Irony of Situation. Irony is a difference between appearance and reality. An event that contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience of a literary work is an example of irony of situation. In this selection, there are several examples of irony of situation as the narrator encounters strange circumstances in the natural world. As you read, find where irony of situation occurs.
Figures of Speech. A figure of speech is writing or speech that has more than a straightforward, literal meaning. This language is meant to be understood imaginatively instead of literally. Many writers, such as the writer of this selection, sometimes use figures of speech to describe a situation in a new way.
Image on following page: Fishing ships sit stranded in a desert that once was part of the Aral Sea. Formerly the fourth-largest inland sea in the world and the biggest producer of fish in north central Asia, the Aral Sea is drying up because of human intervention. The groove in the sand is from a canal dug by owners of fishing boats trying to reach the sea as the water steadily retreated.
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• This selection is from Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit. Al Gore wrote the book as a U.S. senator, hoping to inform people about the environment, its problems, and possible solutions.
• Science Connection. In a healthy environment, things are balanced—they have adjusted to one another and to the surrounding conditions. If plants, animals, air, soil, and water are in a balanced relationship, an environment can stay the same for hundreds of years. Environmental change occurs when a new element appears and upsets the balance.
• Nature sometimes causes environmental change through such things as a disease that wipes out a group of living things, a forest fire that destroys animal and plant habitats, or a climate change to which living things are unable to adapt. Humans may cause environmental change through such things as urban expansion that destroys natural habitats, chemical and industrial wastes that pollute natural resources, and fuel emissions that poison the air. Sometimes people make such errors because they are not aware of the long-term effects of their actions. Other times, they ignore the long-term effects for short-term gain.
This selection discusses a number of environmental problems and their possible causes. In your journal, make a chart like the one started at right. As you read, make note of each environmental problem and its possible causes.
What local issues and problems concern you? How did you learn of them? What is your stance?
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