The Observing a Cemetery - Essay Example

The Observing a Cemetery Repose The beautiful white flowers of the Angelica plant were in abundance in the serene cemetery. It looked as if the angels in white robes were hovering over the resting places of the inhabitants to talk to them, cradle them in their arms to comfort them --- to keep them happy. The warm autumn sun cast its rays on the bright and colorful leaves and l could smell the sweet, crisp and reassuring fragrance of autumn air surrounding me. It seemed that the flowers, the sun and the colors were there to welcome me to my final resting place. An old graceful oak tree stood there like a mother putting her children to sleep with her sweet lullabies. I was deeply engrossed in the sweet and soft music of natures’ orchestra while shiny, intricately engraved brass cross stood directly above to guard me from all evils. As l touched the soft flowers and felt the crisp leaves under me, it dawned upon me that like never before, my mind is perfectly clear and my thoughts absolutely focused. Neglect Grief stricken by the obvious neglect, l slumped against a tombstone. Thick overgrown grass and weeds surrounded me. The sky above me was misty and overcast and the atmosphere seemed ghastly. The bitter cold autumn wind bit my body irritably. I watched in sadness, a woman weeping at a nearby grave, her sobbing breaking the eerie silence, like an erroneous note in a chorus. From the ruins of a mausoleum, the wrinkled undertaker was constantly staring at me suspiciously with his tired eyes. The air was thick with the unpleasant smell of exposed skeletons. As my realized the gross disrespect and neglect, the cold and stinging arms of guilt gripped me. The old oak tree looked just like the untendered graves, a heartbreaking failure to provide rightfully owed perpetual care. In anguish, all my senses screamed sorrow and sadness and l could not lift my eyes from the ground. I was deeply resenting coming here and wanted desperately for this disrespect to end. Rhetorical Analysis In these two paragraphs, I described a cemetery, a place by and large associated with negative undertones. In the first paragraph, I describe the graveyard in affirmative radiance, focusing on the serenity, tranquility, and beauty, while in the second I cast a negative shadow, focusing on neglect, and that “guilty” feeling that seems to grip your body. A Direct Statement of Meaning: I concluded the first paragraph with …“it dawned upon me that like never before, my mind is perfectly clear and my thoughts absolutely focused.” This demonstrates my tranquility of mind in the cemetery and sums up the elegantly serene feelings I’d experienced, creating a firm ending to show the positive effect it had on me during my time in the cemetery. I ended the second paragraph with the words, “I deeply resented coming here and wanted badly for this disrespect to end.” This shows the degree of my growing unhappiness, which culminated in my strong desire to leave the cemetery, and noticeably demonstrates the depressing effect the experience, had upon my mind-set, feelings and thoughts. Selection and Omission of Details: In the first, positive paragraph, I described white angelica flowers and pleasant autumn. I did not mention the nearby weeping woman and the undertaker with suspicious eyes. Deliberate focus on the supplementary affirmative aspects enabled me to put a good twirl on the description of the cemetery, while I neglected to point out the more heartbreaking aspects. In the second paragraph, conversely, those sad facets were my key focal point. I described the bleary and overcast sky that I had failed to bring up in the first paragraph, as well as the undertaker and the crying woman. I did not include the angelica flowers or the crisp and sweet autumn scents, in its place described my mounting sadness and guiltiness. Show vs. Tell: I the positive first paragraph l wrote,” The brilliant white angelica flowers were hovering over the homes of the inhabitants as if to talk to them, cradle them in their arms to comfort them ----- to keep them happy”, to show the serene atmosphere of the cemetery. In the second negative paragraph l showed the crying women depicting the gloomy atmosphere. Choice of Words: In the “Positive” paragraph, I used words such as “colorful,” sweet,” “natural,” “crisp,” “soft,” “beautiful,” and “welcome” to put into words a feeling of peace and serenity. The word choice concentrated on quiet splendor and tranquility. In the “Negative” paragraph, using such words as “bleary,” “slumped,” “resented,” “grief- stricken,” and “disrespect,” as well as phrases such as “the thick stench of death,” I formed a more distasteful sentiment, burdened with feeling of sorrow, gloominess, and eerie chills. Figurative Language: In the positive paragraph, I began by describing angelic flowers. Illustrating subjects naturally associated with good feelings, such as angels, flowers, and the “sweet smell of autumn, a natural feel of crisp leaves and earth.” I used metaphors such as “nature’s orchestra,” as well as a metaphor like the oak tree that I watched “like a mother putting her children to sleep,” using a simile. In the “negative” paragraph, I also used these literary devices to describe how the “bitter cold autumn wind bit my body irritably” and “guilt gripped its cold and stinging hands” around me (these demonstrate personification). I illustrated the oak tree in a sentence comparing it to a “inhabitants with unrepaired graves and denied care,” with a simile, and used the same method in describing sobbing that “braking the eerie silence like an erroneous note in a chorus.” Reflection Writing is a very forceful tool to get across our message and purpose to a wide array of readers. By learning to write convincingly in an interesting manner enables us to entertain our readers and also to form, alter or mould their perspective according to our own point of view. Rhetoric analysis makes us better writers. By understanding the rhetorical writing tools and techniques, we can use them for effective writing. Rhetorical analysis helps us to make fewer mistakes and use the writing to our advantage. Our arguments are better formulated and we are able to present them to our readers in a clear and persuasive style. Using these tools enables us to critically evaluate our writing and change any weak areas to further strengthen our premises so that it engages our readers. We always have an approach towards our topic every time we write. Our technique of conveying our point of view is significantly influenced by kind of writing we use to communicate our stance. As a writer we must always be clear about our stance and the reasons for taking that stance. Only then, we can realistically present that stance to best accomplish the purpose of that particular piece of writing. It is imperative that we use techniques to establish our stance as valid and appropriate to the purpose of writing. Ascertaining our tone and using the right words are important aspects of writing successfully. Writing of all types also has a purpose. We have to recognize our purpose and focus on that to demonstrate our writing ability in order to convince the readers to take our presented argument seriously. We must have a clear understanding of the purpose to create an impressive piece of writing in any genre. By using the rhetorical tools and our awareness and understanding of the rituals of writing, we can make improved choices as we write. Read More