AUTHORS ARGUEMENT #2: THE LOST CITY OF Z

Precis

In David Grann's The Lost City of Z, (New York: Randomhouse, Inc., February 2009), he describe’s Fawcett's journey to the Amazon. 

Tone

excited yet direct

Vocabulary

Elude-to avoid or escape by speed, cleverness, trickery, etc.;

Rheumatism - any disorder of the extremities or back, characterized by pain and stiffness.

Staunchly- solid or substantial in construction

Relished- liking or enjoyment of the taste of something

Protuberances-Something, such as a bulge, knob, or swelling that protrudes

Pernicious- highly injurious or destructive: deadly

Rhetorical Strategies 

Allusion- “as the writer Candice Millard explained in The River of Doubt,…”(page 110)

Word defining-  “A tocandira- a poisonous ant that can cause vomiting and intense fever-…” (page 111)

Listing- “…on marine biology, physics, optics, and meteorology.” (page 125)

 Similie- “… and that like a mythic hero…” (page 123)

Telegraphic sentences- He escaped with sleds across the barren snow. The captain was able to rescue his party. Murray and his party were never seen again (pg.141)

Rhetorical Questions

1. Is Grann obsessed with doing what Fawcett couldn’t, finding the Lost City of Z?

2.  Why does Grann use more imagery through sight rather that feel?

3. how do you know when you are obsessed?

Quotation

“’Starvation sounds almost unbelievable in forest country, and yet it is only too likely to happen.’” –page 109