Debra Marquart has written a memoir titled The Horizontal World to emit readers of her love for the upper Midwest. Marquart uses diction and contrast to characterize the Midwest. In doing so, Marquart hopes to show the importance of this region to those who already have a generalized opinion of the Midwest. In the passage, Marquart uses concrete diction when describing how people such as those who visit view the upper Midwest. For instance she states, “You’ll encounter a road so lonely, treeless, and devoid of rises and curves.” As Marquart uses such word choices, the reader can imply that the upper Midwest is an isolated place where there is not much to view. By describing the roads to be lonely and treeless, one can infer that this area