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Jessica G

Instructor

English 121 Composition II

10 October 2017

Expressing Oneself through Essays

While reading though “A Letter to the Editor” and “A Festival of Rain” I attempted to

keep in mind how each piece spoke to me, if I felt that the writer expressed themselves, where

they succeeded and where they failed. These are my own thoughts on two unique pieces of

writings.

In David Rockwood’s “A Letter to the Editor” the writer addresses wind-generated power

and electric energy. Rockwood’s letter is an argument against wind-generated power. Rather,

he repeatedly dismisses wind-generated power. While he does a fantastic job providing multiple

reasons wind-generated power will not work as a reasonable alternative to electrical energy for

the Pacific Northwest he does not provide a solution to the need for alternative energy.

Repeating multiple reasons why something may not work does not address a solution to the need

for alternative power. This would have been completed had he addressed his argument with

reasons that wind-generated power is not reliable for the Pacific Northwest and then provided a

solution to a better alternative energy for that area.

In Thomas Merton’s “A Festival of Rain” the writer allows his thoughts, his feelings, the

rain is providing to pour out onto paper. It is like he is providing the reader the opportunity to
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live that evening of rain through his words. The essay, to me, is about how rain is its own free

world. Rain cannot be owned, it cannot be stopped, and its sound should be enjoyed, and even

celebrated. And it knows us all. I feel as if the writer, through this essay, is telling us to take a

moment to just stop and listen and celebrate life.

I find these two writings to be completely different. Beyond the obvious of one being a

letter attempting to argue one’s viewpoint and the other being more of a “journaling” type

format, they provoke two opposite responses in me. Rockwood’s writing is set in a negative

tone, thus provoking a negative response. Merton’s writing is set in a soothing tone, thus

provoking a calming response. After reading Rockwood’s letter, which quite honestly with all

the numbers was quite difficult not to skim, I found my mood different. I had an annoyed

response to his negativity. After reading Merton’s essay I found my mood much calmer. It was

almost something someone could read during meditation!

I found Merton’s, “A Festival of Rain”, to do a better job at expressing itself to me. This

may have simply been because of how I let each essay affect my mood. Subconsciously, I am

drawn to writings that do not put me in a negative mood. However, also, I did not find myself

wanting to skim through Merton’s writing, as I wanted to with Rockwood’s. Numbers do not

express themselves to me and Rockwood’s writing was full of numbers. Merton, however, was

able to describe the woods and rain to where I could almost see and hear it. The description of

the Coleman stove, the rain on the flat roof, even the sloshing through the corn field. Those

descriptions enlightened all of my senses. I grew up in the wooded rural area of the very

Northern tip of Minnesota and have memories of the slosh of rain in a corn field, the sound of

rain on a cabin roof, the smell of an old Coleman stove burning, and the ambiance of the woods
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in general. I feel that plays a huge role also in why “A Festival of Rain” expresses itself so

strongly to me.

I feel that Rockwood did succeed as a writer is getting a reaction from me, as a reader.

That was his intent. Also, his argument on where these towers would have to be located in

“pristine mountain area” did provide a strong point in my opinion. However, he did fail me in the

sense that I am not his target audience as I do not live in the Pacific Northwest and I felt that his

letter didn’t have enough “pull at the heart strings” points to keep my attention.

Merton succeeded as a writer in ways I mentioned above. Memories of childhood senses

were relived in that essay. However, I must note that he did fail by jumping from thought to

thought. It was as if I was reading the journal of a child, where their cognitive abilities keep

them from staying focused for very long. First the rain is threatening to be sold, then he talks

about rhythms, now on to a trek in the woods and in a cabin, but the rain is talking and no one

can stop it, but finally it’s time to sleep because he is not an alien to the rain. Since I can

appreciate a journal like format though I can still appreciate this writing with all it’s jumping of

subjects.

I think it goes without saying that in my opinion Merton’s essay succeeded Rockwood’s

letter at entertaining me as a reader. I felt if the goal of these pieces was to express oneself that

was most accomplished by Merton. However, Rockwood did not fall short in provoking a

response from me. He just lacked expression.

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