The Real World
"The
Marginal World", written by Rachel Carson, compares the actions of the sea to
the spectacle of life. She focuses on her thoughts gained from the experience
of visiting "a world that keeps alive the sense of continuing creation and
of the relentless drive of life" (Carson 215). While her credibility
extends only as far as her visits to the sea, the essay covers her idea of the
true beauty and connection to life found in the sea caves, burrows, and chitinous
shells of lobsters. Rachel’s purpose in writing a comparison essay is to show
the readers the different ways to view life. It is not just a wave of emotions,
events, and people; it’s a “varied manifestation [where memories] appear,
evolve, and sometimes die out” (Carson 219). She uses vivid imagery to symbolize
the ocean to our everyday life. Rachel compares the wide ocean floor to the
different times in our life. The flats took on a mysterious quality as dusk
approached [where] sanderlings scurried across the beach like little ghosts and
birds became only dark shadows, with no color discernible” (Carson 217). The
sanderlings simile represents a time of disguise. As humans, we hide, run, and
shield ourselves from pain, sorrow, truth, and sometimes, ourselves. The birds
symbolize our desperation to not be found in our times of struggle; we blend in
with the crowd making ourselves, as Carson said, of no color. Carson does a phenomenal
job of illustrating emotion through her connections, imagery, and symbolism. This
use of rhetorical devices makes her message understandable to, people of all
ages who go through the roller-coaster of life, her audience. The essay flows
beautifully as the author successfully makes her point, or purpose, clear to
her audience members. Using strategies such as symbolism, comparisons, and
imagery to set a serene mood makes this essay a relatable, intriguing piece.
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| The sea and the world: one in the same. |
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