Topic > Analysis of Rhetorical Strategies in “High Tide in Tucson” by Barbara Kingsolver

“High Tide in Tucson” by Barbara Kingsolver attempts to enlighten her readers about the harsh reality that comes with leaving home and to demonstrate how our Being animalistic qualities keep us going. Kingsolver writes to people who have already moved away from home and to people who may one day follow that path in hopes of providing emotional support and guidance – guidance that she believes could have helped her with the conflicts she has encountered throughout her life. Barbara Kingsolver uses philosophical diction and the emotional connection created between her audience and the hermit crab to illustrate the struggle of disembodiment in leaving home and transitioning into adulthood, and the animalistic adaptation necessary to move with the natural ebb and flow of life. . His use of emotional connection successfully connects his audience to the ideas present in his essay; however, his use of philosophical diction fails to support his claims, creating an excessive amount of collateral that may conflict with the audience's opinions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of Barbara Kingsolver's primary rhetorical strategies is her use of philosophical diction. While philosophical diction can add profound concepts to one's writing, the strategy also creates a great deal of collateral that, if the reader or readers have a conflicting opinion, will only succeed in creating frustration and/or lack of interest in the topic and the ideas. suggested by the author. In “High Tide in Tucson,” Kingsolver fails to use philosophical diction effectively, thus finding himself in the rhetorical hole created by the mandates he forces his audience to accept. It firmly states philosophy as fact: humans are animals; “Western civilization's most shameful tradition is our need to deny that we are animals” (272). Explain how humans have a tendency to create many wants but have only few needs. As Kingsolver establishes more and more mandates, his arguments begin to lose meaning. The new concepts created by the institution of mandates create tangents that force the reader to struggle to understand the meaning of his request. His use of philosophical diction, like the idea of ​​his son absorbing strength and rhythms from the tree under which his umbilical cord was buried years ago, fails to relate to the logical audience. The mandates created by the use of this strategy disconnect the mindset of many readers and the mindset of the author due to the lack of hard evidence used to establish the mandates themselves. However, the first half of the essay establishes a strong connection through the introduction of Kingsolver's hermit crab, Buster. Buster was accidentally smuggled from the Bahamas to Arizona in a common tourist mistake: shell collecting. Kingsolver describes the peculiar patterns that Buster followed after his illegal international transportation: the hermit crab seemed to follow some sort of mysterious cycle – going through series of absolute restlessness and depression-like immobility – of which its origin was unknown. After some research, Kingsolver discovered that intertidal oysters transplanted from their natural habitat will live according to the high and low tides of a different point on the globe. Since they are unable to sense the ups and downs of their home, “oysters [are] doing better there.” Kingsolver concludes "when Buster is running around for all he's worth, I can only assume it's high tide in Tucson." Kingsolver plugs Buster's fight.