A State Forest

793 Words2 Pages

A State Forest

Last autumn, while on a trip, I decided to walk through a State Forest. This huge forest enriches the countryside not far from town and was a place where indians held hunting rights until recently. Little streams, ancient trees, shaded paths, and hidden places are some of the physical attributes which make the State Forest an enchanting place.

I wandered leisurely along the shadowy paths, enjoying the peaceful surroundings. With only the songs of birds for company, I felt completely isolated from the crowds and traffic as I walked over the deep carpet of leaves. It had begun to rain a litt le when I first started my journey. However, small patches of sunshine soon began to filter through the giant oaks, promising that the rest of may day would be pleasant.

I first reached the part of the forest known as Bellringer's Hollow. Colorful wildflowers were blooming in a patchwork of bright yellow, azure blue, deep rose, and dazzling orange. Bellringer's Hollow was a magical place where, it is said, bells coul d be heard from time to time. Because the summer residence of the monks of Waltham once stood there, the local villagers thought that the spirits of monks rang those bells and watched over the forest. I lingered there for a while, listening to the gentl e sound of a stream as it flowed over the corks nearby. I also listened for the bells, but the bells did not ring for me. Maybe it was because I was an outsider!

I began to follow the meandering stream to Bell Common, which was a strip of thick, rough grassland. I was covered with blackberry bushes heavy with large, ripe berries. I stopped there to feast on as many as I could eat. Nearby were the remai...

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...ernoon sun. London could be seen far o ff in the distance, reminding me that it would soon be time for me to return to the busy, crowded city. I made my way to a paved road which led from High Beech to State, and then caught a ride with a pickup to Harrisburg. The time had come for me to leave this quiet and peaceful place.

Commentary on Essay 2

This essay received an "A." This essay's greatest strength is the writer's use of sophisticated syntax, employing phrases, and in dependent and independent clauses, modifying the main clauses, and creating a rhythmic reading pattern.

The writer also displays an understanding of temporal relationships with her use of tenses. For example, in the first paragraph, she uses past tense to indicate actions from the past and present tense to indicate past conditions that still exist.

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