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Santa Ana Winds

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Santa Ana Winds
Santa Ana Winds

Weather can affect people’s behavior, positively and negatively. When the weather is nice and hot, it affects people positively by encouraging them to enjoy the outdoors, however, when the weather is bad, like when a hurricane hits this effects people negatively by worrying. Similarly, in the essay “Santa Ana Winds”, by Joan Dideon, the winds are so abrasive and obstructive that it engenders people to actually commit suicide. This occurs in Los Angeles. Even though Dideon provides a scientific explanation for the soft winds, she characterise hem as evil by showing their effects on people and on the environment.
Dideon characterizes and demonstrates the winds as evil. She explains that the winds have an effect on people, making them act unusual. “Indians would throw themselves into the sea when the bad wind blew” Dideon is describing how the winds would permit people to actually commit suicide. The winds would create such a violent disturbance that townsmen would not even want to deal with such a thing, they would just kill themselves. The horrifying winds would also create paranoia in people. “Her husband roamed the place with a machete” This man thought there were trespassers and rattlesnakes roaming his yard. His obvious beliefs were due to scare. Dideon not only demonstrates the wind having an effect on people, but also the environment. Having a harsh effect on the hills and Route 66. “A hot wind from the northeast whining down through the Cajon and San Gorgonio Passes, blowing up sandstorms out along route 66, drying the hills” Here, Dideon is explaining how the winds create sandstorms along route 66 and the hills are drying up. This not only affects the hills and highways, but in the long run will effect global warming, and drying out farms and hills will eventually create a drought. This leads to many other effects on the environment. The Santa Ana Winds effect the environment in more than one way. “For a few days now, we will see

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