Joan Didion Text

Didion displays a very ominous view of the Santa Ana winds. She opens with solemn words like, "uneasy" ans " "unnatural" then ends in a very sad tone. Her choice of words show her anxiety and distrust for against the Santa Ana winds. Beginning with her opinion she then migrates over to a chosen quote by Raymond Chandler. After the quote she moves on to examining some science and statistics of the wind and its causes. Many of her adjectives are objective towards the winds.

Throughout her writing Didion uses words like,  "consciously, ominously, and malevolent" to convey her emotions. This diction represents a strong uneasy feeling towards the winds. Each of those words (with many others) are emotionally packed and are used to give the reader some of the same feelings as of those in one of her quotes. Every single paragraph repeats these emotions with new words to reinstate the feelings. Some might describe the winds as refreshing where as she carefully uses her words to show us that the Santa Ana winds are not just an ignorable factor of life. She shows these winds mean something and that something is an untrustworthy force.

In addition to her diction, Didion effectively pairs words with imagery. As Didion says, "We know it because we feel it. The baby frets. The maid sulks. I rekindle a warning  argument with the telephone company, then cut my losses and lie down." Didion's choice of imagery reflects one of submission to the winds. She uses the actions of people to personify the winds as a higher being. The wind isn't just a current of moving air, but a reflection of "a deeply mechanistic view of human behavior." By using this imagery Didion allows the readers to consciously recognize the effect of the winds. Didion says, "the heat surreal. The sky had a yellow cast, the kind of light sometimes called earthquake weather". This ominous and dream-like state of being is an unhappy and foreshadowing tone. One can only imagine what it is like then and there in that foreboding time but is left to ponder the results of the description. Beginning with two short paragraphs Didion then goes on to a longer, more complex, more detailed view on the winds. This structure is preparing the reader for a buildup of emotion, that is let go with, "one cannot get much more mechanistic than that". This style tells the reader that more has yet to come, that Didion is not finished but whens she does finish it will still reflect the truth of her opinion.

Finally Didion ends her writing with a solemn tone and "mechanistic" description. Didion closes off with the same feelings she began with. The Santa Ana winds are not to be opposed, they are a force that should be feared and closely watched.