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

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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 …show more content…

. . is lost in embrace, passionate kisses no one seems to notice”. Love to some degree can be viewed as a “start of another life”, which is why once again the winds allow a cycle to take place. Lastly, Didion adds to her Pathos by using words and imagery to some degree to highlight the destruction caused by the winds. The usage of words like death, shot, killed, burn, destruction brings out the ominous tone prevalent in the piece. Thomas ,though, uses words like passionate and embrace (which makes it seem like it is a normal occurrence) to add to her Pathos. Thus, both the authors use the three appeals to get their points across to the audience.
Second, both authors use structured syntax in order to convey their message. Thomas uses a simple syntax whereas Didion uses more of a complex one. Both of them use varying length of sentences; however the passages seem to go from general to specific. The evident structure is that they first describe their environment and the subject in the beginning as well as introduce their message. Then they move on to give the reader some logic behind these ideas. Finally, they conclude by ending their narration with a summary of their arguments. Also, they both use first person narration in their pieces. Thomas seems to have written the entire piece from her own perspective when compared to Didion, who seems to have used less of her view specifically in the first half of the piece. This perspective gives

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