A Critique of
The essay ?Tides,? written by Rachel Carson, was first published in The Sea Around Us in 1951. This essay is for oceanographers or scientists, but can also be understood by a general audience. Carson shows ?Tides? to be an informative essay stating the effects that planetary forces and physical dimensions of the ocean can have on the tides. Carson then discusses the history of the tides and how they affect the earth and its inhabitants. Additionally, Carson explains the influence of the tides on sea travelers and minute creatures of the sea. She successfully gets her point across by using many facts, some examples, and a few descriptions.First, Carson successfully gets her point across by using facts. She uses numbers in her facts to give the reader something that is easy to relate to. Carson begins with the amount of water affected by tidal currents everyday: ?Into one small bay on the east coast of North America-Passamaquoddy-2 billion tons of water are carried by the tidal currents everyday; into the whole Bay of Fundy, 100 billion tons? (598). The use of these numbers makes it easier for the reader to comprehend the information. This broadens the essay?s audience because anyone can understand numbers. Carson also uses number
Carson finally gets her point across successfully by using descriptions. Her use of description in her essay gives the reader an in-depth look into the effects of tides by sparking their imagination. Carson describes the danger of the water?s rhythm: ?In the confinement of narrow passages or when opposed by contrary winds and swells, the tidal currents often move with uncontrollable violence, creating some of the most dangerous waterways of the world? (601). When Carson uses ?uncontrollable violence? to describe the currents, the reader retains an image of the serious danger involved during the fury of the tides (601). Carson also describes the speeds of the tides through the Akun Strait in the following way: ?the flood tide has the velocity of a mountain torrent, with dangerous swirls and over-falls? (601). The comparison in this description emphasizes the great speeds the tides can present. By using descriptive words the author gives the reader a visual picture of the event. The reader then imagines the dangerous intensity the tides can have on travelers of the sea. Carson also uses descriptive words to represent the meaning of one concept. Using other descriptive words helps the reader look at a concept from many different angles. She approaches the reader with synonyms of the word big. Carson?s replace of the word big is first shown in this sentence, ?The masses of water affected by tidal movement are enormous? (598). By using the word enormous, instead of big, the reader receives a stronger impact on the amount of water affected by the tides (598). Carson?s next representation of the concept of big is used in the following: ?If the history of the earth?s tides should one day be written by some observer of the universe, it would no doubt be said that they reached their greatest grandeur and power in the younger days of earth? (600). When Carson uses the words greatest grandeur, the reader understands the tremendous qualities
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Approximate Word count = 1309
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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