Joan Didion

distinct reasons that compel writers to write, according to Joan Didion and George Orwell in their essays titled “Why I Write.” Their ideals are mostly different, but their end result is the same, which is basically being able to put words on paper for people to think about and enjoy. Didion admits that she stole the title from George Orwell, which acknowledges the fact that there are similarities in their writing. Orwell wrote his in 1946 and Didion in 1976. They share a similar motive as…

1960’s essayist, Joan Didion, in her essay, “Los Angeles Notebook,” writes about the Santa Ana winds and their effect on human behavior. Didion’s purpose is to not only explore the Santa Ana winds, but to especially explain how these unique winds influence humans. She adopts a perturbed tone in order to unnerve all those who read her essay. To achieve this tone and her purpose as a whole, Didion employs the powerful effect of diction. Didion begins her essay by introducing the Santa Ana winds…

Thinking written by Joan Didion describes a story about death. The famous saying, “live life like todays your last day alive” ran across my mind after reading the novel because it made me question the meaning of life. Joan Didion lost her husband and daughter within a short period of time, everything that was important to her, gone in a blink of an eye. Talking about the novel in class got me thinking about death and how fast a death can flip someone’s world upside down. Like Joan Didion stated,…

while others do not. In “The Santa Ana,” by Joan Didion, and “Brush Fire,” by Linda Thomas, both writers discuss their feelings towards the Santa Ana winds. Both Didion and Thomas are from Southern California where they are both well aware of the Santa Ana winds. The Santa Ana winds are dry winds that blow from northern to southern California. These winds are a major topic as there is controversy over if they are a good or bad thing. Both writers, Didion and Thomas, have similar and different…

negative way. I was trained to believe that each and every paper had a pre set structure and I had to stick to that structure. College completely messed that up. Works such as “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott and “On Keeping a Notebook” by Joan Didion were introduced to me and encouraged me to find my own style and stick to it. Anne Lamott’s“Shitty First Drafts” is about the writing process in general and how it is not only okay, but encouraged, that the writer creates multiple…

Joan Didion’s essay “John Wayne: A Love Song,” argues that American Dream is non-existent, and that invincibility is unattainable and even the “ideal man” can be defeated. Didion makes her point by using the character John Wayne, a western movie “star,” who she considered the “ideal man” because of his masculinity, personality, and charm. As a result, she idolizes Wayne because of his charismatic qualities but more importantly because she views him as “perfect.” And by viewing Wayne as…

people experience the same thing, one may think that they would have the same view on it. However, this is not the case with Joan Didion and Linda Thomas. Linda Thomas authors “Brush Fire,” and Joan Didion is the author of “The Santa Ana,” which are two essays that revolve around the Santa Ana winds. Thomas grew up in southern California, where the Santa Ana winds blow, while Didion moved to Las Vegas as an adult. They portray their different perspectives they have as a result of their origins…

Dave Barry and Joan Didion are both exceptional writers who are loved by many, but they are admired for different aspects of their writing. Barry teaches his readers through humor while Didion tries to translate her thoughts and feelings within an essay to her readers, so that they too can experience the same horrors and delights as she once did. From the get go, both authors establish their writing styles. “As a mature adult… to eat them” (Barry). Instantly, Barry proclaims his essay’s purpose…

The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion, the conception of religious ideologies is portrayed throughout as varying degrees of necessity, where in the beginning Didion craved the…

understand the universe (Haight-Asbury: The Beat of a Generation). This reaction demonstrates the powerful and mind-altering effects of LSD. In addition, based on Joan Didion’s observation of people using LSD , it is determined that these three individuals were able to become frozen in time in order to escape their reality for a few hours (Didion…