Literary Works

"High Tide in Tucson" by Barbara Kingsolver tries to explain how our animal-like qualities keep us going
in the face of the harsh reality of leaving home. It is Kingsolver's hope that the letters she sends will
provide emotional support and direction to individuals who have already left home, as well as those who
may do so in the future. Barbara Kingsolver uses philosophical diction and the emotional connection she
creates between her audience and her hermit crab to illustrate the disembodying struggle of leaving
home and entering adulthood as well as the animalistic adaptation required to keep up with the natural
ebb and flow of life. Additional literary works the author use include narrator’s point of view, neutral
tone, conflict, climax, foreshadowing, understatement, allusions, imagery, metonymy and synecdoche,
and personification.

The use of philosophical diction is one of Barbara Kingsolver's key rhetorical methods. While
philosophical diction can add important notions to one's writing, it also produces a lot of warrants,
which will only result in aggravation and/or a lack of interest in the author's argument and views if the
reader or readers have opposing viewpoints. Kingsolver fails to use philosophical diction successfully in
"High Tide in Tucson," and as a result, she falls into the rhetorical hole caused by the warrants she
makes her audience to accept. Humans are animals, she asserts; "the most terrible history of Western
Civilization is our urge to deny we are animals," she says. She describes how humans have a proclivity to
develop a lot of wants but only a few requirements. Kingsolver's arguments begin to lose relevance as
she develops more and more warrants. The tangents formed by the new notions created by the
introduction of warrants cause the reader to strain to understand the relevance of her claim. Her use of
philosophical jargon, such as her child collecting power and rhythms from the tree where her umbilical
cord was buried years ago, fails to connect with the rational audience. Due to the lack of factual
evidence utilised to construct the warrants, the warrants created as a result of this method separate the
mindsets of many readers and the mindset of the author.

The essays in the High Tide in Tucson series take a first-person, subjective point of view while presenting
their thoughts. Neutrality is also evident in the tone and mood employed here. To guarantee that the
storyteller does not stray from the facts, a neutral tone is used. In addition, the protagonist is the
narrator, and the enemy is identified as the many forces that disturb her tranquilly.

The narrator is torn between her desire to see the world and her wish to live a quiet life, which creates a
significant internal conflict. "Life Without Go-Go Boots" also achieves its peak at the point where the
narrator describes the time she began to feel more confident. "How Mr. Dewey Decimal Saved My Life,"
on the other hand, hints at the narrator's description of how she found her way in the world.

In the essay "In Case You Ever Want to Go Home Again," the narrator asserts that she will never be able
to return to her hometown. However, the narrator's remark that she made the decision to not return
home is an understatement. "Making Peace" makes a strong case for the belief that true happiness can
only be found when a person abandons modern society. Making Peace" is also notable for its depiction
of the desolate landscape. As the spot where the main character finds calm, this image is crucial. Such
an image of a desolate desert, free of human intrusion, is provided here.

While she knows it will only cause her more anguish, she returns to the city time and time again. This is
one of the primary paradoxes in the story. Using the metaphors metonymy and synecdoche, the
narrator explores hardships in life in "Making Peace" by using the heat as a metaphor. Finally, in
"Creation Stories," the statement "the trees along the road murmured to me" serves as a
personification.