A Passage Jimmy Carter Summary

An Analysis of a Passage Written by Jimmy Carter In response to a perceived threat to the arctic coastal plains, Jimmy Carter wrote an article in an attempt to persuade the public to oppose the drilling of the tundra. He builds his argument using a combination of emotional appeals, personal anecdotes and citation of previous opposition. Carter begins his argument by outlining the scope of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in an attempt to awe the reader with its vastness and the majesty of its animals. The former president describes the arctic as both vast and wild, with diverse terrain ranging from windswept coastal plains to its lofty Brooks Range and with animals varying so wildly as to have anything from polar bears to sheep. He argues that few places left in the world are as wild and free as the arctic and that it should be preserved as a symbol of our national heritage; therefore, leaving the wilderness of the arctic untouched for future generations would be a great success and the greatest gift that America could give. Carter later argues that it is also a matter of humans’ rights due to

Carter further describes it as having a timeless quality, by recounting watching the muskox moving toward the sea under a never-setting sun. He follows with a tale– “One of the most unforgettable and humbling experiences of [their] lives” by describing the birth of thousands of caribou on the coastal plains. Furthermore, as Carter recalls the tundra being flooded with life in a matter of minutes, he attempts to signify that it is a unique spectacle unlike anything else in the world; therefore, it needs to be