Analysis Of Let's Get Vertical

822 Words2 Pages

Bethany Denlinger
Mr. Anders
English 50
7 April 2014
The Little Things in Life
What are the moments in our life worth? They should be worth the world to us! The make us who we are today. In “Let’s Get Vertical” by Beth Wald, in Strategies for Successful Writing by James A. Reinking and Robert van der Osten, we learn about rock climbing. In the next few paragraphs, I am going to show you how this essay belongs to both the process analysis mode and the description mode.
I would like to begin by talking about Wald’s message, which I believe is that the things we do in life help us find ourselves and teach us who we really are. For example, Wald says, “Panic rivets me for a second, but then a surge of adrenalin snaps me back into action” (488). The moment when we only have a few seconds at most to make s decision are when we realize who we truly are. Many different factors come into play when find out who we really are, and when Wald shares, “[Rock climbing] offers so many challenges and so many rewards,” it can only make me think that one of these rewards is finding who you are (489). On page 490, Wald declares that when rock climbing “you can both lose yourself and find yourself.” She continues, “Life and all its troubles are reduced to figuring out the puzzle of the next section of cliff or forgotten in the challenge and delight of moving through vertical space” (Wald 490). Our lives are shaped and formed by the little moment in life, which, in turn, help us find ourselves. People can also help us along the journey of finding ourselves. Wald reports, “[Rock climbing] is a unique world, with its own language, communities, controversies, heroes, villains, and devoted followers” (488). All of these people, places and things help s...

... middle of paper ...

...you can read in the quotes above, Wald has selected exciting information, rather than dangerous information, to talk about in this essay. This is her selection of details. Last, Wald has arranged her detail chronologically. She begins by expressing, “I can’t find enough handholds and footholds to keep climbing,” and ends with, “After catching my breath, I start moving again, and the rest of the climb flows upward like a vertical dance” (488).
In conclusion, I believe that “Let’s Get Vertical” by Beth Wald, in Strategies for Successful Writing by James A. Reinking and Robert van der Osten, is both a process analysis and description essay. The message of this essay is that people and experiences shape and form us into the people that we are to be. We should all be excited and looking forward to the events in our future that will help us better understand who we are.

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