David Rockwoods A Letter to the Editor - Essay Example

A Letter to the Editor Personal connection -- why was this essay of interest to you in your life?  David Rockwood’s A Letter to the Editor is of interest to me because the subject is a controversial issue today. Energy is something that everyone finds interesting amid the soaring prices and its inclusion in the political discourse that has dominated the public sphere in the past election. Besides those, there was little opportunity to feel connected with the author. First, there was the “textbook” approach to the subject as it constantly explained its arguments in technical terms, sometimes in a how to approach. This is not entirely a bad thing since it is an explanatory essay. Its arguments were sound and that, in a way, a semblance of connection could be found still when the writer assumed a combative mood towards a perceived error in reporting. Given the same circumstance – wherein a report is published in a subject that I am well versed of – and that I find it offensive or erroneous, I would probably do the same. Here, one can see that the author is passionate and not a passive and somehow I identify with that kind of attitude. 2. Evaluate the writing -- What are some of the strategies the author used (i.e. definition, cause & effect, exemplification, narrative)?  Rockwood writes from a personal perspective, using his own voice. He was unapologetic as he dispenses his judgment without any reservations. He criticized the editorial “Get Bullish on Wind Power” according to his own terms. He outlined his ideas connecting them with the subject of his critique. In the process, the persuasion in the tone of the entire piece does not seem to prioritize the objective to persuade. The style employed followed those statements of facts and that arguments against it would constitute either fallacy or the lack of credibility. Indeed, Rockwood cited several arguments that are supported by evidence and his own technical knowledge on the subject. In how the piece was written, there was no hope to sway the mind of the reader so that the reader comes to believe what the writer believes. The objective was to enlighten. He was merely stating what the truth was and reality and that those arguments that digress are most probably fallacious. 3. Success -- Did you like the essay? Why or why not? If not, what would have made the essay stronger? Rockwood’s essay was meant to refute the claims, positions and suggestions put forward by an earlier article. It is a critical essay and argumentative in the sense that it advances its own perspectives. However, I found the style lacking in this context. It is supposed to address the points made by the earlier editorial but it did not do that. Instead, it cited new arguments that someone could have claimed that the essay was written as original - without any previous connections to early work - and the reader could not have noticed. The point is that he should have countered or addressed the arguments made by the other writer and based his arguments from there. The substance of the essay, however, credible, factual or impressive cannot account for the satisfaction of its objectives sufficiently. One must remember that he is trying to debunk someone else’s claim about wind power in the Northwest but there was no reference about the arguments made by the earlier author. So it would be impossible for the reader to make a decision whether he or she would side with Rockwood’s position on the matter objectively. His perspectives might be changed by the essay’s arguments and evidences, but it would only occur unfairly. Rockwood should have considered that the reader does not know about the editorial that he was criticizing and that his work is a mere outline of a one-sided opinion. Granting that his claims are true, the essay lacked strength because it did not attempt to adopt some form of objectivity by mentioning the pros and cons of the subject matter comprehensively. One could say that he agrees with Rockwood because he has made a strong case for himself. That is fine; I have no issues with that. But would it have been a lot better if the reader would say that he agrees with Rockwood upon weighing his arguments against the opposing claims? There should be an opportunity for the reader to see the bigger picture and not just his personal opinions. Finally, another weak area in Rockwood’s work is that while he had valid claims, he criticized a concept without offering an alternative or his own solutions to a problem that the latter was trying to address. In a way, this put me off as well. A Festival of Rain 1. Personal connection -- why was this essay of interest to you in your life?  A Festival of Rain by Thomas Merton is a human interest essay that any reader would find it a curiosity. It is more of a literary essay discussing a personal experience as some sort of critique of modern life. Reading is an experience not unlike reading poetry with its play of words. I think this is not surprising because Merton is a poet and he is capable to connect with his reader without appearing to be overly doing so. The connection in my case is analogous to the insignificance of the stone. A stone is a stone for the preoccupied mind. But sometimes, we do know how, where and when to look and find the meaning of each one and each things existence. This is probably what we can call a lucid moment – when everything is just clear. People have been in these instances particularly today with all the stress and cacophony of modern living. In reading A Festival of Rain, one would experience some sort of nostalgia and longing for the serenity that Merton experienced. Everybody desires that, at least from time to time. 2. Evaluate the writing -- What are some of the strategies the author used (i.e. definition, cause & effect, exemplification, narrative)?  Merton’s essay is a simple and short narrative. He employed his literary style to tell an anecdote that has several underlying connections to issues that characterize our modern lifestyle. For me, the paper did not attempt to claim an ascendancy of any form over me as a reader. There was only the narration, a simple unraveling of experiences and perceptions. Whatever perspective gained here is merely brought about by individual interpretation, which, for its part is subject to the reader’s own experiences. Merton did not persuade me to take a particular stand or opinion and instead what he seemingly did was to tell me: “Here this is the way it was for me, take whatever you can from the experience and let me know what you think.” While the piece is short – and the reference to concepts and issues limited – they were sufficient to leave the reader thinking about all these and more. At the end, the reader will ask himself or herself: What is the difference between rains? What is rain to me? In what way the rain is analogous to man and to what extent? These questions are testaments of the potency of Merton’s message. 3. Success -- Did you like the essay? Why or why not? If not, what would have made the essay stronger? In the article, there was only the rain and him and his thoughts in between. This is the reason why I liked Merton’s approach. He was writing a literary piece and he did not deviate in doing so. There were no other arguments, no distractions, just his point that he was connected with nature when he was far from the city. All the other elements and nuances that might be related, it was the already reader’s contribution. In this way, A Festival of Rain becomes a different experience for each individual reader. For instance, what I have written here may be different from the perspective and experience that the other readers have acquired. And this is not negative at all. Perhaps it was Merton’s goal to make people think about their own experience, reflect on it and discern a meaning that is distinct and true and unique to himself. Read More