Barbara Kingsolver in her book “High Tide” tries both to inform and inspire its readers. It tries to demonstrate that our animalistic natures keep us going. Kingsolver wrote to people who had already left home as well as those who may do so in the future, hoping to offer some guidance and emotional support. She feels that her own experiences could have been better handled with some guidance. Barbara Kingsolver uses emotional connections and philosophical diction to show the struggles of adulthood and leaving home. She also shows how animalistic adaptation is necessary to go with the natural flow of the world. The emotional connection is a powerful tool to connect her audience with her ideas. However, the use of philosophical language fails to support the claims she makes, and can create a conflict between the audience’s opinion.

Barbara Kingsolver employs philosophical diction in her writing. The use of philosophical diction in writing can be a very powerful way to add depth and meaning. But it also creates many warrants which, when the reader is of a differing opinion, only serve to frustrate and/or turn off the reader. Kingsolver creates a rhetorical mess in “High Tide” by failing to use philosophical diction. She states that philosophy is fact. Humans are animal. She discusses how people tend to want many things but have few needs. Kingsolver’s arguments lose their meaning as she establishes ever more warrants. As a result of the new concepts that are created by the warrants, the reader is forced to work hard to understand the meaning of Kingsolver’s claim. Her philosophical diction fails to connect with the logical audience. She uses phrases like “her child is absorbing rhythms and strength” from the same tree that she buried her umbilical tube years ago. This strategy creates warrants which are not based on factual evidence. As a result, they do not relate to many readers or the author.

In the first part of the essay, Kingsolver introduces Buster, hermit crab. Buster accidentally was smuggled out of the Bahamas and into Arizona, due to a mistake made by many tourists: the collection seashells. Kingsolver describes Buster’s odd behavior following his illegal international transportation. Hermit crabs seemed to go through a mysterious pattern, alternating between restlessness (like depression) and stillness. Kingsolver found that oysters transplanted to a new location will follow the tides in the place they are living. Kingsolver compares Buster’s struggle to that of many “North Americans” who leave home. She describes the transition she made from Kentucky to Tucson. She had no idea she was going to suffer a similar fate as poor Buster. She must adapt to her new environment, just as Buster did. She uses the experiences she’s had — a knife in the stomach, miscarriage or car accident, even a robbery attempt — to learn how to make her environment worth living. Buster accidentally was transplanted to Arizona from the Bahamas and Kingsolver drove to Tucson from Kentucky. They both felt this magnitude and had to adapt their new surroundings. Kingsolver turns to her instincts as an animal to survive, to protect family, to eat and reproduce, in the hope of finding guidance when she is faced with loss. Buster’s hermit crab connection with humans gives us the flexibility to overcome challenges.

Kingsolver’s writing effectively conveys the struggle to leave home by establishing a strong connection between the reader and Buster, the hermit crab. Buster’s struggles and Kingsolver’s are easily relatable to readers. Although her use is philosophical, it does not capture the audience. This type of rhetorical strategy is best avoided in a general essay due to its excessive use of justifications. The “High Tide In Tucson” does not use the right philosophical language to convey the importance of the difficult transition from childhood to adulthood.

michaellang

Michael Lang is a 33-year-old professor and blogger who is passionate about writing. He has been blogging for over 7 years and has written for various online publications. Michael is also a seasoned professor who has taught at the college level for over a decade. He is currently a professor of English at a community college in the Midwest.