The Southland

The south is a place where many battle scenes have taken place. The remains of those scenes are very impressive. It lets people see the story of the past. The southerners have a different mindset. Even though they were enemies with the North and were defeated by them, they do not view themselves as defeated or wrong.
If you are from the North, you do not have the same visual perspective that the southerners have for their area. The northerners only see an area of defeat. They do not realize that the dream like images portrayed in poems are those of the landscape and charm of the south. When the author states "Little by little this dream world is being penetrated by the spirit of the North. The South is crumbling under the heel of the conqueror," I feel like the author is saying that nowadays, people only give recognition to those who are victorious.
Many of the places in the South hold memories of the war, as the author stated "Charleston is a beautiful memory, a corpse whose lower limbs have been resuscitated." He mentions many places that still hold the beauty and heart of the war, that it's like by looking at them, it takes you back into that time. For example, as he stated, "There are trees, plants, shrubs, flowers such as are seen nowhere else, and which are not only extraordinary beautiful but haunting and almost overwhelmingly nostalgic," he emphasizes on how seeing these images of these plants haunts the person about that time. Another example is where the author states, "Savanah is a living tomb about which there still clings a sensual aura as in old Corinth." The way he compares Savanah to an aura that still clings tells us that there's still something there, something from the past that still holds on, that makes it memorable, or in relation to the other quote, it makes it a haunting.
There are many great splendors that have developed, being influenced from places as Charleston, Savanah, and New Orleans. These great cities inspire people and arouse them with great emotion. One example that the author uses in relation to these cities is the statue of the Buddha at Avery Island. The statue of the Buddha is impressive, sitting tall and showing great poise. I feel that this statue inspires people to go on by representing hope, desire, courage, and belief.
I feel that in this essay, the author uses a great amount of ethos and pathos. His use of ethos lets us see that he is very interested in this particular subject. He shows a great amount of passion and is profoundly moved by the events of the south. His passion about this subject also leads us to the pathos he uses. His use of descriptive words lets his audience visualize the battle scenes and the places that he's been to. I also think it shows how inspired by the subject he is and how he wants his audience to be more informed about the South.