Carson Jenner Norma Barksdale Writing 201 February 28, 2024 The Amazing Writing Approach of Edward Hoagland Edward Hoagland’s “On Aging” is one of the best essays that I have read. Not only are there many metaphors that make the essay interesting, but there is a lot of information in the essay that is short but sweet. He managed to tell a story of his life and leave good advice to the reader within five pages. The way Edward Hoagland started each sentence with a piece of advice to the reader, and continued the rest of the paragraph relating to the advice made the essay seem as if there was a new topic every sentence, seemingly making the essay feel shorter and making sure that my mind did not wonder, it captured my mind. I enjoyed the advice that he left for me, and the essay left me questioning my own …show more content…
The second sentence in the essay mentioned the phases of the moon, “Wax, then wane.” and one of the final sentences was “Wax, then wane” Referencing the process of growing old, saying that waxing was being a child and waning is nearing the end of your life, bringing the essay back to the main point, aging. Throughout the essay, he stays on topic and very rarely deviates from the main point of aging, but there are some personal aspects that he references, making the reader get a more personal connection with the author, getting insight on his life growing up. He mentions joining the circus when he was 18 and attending Harvard after. This not only makes a connection, but also connects well with aging, talking about his thoughts as he grew old, wondering if he made the most of his life and burnt the candle from both ends as mentioned. I want to reference the author, Edward Hoagland, as a person. He wrote this essay in 2022 and as of right now, he is 91 years old. When he wrote this essay, he was 89 years old, which not only is impressive for the comprehensiveness of this work, but the understanding of aging is relevant for