Santa Ana Winds are Meaningful to Authors Joan Didion in the Santa Ana and Linda Thomas in In Brush Fire

792 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Joan didion essay summaries

The Santa Ana winds obviously mean a great deal to Didion and Thomas which is why they regard it as sort of a powerful force in nature. In The Santa Ana by Joan Didion, the wind is portrayed as a force that deprives people of happiness. This concept is highlighted when she states that “ to live with the Santa Anna is to accept . . . a deeply mechanistic view of human behavior.” In Brush Fire by Linda Thomas, it is portrayed more like a normal power of nature. Her concept is highlighted when she brings up the fact that the chaparral plant burns due to the winds but then it returns in the spring which symbolizes regrowth. Throughout their essays, both authors use diction as well as syntax to persuade their perspective audiences.

First, the authors easily establish Ethos since they both have lived in California at some point. That is definitely how they developed their differing viewpoints on the Santa Ana winds. Didion believes that the winds alter human society to some degree by causing unhappiness. She goes on to cite various comparisons to France, Israel, Switzerland and the Mediterranean, which also adds to her Logos. Her reason behind why the winds make people unhappy is that they cause several problems such as headaches and allergies; in Los Angeles some teachers call off classes with the fear of children’s behavior (clearly a hyperbole). In Switzerland, suicide rates increase and blood clot does not occur. Furthermore, her purpose becomes clear when she states “the air carries an unusually high ratio of positive ions [which] . . . make people unhappy.” On the contrary, Thomas believes that the winds are in essence part of a natural cycle since they aid some plants like the chaparral since it “need[s] the heat of a flame t...

... middle of paper ...

...roblems Los Angeles residents are facing just because of these winds whereas Thomas’s purpose is to try to create a relatively good opinion of the winds amongst her audience which is somewhat opposite of Didion’s purpose. Thus, all these developments of their messages can only be derived through the syntax.

In conclusion, Didion and Thomas use diction as well as syntax to persuade their perspective audiences in their respective pieces. Didion seems to hold a dark perspective of the winds whereas Thomas views it as part of a natural cycle. Both of them deploy similar rhetorical strategies for the most part to get their point out to the audience, which obviously does not consist of Southern California. Most likely they are trying to create an impact on Easterners and Europeans so that they are aware of the different conditions prevalent in this part of the world.

Show More
Related

  • Selling The Wind By Michelle Nijhuis Summary

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    These include the history of windmills and their role concerning the survival in the immense plains that range from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River. The rise of the economic condition of those living around the wind farms along with the surge of investments from energy companies. Finally, the promising data relating to the amount of energy produced, and the consequences they will have on the environment. In the later and longer part of the article, the possible negative results or wind farms are brought up. Primarily, the points against wind farms have to do with the conservation of wildlife. This is separated into two sections, the first addresses the dangers wind turbines present to birds, the other on the dangers presented to bats.

    Read More

  • Ek Hornbeck Inherit The Wind Analysis

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    E.K. Hornbeck through his language in “Inherit the Wind” (1955) tries to show the town of Hillsboro the way that their thoughts are harmful and wrong. Hornbeck backs that up by using a sarcastic tone to show them how ridiculous they are being, by using metaphors and similies to give the citizens context from the outside world that they might not always consider due to their closed mindedness, and by using syntax to prove that he is better than them and making himself and his views credible. His purpose is to get the town to change their viewpoint so they can see that they need to move forward with the time. He establishes a superior relationship with his audience of small town people with narrow viewpoints who need to learn to be more accepting.

    Read More

  • Comparing Imagery in Flying a Red Kite and The Lamp at Noon

    1950 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sinclair Ross uses vivid imagery of nature to reflect and influence the emotions of his characters in his short story The Lamp at Noon. The wind is a powerful force that changes with the emotions of Ellen and Paul. Sinclair describes the wind as two separate winds: "the wind in flight, and the wind that pursue[s]" (Atwood/Weaver, 74). Like the wind in flight which cannot escape the wind that pursues it, Ellen cannot escape her isolation. The wind in flight always returns to "quake among the feeble eaves, as if in all this dust-mad wilderness it knew no other sanctuary" (74). Ellen is also forced to seek refuge within her small home, which is also the place where she feels the most secluded. The wind outside often contrasts the silence that is encased inside. During an argument between Paul and Ellen, there is an uncomfortable silence, "a deep fastness of it enclosed by rushing wind and creaking walls"(76). This noise around them makes the silence within even more uncomfortable. Paul later finds the silence comforting when he is in the stable. It is described as a "deep hollow calm within, a vast darkness engulfed beneath the tides of moaning wind" (78). The silence protects him and brings him relief from the dangerous world outside. Unfortunately, the walls seem to weaken against the powerful wind, and "instead of release or escape from the assaulting wind, the walls [are] but a feeble stand against it" (78). Paul begins to understand what Ellen is feeling, and the wind screams like Ellen's cries. As he thinks of ways to restore the land and make Ellen happy, the wind starts to slacken. For a short moment, he feels relief. When he returns to the house, he realizes that Ellen is gone. At this point, the wind whimpers and moans as if it knows Ellen's isolation and Paul's despair. The imagery of the wind is used by Sinclair to intensify the characters' emotions and help the reader understand what the characters are experiencing.

    Read More

  • Poetry from Linda Thomas and Joan Didion on The Santa Ana Wind

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both writers approach the topic of the Santa Ana winds very differently, although they both wish to inform different people about the effects of the winds. Each author has a different point of view and purpose than the other. Didion wanted to write her essay to show the force of darkness and the monster behind the Santa Ana Winds. Didion’s purpose for writing The Santa Ana is to inform readers about the wind, its danger, and its overall effects. Also, Didion wrote this didactic essay with the intention to help Easterners understand the Santa Ana more clearly. However, Thomas’s purpose was to show that hidden under this darkness is a beautiful and positive outcome. Brush Fire was written to shed a new light on the Santa Ana wind, and perhaps persuade newer residents of Southern California to have a more positive outlook on the winds.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    California represents is not as easy to attain as they once thought. The characters in The Day of the

    Read More

  • The Los Angeles Notebook Analysis

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    She describes the ominous changes that occur right before a Santa Ana struck, “eerie absence of the surf”, “surreal heat”, etc (Didion 2). This imagery provides a clear picture of the malicious change in Los Angeles. To convey disorder and corruption, Didion states one would be woken up to the sound of “peacocks screaming in the olive trees” (Didion 2). Peacocks, normally perceived as regal and elegant scream in contrast to this. Being that the olive tree is a symbol of peace, these two contrasting ideas evoke a sense of confusion. Didion describes how she will “see black smoke back in the canyons, and hear sirens in the night”. Her use of sensory words such as “hearing” and “see”, ignite the 5 senses. The reader can picture the smoke through her words. “Hearing sirens” gave us a sense of danger and this was something Didion wanted to express. The fear and anguish expressed through Didion’s imagery evokes pathos from her

    Read More

  • Ambiguity of The Minister’s Black Veil

    3124 Words  | 7 Pages

    Since ours is an age that has found irony, ambiguity, and paradox to be central not only in literature but in life, it is not surprising that Hawthorne has seemed to us one of the most modern of nineteenth century American writers. The bulk and general excellence of the great outburst of Hawthorne criticism of the past decade attest to his relevance for us(54).

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In The Philadelphia

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play, Ives added stereotypes about people from Los Angeles. This stereotype was actually comedy because, it is so true. “I embrace this ozone. Sure, some people are gonna get hurt in the process, meantime everybody else’ll tan a little faster” (Ives157). All people from Los Angles want to do is tan, they do not care about anything else if it is not about tanning. Their world revolves around tanning and making sure their skins is the godliest it can

    Read More

  • Language as a Tool in Maya Angelou's "graduation"

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another emotion portrayed through the narrators language is disappointment. The center of the work is where the story takes a deep turn downward - and the black cloud presents itself. Mr. DonLeavy's presence was insult enough, but to say he was "glad to be here to see the work going on just as it was in the other schools" (838)...

    Read More

  • Emotional Imagery within "The Storm"

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Kate Chopin’s short story “The Storm,” readers see how the storm acts as a catalyst to the love affair between the main characters. It causes all of the events in the story to happen through perfect timing and perfect placement. She uses imagery through the storm to express the underlying feelings and emotions behind each characters thoughts; this is what makes the story so intriguing. I am going to focus on the two main characters Calixta and Alcee in this story since they are the ones that are affected by the storm the most. For an overview of background information: Alcee and Calixta are long lost lovers from awhile back that just happen to meet up again on a random stormy day coincidently through several moments of luck. The catch is that both of them are now happily married with kids to separate people, and they seem to still have some sexual tension between them. The imagery used to portray this epic and forbidden love escapade is deep, perfect for the mood of the short story.

    Read More

  • Passage Of Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    “…it broke into hundreds of pieces so that the rain fell here and there from high clouds in long, curving gray plumes.” The hyperbole about the storm produces a wild sense of the surroundings. Kingsolver uses the onomatopoeia and simile to describe appearance and the sound of the storm. The first-person point of view also assists on expressing Taylor’s senses and emotions. In describing Taylor’s feelings for Estevan, Kingsolver combines them into a one complex sentence, which displays the exhilaration that Taylor feels. Most of all the paragraphs’ structure is similar, adding consistency to the passage. The consistency makes it easier for the readers to follow and understand the message and concepts that the author conveys in the novel. Additionally, Kingsolver uses contrast to bring out the mood among Taylor’s group. In the beginning, she makes a deadly ambience with the storm and lightning, yet the characters are very high in spirit and energy to a point in which they dance under the storm. It enhances the characters’ emotion to attract the attention of the readers, which makes it more noticeable just like light being brighter in the dark. Kingsolver also uses this passage as a chance to build up for a shocking event unexpected by

    Read More

  • The Problems of Southern California

    1808 Words  | 4 Pages

    From reading Mike Davis’ book “Ecology of Fear,” my personal impression of his argument of making Southern Californians to become aware of the underlying threats and problems which exist today or have existed in the past is a commendable act on his part, but I really feel Davis overanalyzed the problems Southern Californians face. Throughout the book, Davis painted a very gloomy picture of Southern California and he never really brought a positive spin on the problems that exist in Southern California and how we can take steps to remedy these problems. Also, Davis should have recognized the fact that problems exist in other parts of the United States as well and they are not just confined to Southern California. The problems of Southern California is not all that different from the rest of the nation, which faces similar disasters that are comparable to earthquakes and wild fires, such as tornadoes, floods, thunderstorms, etc. So, in essence, problems exist in all societies and cultures and that is the reality of life.

    Read More

  • What Does The Storm Symbolize In The Scarlet Ibis

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    “’A storm must have brought it here’. . . ‘Sadly we all looked back at the bird. A scarlet ibis! How many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree” (154). Hurst is marking his start to illustrate two symbols, the storm and the scarlet ibis. Hurst uses parallel imagery to connect these passages and create the symbols. “The faster I walked, the faster he walked, so I began to run…I went back and found…he had been bleeding from the mouth…the vision in red before me looked very familiar” (155, 157). Hurst is creating parallels between the storm and the narrators pride and the scarlet ibis and Doodle. Hurst illustrates the storm pushing the scarlet ibis to its physical limits and he also illustrates the narrator pushing his brother to his physical limits. The narrator’s is the “storm must have brought it here,” to Doodle because like the storm, the narrator pushed Doodle to his limits. Hurst connects the scarlet ibis and Doodle increasingly throughout the text using the colors, bleeding and red. “The vision in red looked very familiar” (157). Hurst exercised “the storm,” as a symbol for the narrators pride and the ibis as a symbol for Doodle to portray pride as a storm that swept in and devastated the narrator’s

    Read More

  • Retelling the Revolution

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses the metaphor of a “storm” many times in the novel to describe and foreshadow the French Revolution. “The show being over, the flutter in the air became quite a little storm, and the precious little bells went ringing downstairs. There was soon but one person left of all the crowd, and he, with his hat under his arm and his snuff-box in his hand, slowly passed among the mirrors on his way out” (Dickens 82). The French Revolution, or the “storm”, is called the storm because it because it brings destruction and cannot be stopped by anyone, even the aristocracy. The events that had happened before this quote were the Monseigneur de Marquis, a wealthy aristocrat, had been going around very snobbishly to all the people in town. Dickens shows the reader the point of view of the peasants and how they feel exasperated from the behavior of the aristocracy. The “flutter” that is slowly turning into a storm lets the reader know that there was already some hostility between the two parties and this may turn into a thunderstorm warning for the aristocracy. An...

    Read More

  • Wakefield

    1482 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Hawthorne’s “Wakefield” the narrator’s thoughts and comments bring insight into the motivations of the character of the story. The story includes a long introduction in which the narrator, Hawthorne, describes how he heard the curious story of Mr. Wakefield. Hawthorne supplies his audience with a condensed version of the entire plot of the story. With this introduction, Hawthorne has already informed the audience of the story’s intriguing plot and this intensifies the audience’s desire to find out Mr. Wakefield’s motivations because they cannot comprehend why he would do such a thing. The audience will try to make sense of Mr. Wakefield’s actions, but they will not find a logical explanation. The story may seem unreal but the reader must take the story as it is and focus on the charact...

    Read More

More about Santa Ana Winds are Meaningful to Authors Joan Didion in the Santa Ana and Linda Thomas in In Brush Fire

Open Document