Brush Fire Analysis

To the locals of Southern California early autumn marks the beginning of the Santa Ana winds. The Santa Ana winds are extremely dry and powerful winds, that are funneled through canyons from inland valleys to the coast of Southern California. The two essays “Brush Fire” by Linda Thomas and “The Santa Ana” by Joan Didion are different perspectives of the Santa Ana winds. Thomas views the Santa Ana winds as a necessity of nature, while Didion views them as a malevolent force of nature. Linda Thomas, has a positive view of the winds. She uses positive diction to express her tone in her essay. When she describes the beauty of the chaparral landscape she uses words that have positive connotations. For example, when describing chaparrals she begins by saying “chaparral is gorgeously beautiful.” She goes on to explain the different plants found in the chaparral. For instance, the dodder vine she describes as “brilliant orange threads.” Since, she believes the chaparral are beautiful the fires that go along with them are beautiful as
Didion explicitly said “science bears out folk wisdom.” This means that she believes there is a scientific explanation to why people are on edge during the Santa Ana winds. Through research she discovers that an Israeli physicist discovered that prior to the Santa Ana winds there is an abnormally high level of positively charged ions. The scientist don’t know why this happens, but they do know “positive ions does, in simplest terms, is make people unhappy.” This research into the facts of Santa Ana winds tants her view of the winds, because now she believes that they are affecting her body. Didion uses the Los Angeles Times as a source of her knowledge as well. The Los Angeles Times has a negative perspective of the Santa Ana winds, because it focuses on the deaths and destruction of the winds. This influence has also solidify Didion’s negative perspective on the