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Los Angeles Notebook Summary

1490 Words6 Pages

Meaning/Main Idea In the excerpt from Joan Didion’s “The Los Angeles Notebook, Didion’s main idea is that human behavior can be analyzed through mechanistic patterns, even though on the outside the cause, such as a Santa Ana wind, may seem supernatural. In the beginning of the excerpt, Didion describes the physical characteristics of a Santa Ana wind and continues on to explain people's instinctive reactions to these environmental conditions. She explains the pervasive effects of the Santa Ana by writing, “the baby frets, the maid sulks” (paragraph 1). This statement reveals how the Santa Ana affects all people, from the babies to the adults and how the mechanistic behavior is exhibited in all people. Every paragraph in Didion’s excerpt mentions …show more content…

Her purpose in writing this essay was to inform her readers how all people are mechanistic by nature. The entire essay is based upon Didion’s view that humans respond to their environment in a predictable manner. When the Santa Ana blows through everything goes tense. The babies and the adults find no refuge during a Santa Ana (paragraph 1). This example shows that the natural response of human nature is ubiquitous and the Santa Ana affects all facets of …show more content…

This sentence structure gives Didion credibility by declaring her thoughts and not blurring her main point with verbose language. She mainly uses compound-complex sentences followed by a simple sentence to move the reader through the text and solidify her main idea concisely. While describing the scientific characteristics of a Santa Ana, Didion uses compound and compound complex sentences with few simple sentences. This use of syntax establishes credibility by showing that Didion is knowledgeable on the subject she is writing

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