Verlyn Klinkenborg, a writer for National Geographic (a magazine and internet source known for its coverage on daily news, the environment, geography and cultures of the world) describes the state of Adirondack Park: an extraordinary forest preserve that has survived centuries of artificial intrusions.  Despite years of the land being used for industrial purposes like mining and logging, the Adirondack Park has reached a balance between preserving the primitive forest and developing civilization in its place.  
     The context is represented through historical patterns of the Adirondack Park.  The forest went through a series of drastic stages, alternating between years of preservation and development. With the history going back and forth between these stages, Klinkenborg can support her purpose: to inform readers how the protection and development of the land are balanced today.  Klinkenborg remembers how the forest changed from a state of destruction to a “resilient landscape” (Klinkenborg) and is reassured that no matter the affects of modern interests, the future image of Adirondacks looks just as beautiful as that of a century ago. 
      This piece was written for an audience interested in nature as well as those interested in biological studies and how the environment is affected by humans and their actions.
     Klinkenborg’s diction describing Adirondack, “timeless mountains”,  “an endless beaded chain of new perspectives,” “a gravity as strong as Manhattan’s” certainly expresses emotion and suggests a strong passion she has for this place.  She also used juxtaposition as a way to contrast how civilization has grown over miles in Adirondack yet, the forests have a way of “cutting you off from the present,” as if you have stepped back in time.
     The author accomplished her purpose with thorough evidence.  She appealed to pathos with strong diction, to ethos with sources varying from the chairman of the Park’s agency to residents of Adirondack and to logos by admitting people's actions do have an influence on the environment.


http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/09/adirondack-park/klinkenborg-text