Genre
Scientific nonfiction
Setting and Context
There is no setting as it is a nonfiction book.
Narrator and Point of View
Elizabeth Kolbert narrates the book in the third-person.
Tone and Mood
The tone is powerful; the mood is dramatic and tense.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Kolbert is the protagonist; the natural world is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the book occurs when Kolbert starts her argument for the reasons behind the extinction of the Earth.
Climax
The climax of the book is reached when Kolbert explores the consequences behind the man-made and modern actions on the world.
Foreshadowing
The incorporation of previous extinctions is foreshadowed by the title of the book.
Understatement
The role of human activity on the environment is understated throughout the book.
Allusions
The book alludes to the change required in order to save our planet for going extinct.
Imagery
The imagery of the Earth in all of its beauty is present in the novel.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Kolbert's strong beliefs in climate change and the scientific arguments put forward in the book.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
As this is a nonfiction book, there is no personification.
