David Rockwood's and Thomas Merton's Style - Essay Example

A Letter to the Editor David Rockwood Personal connection -- why was this essay of interest to you in your life?  David Rockwood’s Letter to the Editor outlined his opposition to a previous editorial that is advocating for the investment to the wind-generated power in the Pacific Northwest. This essay was interesting for me because it concerns and affects my affairs and those of my family from now until the future. In recent months we have witnessed a near-crisis in oil and other petroleum products as oil prices experienced meteoric rise. For readers, such as me, the volatility in the oil prices is a cause of concern and also, there’s the solution that the government and the pressure groups propose in order to solve the problem. The article is very close to my doorstep and has been dominating the public discourse. The conviction in the article is also riveting. The sheer authority that comes with the knowledge as well as the extensive support for his arguments compels the reader to take notice. Furthermore, it is always interesting to learn something from a piece that you are reading. Rockwood is an authority on the subject and that although a good number of his points are technical, he connected by using the first person approach that it appears like he was talking directly to me and that he knows my concerns and could take it upon himself to advance my cause. 2. Evaluate the writing -- What are some of the strategies the author used (i.e. definition, cause & effect, exemplification, narrative)?  David Rockwood started with a strong introduction – a part that forms part of his overall essay strategy. The idea was that to open with a general subject and narrow it down to specific arguments. This approach suited Rockwood well, as he tried to prove his case by citing several factual sets that illustrates and proves his main arguments – that the power is unreliable; there are major unresolved problems involved in the design of wind generation facilities; and, the environmental impact of the entire effort. From the looks of it, the essay is a combination of cause and effect, narrative and descriptive elements. 3. Success -- Did you like the essay? Why or why not? If not, what would have made the essay stronger? The organization of the essay is testament in itself how systematic the piece was. It is inevitable that the article would be read until the very first letters of the essay. The piece was not about stringing together events related to the arguments against the wind-power system. However, I liked the essay not as much for its form or how well it was written. I liked it best for its substance and its significance. Frankly, I got sucked in because I wanted to find out until the end what were the points made by the author and how things turned up in the end. I believe that all essay writing requires insight and perspective. These two allows for the process to produce the thought and the cohesion that make or develop content that are worth writing and reading. Rockwood provided an ample amount in his work. There is no reason to say that he has not achieved his goal of debunking the arguments made by the editorial he was responding to. A Festival of Rain Thomas Merton 1. Personal connection -- why was this essay of interest to you in your life?  From the very beginning, the essay established a certain irony and candor that disarmed and fascinated me. As the short piece progressed, it became apparent that it is not only an expression of ideas, but also has a broad connection to me as a reader and my lived life. It elicited a certain degree of resonance in my feelings and a response as it negotiated a dialogue – these all contributed to how the piece somehow sought and successfully touched my view of the world or, at least, a beginning to it. I have an idea why such happened. The article allowed me to feel a measure of comfort and trust with the writer. I’d like to point out that Merton is merely exploring personal experience and that readers such as I won’t be able to check whether or not the set of anecdotes really happened or not. And so the readers have to learn to trust the writer. This is because it identified an interest and perspective that I share: The rain can be romantic. But that it is something that has been taken so much for granted that people tend to overlook its beauty and its capacity. Told against the backdrop of Thomas Merton’s memory, the experience and perception of the author marked the basis of the uniqueness of the essay. An underlying issue here is that the anecdote touches a particular reality subtly by providing a critique with his “rain in the city” concept. In addition, the essay, with its short length, amazingly triggers a curiosity. It amazes me as a reader that such depth and eloquence could come out of such trivial experience as that of the monk’s and his musings of the rain. As I’ve mentioned earlier, the author was somehow able to make the reader see something from a different perspective. Merton used his experience to offer his readers some guidelines in order to navigate their own worlds and reflect on their own experiences and longings through his own discoveries. The short narrative brought facts and attributes to life. This is the same principle behind people’s aversion to read theories or conceptual copy because they would much prefer to leave Another strong appeal of the essay that connects to the readers is the fact that it was not written as a psychological investigation of inner motives, reactions and so forth. It attempted to tackle a real issue not with the arrogance and self-righteousness that plague writers and their pieces. 2. Evaluate the writing -- What are some of the strategies the author used (i.e. definition, cause & effect, exemplification, narrative)?  Merton’s A Festival of Rain followed a conventional form in the modern essay: the reflective voices of intelligent but often confused commentator, honestly and directly reporting on perceptions as they are experienced in detail, but always combining with those realistic perceptions the reflective consciousness of human beings making connections among a particular kind of experience. Merton was able to comment on broad issues of human culture as he outlined his commentaries and advocates through the use of personal anecdote. Specifically, it used the personal life to construct arguments that have significance into the larger public world. Consider this quote: The rain I am in is not like the rain of cities. It fills the woods with an immense and confused sound. It covers the flat roof of the cabin and its porch with insistent and controlled rhythms. (p. 8) 3. Success -- Did you like the essay? Why or why not? If not, what would have made the essay stronger? All in all, I liked the essay. There is the distinction that marked the author’s style. In addition, the simplicity made the message more potent because it does not overly ingratiate nor force itself and its ideas to the reader. As Merton picked one metaphor - the rain – he used it to prove, albeit not obviously, as a restructuring device. Merton used a specific timeline in his life that has also shaped the fundamental development of character. Nonetheless, it is for this reason why it was highly likely that the moment speaks powerfully of me. Indeed, the narrative approach is more effective as it brings facts and attributes to life. For instance, most people hate to read theory or conceptual copy but they love to read stories. It is helpful to underscore that most people remember narrative more vividly and for longer than they do the interpretation of data. Read More