Compare And Contrast Didion And Thomas

The preconditions of the area where the fire occurred were very dry land with “whipping seasonal gusts known as the Santa Ana winds and the Diablo winds” (mnn.com). The fire was started by a hunter who was lost in the woods. He believed he could be found easily if he started a small signal fire however, because of the preconditions, this small fire would spread and become the “largest single fire in California’s recorded history” (mnn.com)

A...an excess of positive ions does, in simplest terms, make people unhappy”(Didion). Didion explains what the Santa Ana really is. She gives information and evidence to give the reader a sense of what the Santa Ana is truly about, this shows them how it came to be and its causes. She explains how the Santa Ana affects human behavior. Thomas gives the readers an explanation the benefits the fires have on the brushes. “The burning of chaparral during these winds is natural. Some plants in the chaparral--such as padre’s staff--require the heat of a flame to crack open their seed pods and prepare for germination”(Thomas). This quote conveys the author's reasoning as to why the Santa Ana creates a natural beauty with the brushes. She gives evidence displaying the effects the Santa Ana fire has on them, they need fire to bloom. Didion explains what the Santa Ana and why it affects human behavior. Thomas was able to provide evidence as to why the Santa Ana fire is beneficial.

The author then describes the speed and how the brush fires work. Then she moves into her message about how people should not build in the chaparral zone as there is a chance of it being burned down by the brush

The first essay, “Brush Fire” by Linda Thomas, viewed the Santa Ana winds as something good. The message that was conveyed in this essay was that

Didion’s tone was serious, ominous, and dark, and was very different from Thomas’s tone which was more positive. Although acknowledging the destructive nature of the fires caused by the Santa Ana winds, Thomas generally talked about positive results of the fires. She describes the “amazing sight” of the fire as she watches “the flames lick up a hillside” and ends the essay by reminding the reader that the “chaparral will return.” By this, she means that many of the plants in chaparral country need the heat of the flames to reproduce, so within a few weeks, new plants will rise from the ashes. The fire also helps get rid of the dead plants that need to be burnt so they can get out of the way for new plants to come in. Didion has a very different tone regarding the winds. She describes the various hints of change with dark words. To her, there is an “eerie absence of surf” and the “heat was surreal,” instead of it simply being hot with no waves in the water. The author particularly chooses words with creepy connotations to make the reader feel a similar feeling to the uneasiness that the Southern California natives feel. These contrasting tones make the authors' opposing views on the winds very evident.

Wildfires started as an annual and seasonal occurrence in the south western region of California since the early 1930’s in part

“ The Santa Ana” by Joan Didion and “Brush Fire” by Linda Thomas offer complete separate views to a similar topic, the winds of Southern California. In a first person narration the authors write of the wind from her own experience of living in California and from her own perspective, shedding light on two very different aspects of the Santa Ana winds.

The Santa Ana winds obviously mean a great deal to Didion and Thomas which is why they regard it as sort of a powerful force in nature. In The Santa Ana by Joan Didion, the wind is portrayed as a force that deprives people of happiness. This concept is highlighted when she states that “ to live with the Santa Anna is to accept . . . a deeply mechanistic view of human behavior.” In Brush Fire by Linda Thomas, it is portrayed more like a normal power of nature. Her concept is highlighted when she brings up the fact that the chaparral plant burns due to the winds but then it returns in the spring which symbolizes regrowth. Throughout their essays, both authors use diction as well as syntax to persuade their perspective audiences.

Those who have lived through natural disasters view them differently than those who have not. Experience helps us understand circumstances in a new way. In the essays “Brush Fire” by Linda Thomas, and “The Santa Ana” by Joan Didion, the authors perceive the mysterious Santa Ana winds that blow through California, and the deadly brush fires that it creates. Through the use of imagery, word choice, tone, and description the authors depict the beauty and destruction that they see from the point of view of a native or an outsider.

In American history, Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson were two of the most important people that were most talked about during their time period. Thomas Paine took place during 1776, Whereas, Thomas Jefferson took place during the fourth in 1776. Paine tone tends to override Jefferson, but they both make efforts to acknowledge their backgrounds. The similarities and differences in both stories: Thomas Paine “Common Sense” and Thomas Jefferson the Declaration of Independence, can both be differentiated. However, Paine and Jefferson both have some comparatives in their surroundings, beliefs, and accomplishments.

Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were very paramount to the success of colonial America in the Revolutionary War. Despite both being very excellent leaders, they were both very different; Jefferson resided on political issues while Washington preferred working with actual conflict. George Washington liked to be in the thick of things, in the heat of battle. He would often ride out into the middle of gunfire on a trusty stead with little to no hesitation. His bravery was astonishing, but what was even more incredible was his military strategizing and planning.

The Pueblo of Santa Clara was devastated by the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, which burned more than 156,000 acres of the reservation’s upland forest in the Santa Clara Canyon area. The fire impacted not only the ecological balance of the area, but also the spiritual balance of the tribe. Although this is not the first fire that has blackened tribal and neighboring lands in recent history, it was by far the most devastating. In addition to scorching nearly two thirds of the watershed that the people of Santa Clara are heavily reliant on, the fire burned many sites of spiritual significance, and produced detrimental after effects. Because the people of Santa Clara Pueblo recognize the Santa Clara Canyon as our ancestral homeland, it is

For as long as mankind can conceive, fire has been a remarkable tool to conquer. When controlled, it provides necessary heat, energy, and fuel for a consumer to use; however, when fire goes unattended, it has the potential to become a wholly destructive element. The more western states of America, such as Utah and Colorado, have repeatedly experienced this concept in its most devastating form: wildfires. A wildfire is generally considered to be difficult to control and fast moving, swallowing anything that lay in its path, including forest or human habitat. As human incursion reaches more remote areas in wooded mountains, wildfires pose a serious threat to high-end homes and secluded cabins. The untamed nature of these fires also allows them to creep into subdivisions and endanger more

In October 2003, San Diego experienced the Cedar Fire that claimed 273,246 acres, 2,820 structures, and 15 lives (CAL FIRE, 2015). It gained the moniker, “The Hundred Year Fire” because another fire of its magnitude was not expected for another 100 years (San Diego Fire Facts, 2016). This expectation was short lived because four years after this fire in October 2007, San Diego experienced the largest wildfire in history (San Diego Fire Facts, 2016). This fire gained the name, “Witch Fire” (CAL FIRE, 2015).

By using sight as a sense, fire has risen in the middle of the story. Specifically, the meaning of fire itself, is something being burned, or is going to be burned. In the same way, fire also spreads drastically everywhere. As it states in the book, “He saw a red light before him, as when the felled trunks and branches of a